Bailey's Dam

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Coordinates: 31°19′32″N 92°27′7″W / 31.32556°N 92.45194°W / 31.32556; -92.45194
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Bailey's Dam
Remnants of Bailey's Dam in 1984
LocationAlexandria / Pineville, Louisiana
Construction beganApril 28, 1864
Opening dateMay 8, 1864
Demolition dateMay 13, 1864
Dam and spillways
Type of damRock-crib
ImpoundsRed River
Height~7 ft.
Length~758 ft.
Bailey's Dam Site
Bailey's Dam is located in Louisiana
Bailey's Dam
Bailey's Dam is located in the United States
Bailey's Dam
LocationRed River S of U.S. 71, Alexandria, Louisiana
Coordinates31°19′32″N 92°27′7″W / 31.32556°N 92.45194°W / 31.32556; -92.45194
Area8 acres (3.2 ha)
Built1864
NRHP reference No.76000973[1]
Added to NRHPJune 29, 1976

Bailey's Dam was a

Red River Campaign in the American Civil War. It was planned by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bailey to afford passage over the Alexandria rapids for part of Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter's Mississippi River Squadron. The dam successfully raised the level of the river and was then breached in order to allow the boats in its reservoir to pass downstream.[2][3]

Background

The Red River was an important transportation corridor through Louisiana, where the river channel meandered through alluvium. A short distance upstream of Alexandria, the river crosses two ledges of sandstone and siltstone. The depth of water over these bedrock ledges was less than the channel depth through nearby alluvium, and the downstream ledge controlled the water level upstream of that ledge.[4]

During the Red River Campaign in March 1864, General

lumberman and was familiar with how one could solve the problem. Although other officers criticized Bailey for the idea, General Banks agreed to it and ordered the construction.[2][7]

Construction

Bailey's Dam under construction, May 1864

Construction soon began supervised by Bailey. Around 3,000 soldiers started to fell trees and bring rock, brick, stone and other materials to the construction site. As construction progressed, two wings of the dam developed from either shore of the 758-foot-wide (231 m) river. The dam was at the bottom of the downstream ledge and was built with local materials. Where trees were plentiful on the left (east) side of the river, men with

29th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment used those trees for dam-building. Freed slaves of the 97th[8] and 99th[9] United States Colored Infantry Regiments worked from the right bank building box cribs filled with rocks and stones.[4] The dam was built with 4 x 10 inch wooden timbers that were stacked parallel with the river. The upstream tops of the timbers were anchored with stone while their trunks were raised higher by timbers that were perpendicular to the river. This helped support the dam and make it stronger as a reservoir filled in behind. The rock-crib structure did not cross the entire river and four coal barges were sunk in between the dam's 150-foot (46 m) gap. The barges were filled with local material and anchored into the riverbed. Bailey directed that one of the barges only be partially filled as he planned to quickly remove it in order to allow the reservoir to empty and the flotilla to pass.[2][10]

Among the materials used were that of the Red River Railroad.

Historical significance

Contemporary engraving of the vessels riding through the dam

By May 6, the dam had raised the river level to four feet and by May 8, it was over five feet, allowing some of the smaller boats to pass in directly behind the dam. At 5:30 AM on May 9, two of the barges surprisingly broke loose, sending a gush of water downstream. Only four of Porter's ships including the

Mound City breached the dam and eventually the rest of the fleet was safely below the falls.[12]

Modern day

Remnants of the dam can now be seen from Forts Randolph and Buhlow State Historic Site at this overlook.

Bailey's Dam Site was listed in the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the John Overton Lock and Dam downstream, which flooded the site.[12][13] The Corps of Engineers had sponsored excavations of the area in 1984 which helped confirm much of the historical accounts.[14]

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Bailey's Dam: How to float gunboats in three feet of water". Civil War Preservation Trust. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  3. ^ a b "The Red River Campaign" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Bailey's Dam" (PDF). Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Red River Campaign begins". HISTORY. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  6. ^ "Causes and consequences of nineteenth century droughts in North America".
  7. ^ Smith, Steven D.; George J. Castille III (March 1986). "Bailey's Dam – Advance". Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  8. ^ "United States Colored Troops, 97th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry". National Park Service. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  9. ^ "United States Colored Troops, 99th Regiment, United States Colored Infantry". National Park Service. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  10. ^ Smith, Steven D.; George J. Castille III (March 1986). "Bailey's Dam – Dam". Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  11. ^ Smith, Steven D.; George J. Castille III (March 1986). "Bailey's Dam – Works". Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  12. ^ a b "The Flag of the United States of America The Red River Campaign (April ~ May, 1864)". The Emblem of the Louisiana State Militia Louisiana's Military Heritage:Battles, Campaigns, and Maneuvers. USS KIDD. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  13. ^ "John Overton Lock And Dam, west Louisiana". Find Lakes. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  14. ^ Smith, Steven D.; George J. Castille III (March 1986). "Bailey's Dam – Introduction". Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2010.

External links

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