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Southern Early American/Colonial Forts

Michael has a BA in History & American Studies and an MSc in American History from the University of Edinburgh. He comes from a proud military family and has spent most of his career as an educator in the Middle East and Asia. His passion is travel, and he seizes any opportunity to share his experiences in the most immersive way possible, whether at sea or on the land.

Southeast

Battle Map
Creek War/Horseshoe Bend | Dade's Fight | Fort Mims | Jamestown | Lake Okeechobee | Seminole Wars
View our Southern Early American Historical Markers and East Texas Battle Map or see Southern Early American Forts below.
East Texas

Mid-South

Southeast

Hills and Hollows Forts

Map of the Mountains Forts

Additional Forts

Map of States Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida

Deposit, Fort | King, Fort | Marion, Fort | Moultrie, Fort | Pickens, Fort | Toulouse, Fort
Click on letter to jump to that section.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z
Destination Thumbnails
(click on picture to get larger view)
Fort Name
State
-A-
   

Picture of Fort Anderson

Anderson, Fort NC

 

Arbuckle's Fort W. VA

 

Arkansas Post AR

-B-
   

Picture of Fort Barrancas

Barrancas, Fort FL

 

Blakeley, Fort AL

Boones Station Marker Picture

Boone's Station KY

Picture of Fort Boonesborough

Boonesborough, Fort KY

-C-
   

Museum at Cannon Branch Fort

Cannon Branch Fort VA

Picture of Fort Caroline

Caroline, Fort FL

Picture at Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos FL

Picture of Fort Caswell

Caswell, Fort NC

Picture at Fort Chokonikla

Chokonikla, Fort FL

Picture of Fort Clinch

Clinch, Fort FL

Picture of Fort Cobun Earthworks

Cobun, Fort MS:

Picture of Fort Cobun Earthworks

Operating Hours & Seasons

The park is open year-round, although operating hours vary seasonally and from unit to unit.

Directions

Grand Gulf Military Park is located off of Highway 61, 7 miles north west of Port Gibson, Mississippi. Go west on Grand Gulf Road (also 462), for 7 miles. The park is located on the right. For day visitors, please park and come into the museum to pay your admissions fees. Campers turn in the main gate and turn right towards the campgrounds and then check in at the museum.

Picture of Fort Conde

Conde, Fort AL

Picture at Fort Conde

Fort Conde
150 South Royal Street
Mobile, Alabama 36602
Phone: 334-208-7304
Fax: 334-208-7659
Contact: Carolyn Johnson

History: All ages. Free admission.

Advance Reservation Required. 1 hour needed for tour.

Fort Condé is a partially reconstructed 1724-35 French fort. Fort Condé also features workable reproductions of 1740’s naval cannon and muskets. A museum inside houses artifacts from the site. Areas of the fort are furnished as officer’s and enlisted men’s quarters. Staffed with soldiers in French period uniforms.

Picture at Fort Cooper

Cooper, Fort FL

-D-
   

Picture of Fort Deposit

Deposit, Fort AL

DeRussy, Fort LA

Picture at Fort Desoto

DeSoto, Fort FL

Fort Donelson Picture

Donelson, Fort TN

After capturing Fort Henry on February 6, 1862, Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant advanced cross-country to invest Fort Donelson. On February 16, 1862, after the failure of their all-out attack aimed at breaking through Grant's investment lines, the fort's 12,000-man garrison surrendered unconditionally. This was a major victory for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and a catastrophe for the South. It ensured that Kentucky would stay in the Union and opened up Tennessee for a Northern advance along the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. Grant received a promotion to major general for his victory and attained stature in the Western Theater, earning the nom de guerre "Unconditional Surrender."

