Fort Randolph (Tennessee)
Fort Randolph | |
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Lieutenant Colonel Jesse A. Forrest |
Fort Randolph was a Confederate Army fortification built in 1861 during the Civil War. Fort Randolph was located on the second Chickasaw Bluff at Randolph, Tipton County, Tennessee.
History
By June 1861, the first Confederate fortification at Randolph, Fort Wright, was close to completion.[1] Fort Randolph, the second Confederate stronghold in the area, was constructed only months after Fort Wright, in Fall 1861.[2] The fortification was situated on the Mississippi River bluffs, about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Fort Wright.[3] In a dispatch published by The New York Times in March 1862, Fort Randolph is described as a "rough and incomplete earthwork (...) built upon the Second Chickasaw Bluffs [sic], more than 100 feet above the river". The position of the fortification allowed a view of the Mississippi River for 6 miles (10 km), both upstream and downstream. Boats approaching the fort on the river could be detected early from this strong position.[2] Confederate troops at the garrison could prepare for naval attacks on the fort and Union Army supply boats passing on the Mississippi River could be attacked from the elevated position of Fort Randolph without much risk of immediate retaliation.
The town of Columbus, Kentucky, located ca. 160 miles (260 km) north of Randolph on the Mississippi River, was reported robbed and burnt down by Confederate forces in March 1862. "Everything was destroyed that could not be carried away." The rebels fled downstream to hide out at Fort Randolph in order to evade capture by Union troops.[2]
In October 1864,
In 2008, Fort Randolph is no longer in existence.
Location
- Fort Randolph (historical) was at coordinates 35°30′30″N 89°54′24″W / 35.5083°N 89.9067°W.[3]
See also
- History of Randolph, Tennessee
- Fort Wright (Tennessee)
- Location of Fort Randolph and Fort Wright
- List of forts in Tennessee
References
- ISBN 1-84603-194-X.
- ^ a b c Foote, A. H. (March 5, 1862). "The Evacuation of Columbus. The Town Reduced to a Heap of Ruins by the Rebels. Their Retreat to Fort Randolph (...) - (Dispatch from Flag-Officer Foote)" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Tennessee Places, Fort Randolph (historical)". eachTown.com. Retrieved 2008-10-07.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Tennesseans in the Civil War, 21st (Wilson's) Tennessee Cavalry Regiment". TNGenWeb Project. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
- ^ "The Attack on the Belle St. Louis" (PDF). The New York Times. October 31, 1864. Retrieved 10 January 2009.