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re: Coastal Defense Fortifications
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:34 pm to DustyDinkleman
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:34 pm to DustyDinkleman
Not coastal, but I thought I remember seeing some sort of fort mentioned to be on the MS river around the U Club area. A Spanish fort, maybe? Anyone know about it?
2
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:35 pm to Kadjin
Yea, I like Pickens, and Fort Morgan too. Another really cool one I've been to was Fort Pulaski near Savannah, GA. You can still see the holes left from the cannonballs that struck it back during the war.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:40 pm to upgrayedd
quote:
around the U Club area. A Spanish fort, maybe?
I think you're thinking of "Old Spanish Fort" or "Fort St. John"
It was a Colonial Era fort built to protect Bayou St. John from ships in Lake Pontchartrain. All that's left is one of the walls I believe.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:44 pm to The Great McGinty
quote:
Wish they could do more to protect them. It hurts me to see historical landmarks that are deteriorating but salvageable not being 100% preserved.
This! They could absolutely be restored and turned into tourist attractions. They could go from withering away to being revenue generating resources, but we're too poor, stupid, short-sighted, and corrupt to have any forthought like that in government.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:46 pm to DustyDinkleman
I've never been to any in Louisiana but I live very close to Fort Pickens and Fort Barrancas. They're both awesome places to explore.
I've never been to any in Louisiana, but I'd love to check them out.
I've never been to any in Louisiana, but I'd love to check them out.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:49 pm to PaperPaintball92
quote:
Fort Barrancas
That one is really cool too. I liked that you could walk in the tunnel down to the water battery.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:51 pm to DustyDinkleman
These forts predated the Civil War and were taken over by Confederate forces. They were already obsolete, as proven by their being unable to stop the Union Navy, either at New Orleans or Mobile Bay. In both cases, the Union forces were able to run past the forts and land troops in their lightly defended rear, at which point they had no choice but to surrender. Fort Sumter in Charleston and Fort Fisher in Wilmington, NC, fared better as part of an integrated defense in depth.
ETA: Somewhere just north of Baton Rouge, probably around the present site of Southern University, lie the remains of both USS Mississippi and CSS Arkansas. USS Mississippi is one of the most famous ships in US history, serving as Commodore Peary's flagship on his visit to Japan. She was a casualty of the Confederate batteries of Port Hudson, drifting down the river on fire and finally sinking. The ironclad CSS Arkansas was built in a cornfield alongside the Yazoo River and terrorized the Union fleet for a while. On the way to support the Confederate attempt to recapture Baton Rouge, she suffered an engine breakdown and was blown up by her own crew.
ETA: Somewhere just north of Baton Rouge, probably around the present site of Southern University, lie the remains of both USS Mississippi and CSS Arkansas. USS Mississippi is one of the most famous ships in US history, serving as Commodore Peary's flagship on his visit to Japan. She was a casualty of the Confederate batteries of Port Hudson, drifting down the river on fire and finally sinking. The ironclad CSS Arkansas was built in a cornfield alongside the Yazoo River and terrorized the Union fleet for a while. On the way to support the Confederate attempt to recapture Baton Rouge, she suffered an engine breakdown and was blown up by her own crew.
This post was edited on 5/10/17 at 5:56 pm
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:54 pm to upgrayedd
quote:
Not coastal, but I thought I remember seeing some sort of fort mentioned to be on the MS river around the U Club area.
That's the remains of Fort Bute. It was built near where Bayou Manchac met the Mississippi River by the British after the French and Indian War to guard their border with the Isle of Orleans to the South, Spanish Territory.
During the Revolutionary War, Spain kicked off their involvement by Governor Galvez storming Fort Bute. Galvez would later go on to win battles against the British at Baton Rouge, Mobile, and Pensacola. I'm not sure if there's anything left of Fort Bute, but it seems like it should be a pretty significant archaeological and historical site.
This post was edited on 5/10/17 at 5:56 pm
Posted on 5/10/17 at 5:58 pm to DustyDinkleman
Good illustration of the obsolescence of these forts by the time of the Civil War. Their brick walls were no match for high velocity projectiles from the new rifled cannons.
This post was edited on 5/10/17 at 6:04 pm
Posted on 5/10/17 at 6:01 pm to DustyDinkleman
quote:
water battery.
I don't know how long it has been since you have been there, but they have that part restored almost to original condition now. It looks great.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 6:03 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
These forts predated the Civil War and were taken over by Confederate forces.
Exactly.
These were part of the coastal defense forts built after our experience in the war of 1812.
The British were able to invade anywhere they desired.
But by the time of the War of Northern Agression
the steam engine combined with armor made all the forts obsolete. With sail and wood alone, Forts Jackson and Saint Philip would have given Farragout what for!
Posted on 5/10/17 at 6:03 pm to kingbob
I had never heard of Fort Bute. More reading to do
This post was edited on 5/10/17 at 6:09 pm
Posted on 5/10/17 at 6:06 pm to DustyDinkleman
As others have said, the majority of the coastal forts were completely outdated at the time they were built. They're reminiscent of a time when the US didn't have a sufficient navy to defend its borders. The reason they were incorporated into the defense doctrine was due to their success in the revolutionary war. They were still somewhat viable for protecting major waterways in the north but in the south they were largely useless by the mid 1800s. The workmanship of these forts is really what makes them so interesting. A lot of them were built by slaves but they were (and are) quality. Some of the stonework is done so precise that you can still cut your hand on the edges. That, to me, is the most brilliant thing about these.
It is also interesting that the US still incorporated coastal defense batteries into its defense doctrine all the way up to WWII. Today, there is no doctrine of coastal defense on land in any branch of the military as our navy is very sufficient in protecting our borders.
It is also interesting that the US still incorporated coastal defense batteries into its defense doctrine all the way up to WWII. Today, there is no doctrine of coastal defense on land in any branch of the military as our navy is very sufficient in protecting our borders.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 7:47 pm to kingbob
quote:
That's the remains of Fort Bute. It was built near where Bayou Manchac met the Mississippi River by the British after the French and Indian War to guard their border with the Isle of Orleans to the South, Spanish Territory.
I remember stumbling on it somehow on Google maps but couldn't remember. Thanks for the info
Posted on 5/10/17 at 8:25 pm to kingbob
quote:
That's the remains of Fort Bute. It was built near where Bayou Manchac met the Mississippi River by the British after the French and Indian War to guard their border with the Isle of Orleans to the South, Spanish Territory.
During the Revolutionary War, Spain kicked off their involvement by Governor Galvez storming Fort Bute. Galvez would later go on to win battles against the British at Baton Rouge, Mobile, and Pensacola. I'm not sure if there's anything left of Fort Bute, but it seems like it should be a pretty significant archaeological and historical site.
My great, great, great....grandfather was part of the army that Galvez raised to fight the British. My grandfather was in the local militia in what is now St James Parish. The militia was made up of mostly Acadians. Galvez's army was made up of Spanish soldiers, local malitias, and even some Indians. Because of my grandfather fighting the British with Galvez, I'm eligible for membership in Sons of the American Revolution, but I never did join.
Posted on 5/10/17 at 8:57 pm to DustyDinkleman
It seems like the eventual loser is the ones that build this kind of stuff
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