See also: NPS Website

Picture at Fort Duffield

Duffield, Fort KY

-F-
   

Picture of Fort Fisher

Fisher, Fort NC

Picture of Fort Foster

Foster, Fort FL

Picture of Fort Frederica

Frederica, Fort GA

Picture of Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitors Center

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania Battlefield VA

-G-
   

Picture of Fort Gadsden

Gadsden, Fort FL

Picture of Fort Gaines

Gaines, Fort AL

Picture of Fort King George

George, Fort King GA

Fort Gibson Picture

Gibson, Fort OK

-H-
   

Picture of Fort Harrod

Harrod, Fort KY

Picture of Fort Hawkins

Hawkins, Fort GA

Picture at Fort Donelson National Battlefield

Fort Heiman KY

 

Henry, Fort TN

By February 1862, Fort Henry, a Confederate earthen fort on the Tennessee River with outdated guns, was partially inundated and the river threatened to flood the rest. On February 4-5, Brig. General U.S. Grant landed his divisions in two different locations, one on the east bank of the Tennessee River to prevent the garrison's escape and the other to occupy the high ground on the Kentucky side which would insure the fort's fall.

Picture of Fort Hill

Hill, Fort KY

Picture of Fort Hunt

Hunt, Fort VA

-I-
   
-J-
   

Picture of Old Fort Jackson

Jackson, Old Fort GA

Fort Jackson Picture

Jackson, Fort LA

Picture of Fort Jefferson

Jefferson, Fort FL

Fort Jesup Picture

Jesup, Fort LA

Fort Jesup
32 Geoghagan Rd.
Many, LA 71449
Phone: 318-256-4117 or 1-888-677-5378
Picture of Fort Jesup
Photo by Rebecca Wood 6/3/06

Located in Sabine Parish, just 30 minutes from Natchitoches and I-49, and six miles east of Many off LA 6 (formally the San Antonio Road). Facilities include a museum, restrooms and a picnic area.

Picture of Fort Jesup State Historic Site

Johnsonville Batteries

Johnsonville Batteries TN

-K-
   

Thumbnail of Kentucky Military History Museum Picture

Kentucky Military History Museum KY

Picture of Fort King Historical Marker

King, Fort FL

Picture of Patton Museum at Fort Knox

Knox, Fort KY

-L-
     

Lee, Fort VA

 

Lookout, Fort AR

Fort Lookout - Red River Campaign (Camden)
120 Van Buren Rd., NW

1864 earthen redoubt used in defending Camden in 1864. Fort Lookout is part of the Camden Expedition National Historic Landmark.

Listed in National Register of Historic Places on 4/19/94.
Listed as a National Historic Landmark on 4/19/94.

Fort Southerland and Fort Lookout - Located in Camden, these forts are part of a series of fortifications started by Confederate troops for the protection of Camden. Federal troops improved the forts during their occupation. Fort Southerland is open to the public while Fort Lookout remains on private land.

Fort Loudon Picture

Loudoun, Fort TN

-M-
   

Picture of Fort Macon

Macon, Fort NC

Mansker Station Picture

Mansker Station TN

Mansker's Station Fort Picture

Mansker's Station Historic Site is a staffed living history site which is maintained by the City of Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The site represents the Station built by Kasper Mansker in the late 18th Century. Reproduced very near the original site, Mansker's Station is approximately one-third the size of the original lacking only the full number of individual cabins which would have been in the original station.

Picture of Cannon at Fort Marcy

Marcy, Fort VA

Picture of Fort Marion

Marion, Fort FL

Fort Marr Picture

Marr, Fort TN

Picture of Fort Massachusetts

Massachusetts, Fort MS

Picture of Fort Matanzas

Matanzas, Fort FL

Picture of Mayfield Fort

Mayfield Fort VA

Picture of Fort McAllister

McAllister, Fort GA

 

McPherson, Fort GA

Picture of Fort Mims Historical Marker

Mims, Fort AL

Picture of Fort Monroe

Monroe, Fort VA

Picture of Fort Morgan

Morgan, Fort AL

Picture at Fort Morris

Morris, Fort GA

Picture of Fort Moultrie

Moultrie, Fort SC

-N-
   

Fort Nashborough Picture

Nashborough, Fort TN

Fort Negley Picture

Negley, Fort TN

 

Nelson, Fort KY

Picture of Fort New Salem

New Salem, Fort W. VA

Picture at Fort Ninety Six

Ninety Six, Fort SC

-O-
   

Picture of Oconee Station

Oconee Station SC

Old Stone Fort Picture

Old Stone Fort TN

Old Stone Fort TX

A 1936 replica of Antonio Gil Y'Barbo's stone house. The museum interprets East Texas and Nacogdoches history.

Location

Located on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.

Hours

Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and university holidays.

-P-
   

Picture of Fort Pickens

Pickens, Fort FL

 

Pillow, Fort TN

Thumbnail of Prickett's Fort Picture

Prickett's Fort W. VA

Picture of Fort Pulaski

Pulaski, Fort GA

-R-
   

Picture of Fort Randolph

Randolph, Fort

W. VA

-S-
   

Picture of San Marcos de Apalache

San Marcos de Apalache FL

Picture of Fort Savannah

Savannah, Fort W. VA

Picture of Fort Screven

Screven, Fort GA

Fort Smith Picture

Smith, Fort AR

Picture of Fort Smith

Third Street at Rogers, (501) 783-3961

Perhaps the most prominent stop is the Fort Smith National Historic Site, which includes the remains of the original 1817 fort on the Arkansas River. One of the highlights is the two-story barracks from the second fort, which in the early 1870's became the Federal Courthouse for the Western District of Arkansas. Inside is the restored courtroom of the famed "Hangin' Judge" Isaac C. Parker, and the dingy frontier jail aptly named "Hell on the Border." On the site grounds are Judge Parker's restored gallows, and the original Commissary building - a major military supply center in the 1850's. The National Historic Site has recently completed $7.5 million restoration.

Fort Southwest Point Picture

Southwest Point, Fort TN

 

St. Jean Baptiste, Fort LA

Sumter, Fort SC

Picture of Fort Sumter

History provides us with defining moments from which we judge where we are with where we have been. The Civil War provides the United States with one of its critical defining moments that continues to play a vital role in defining ourselves as a Nation. Fort Sumter is the place where it began.

For complete description see:
National Park Service Website
-T-
   

Picture at Fort Zachary Taylor

Taylor, Fort Zachary FL

Picture of Fort Toulouse

Toulouse, Fort AL

Fort Towson Picture

Towson, Fort OK

-U-
-V-
   
-W-
   

Picture of Fort Wade Battery Gun Emplacement

Wade, Fort MS

Picture of Fort Ward

Ward, Fort VA

Fort Watauga Picture

Watauga, Fort TN

Picture of Fort Watson

Watson, Fort SC

James White Fort Picture

White Fort, James TN

James White Fort Picture

Hours

April-November
9:30am - 5pm
Monday through Saturday
Closed Sunday and all major holidays

December-March
10am - 4pm
Monday through Friday
Saturday and Sunday by appointment only

For more information

Call (423) 525-6514

Communities and Related Links

Knoxville
-Y-
     

Yargo, Fort GA

Picture of Yellow Bluff Fort

Yellow Bluff Fort FL

Additional Forts/Camps

Camp Bowie

The principal encampment of the army of the Republic of Texas from April 22 through the middle of June 1837, was Camp Bowie located on the east side of the Navidad River at Red Bluff, 8 miles southeast of the community of Edna. Nothing remains of this camp.

Camp Independence

Marker Title: Site of Camp Independence
City: Edna
County: Jackson
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Location: from Edna, take US 59 SW, go South on FM 1822 for 2.8 miles go south on CR 306 1 mile.
Marker Text: A part of the first army of the Texas Republic, under the command of General Felix Houston, and later of General Albert Sidney Johnston, was stationed here from December, 1836, until furloughed by order of President Sam Houston on May 18, 1837. Captain Henry Teal was assassinated here as he slept in his tent on the night of May 5.

Communities and Related Links
Jackson County  
Victoria Crossroads
Victoria Chamber of Commerce

Camp Irwin

Twelve miles inland from Port Lavaca, the Second Illinois Volunteers of Brigadier-General John E. Wool established Camp Irwin on August 1, 1846, as a holding camp until their supplies arrived. Nothing remains of Camp Irwin, except a place in history.

Camp Waul

Camp Waul was a Confederate training camp seven miles north of Brenham and was named for Thomas Neville Waul. Waul's Texas Legion was organized on May 13, 1862 and ordered out of state in August that year.

Cooke's Camp

Named for founder William Gordon Cooke who arrived in Texas in October, 1835, with a volunteer company called the New Orleans Greys. Headquarters camp established in San Antonio. Exemplary service during the Battle for Independence and later served as a colonel of the infantry and laid out the road from Little River to the Red River in 1840. Took every opportunity to fight Mexico including Somervell, Snively and Edwin Moore's expedition to the Yucatan. Cooke County is also named for him.

Communities and Related Links
San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau

Fort Anahuac

Marker Title: Fort Anahuac
Address: Fort Anahuac Park
City: Anahuac
County: Chambers
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Text: On this site first known as Perry's Point, a fort, established in 1830 by General Manuel Mier y Teran for the purpose of halting Anglo-American colonization was named Anahuac, the Aztec name of Mexico City, then the capital of Texas. The imprisonment here of settlers in Austin's colony brought the first open rebellion to Mexican rule in 1832.

Communities and Related Links
Houston

Fort Coffee

Holland Coffee operated a trading post in the area of Preston Bend (which is now under Lake Texoma). He was rumored to have traded guns and whiskey to the Indians, an act that was forbidden by law. In 1837, Coffee was called before the government and "made a satisfactory explanation of his actions." His fort, consisting of a tall fence made of pickets, was said to have been more to prevent the Indians from stealing livestock than protection from raids. Nearby Coffee's Crossing was a landmark when the Republic of Texas built a Military Road linking Central and North Texas. The fort became a station when the Butterfield Mail stages passed through the area in the late 1850s.

Fort Henderson

This Texas Ranger fort was built by Major William H. Smith's battalion early in 1837 and commanded by Captain Lee C. Smith as part of the defensive line established by the Republic of Texas against marauding Plains Indians. The fort was named for General James Pinckney Henderson. It was on the upper Navasota River near the present boundaries of Robertson and Leon counties. At that time, this area was deep in Indian country. The fort was difficult to supply and of questionable defensive use. For those reasons the fort was abandoned soon after its construction, probably in the fall of 1837. There are no visible ruins.

Fort Saint Louis

Marker Title: Fort St. Louis
Address: SW corner of FM 444 & US 59
City: Inez
County: Victoria
Year Marker Erected: 1936
Marker Location: SW Corner of intersection of FM 444 & US 59, Inez.
Marker Text: Thirteen miles southeast of Inez is located the site of Fort St. Louis. First French settlement in Texas attempted by Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle in 1685. Devastated by the Karankawa Indians, burned by members of the Alonso De Leon Expedition in 1689. On its remains the Spaniards constructed Presidio de Nuestra Senora de la Bahia del Espirtu Santo, Marquis of Aguayo and Father Fray Agustin Patron, O.F. M. In 1722 as a protection for the mission of Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga for the civilizing and Christianizing of the Indian tribes of the vicinity moved to Mission Valley on the Guadalupe River near the present Victoria in 1726; moved finally to Santa Dorotea in Goliad near the San Antonio River in 1749.

Fort Wilbarger

Josiah had joined Stephen F. Austin's colony in 1828 and received a Mexican land grant in present-day Bastrop County where he settled in the community of Utley near the Colorado River. The Wilbarger's home consisted of a cabin and a stockade that may have been a family fort. He also prepared a cave in the banks of the Colorado River for shelter in case of Indian attack. Little else is known about the fort. At one time there was a commemorative marker at the site of Wilbarger Bend in the Colorado. If the marker still exists, it is now on private property.

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