- Joined
- Apr 8, 2018
- Location
- Coffeeville, TX
The Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department had a lot of fortifications, most of them non-existent today, and many of them of sound design and construction. It is my hypothesis that these fortifications were just as good, if not sometimes better than what could be seen east of the Mississippi River, but outside of Fort Sabine and occasionally Fort Derussy, almost all of them are forgotten. The Gilmer Civil War Maps Collection in the University of North Carolina has many drawings, or rather "blueprints" of sorts from all over the South, and sharing them here would do no justice so I'll share the links so everyone can get real good looks at these drawings that are unaware of them, and they are all that remains of a period view of them. Also for the record, I was inspired to do this thread by @J. D. Stevens excellent thread on Galveston's fortifications
But for the sake of discussion, what are y'alls thoughts on these fortifications? Were they just as good as back east? Were they inferior contraptions thrown up by backward western Confederates? Or are they unappreciated and unjustly forgotten works that were great examples of military science? I'm interested in hearing everyone else's thoughts, and seeing where the discussion leads.
Here are some observations on Trans-Mississippi forts by the famous Arthur Fremantle, (notice that he speaks of foreign influence in their construction):
On Galveston's Forts:
"I rode with Colonel Debray to examine Forts Scurry, Magruder, Bankhead and Point. These works have been ingeniously designed by Colonel Sulokowski (formerly of the Austrian army), and they were being very well constructed by one hundred and fifty whites and six hundred blacks under that officer's superintendence, the blacks being lent by neighboring planters."
Fort Beauregard in Harrisonburg LA:
"At 4 p.m. we were assured by a citizen on the bank that the gunboats really had retreated; and at 5:30 our doubts were put to rest, to our great satisfaction, by descrying the Confederate flag flying from Fort Beauregard, high above the little town of Harrisonburg. After we had landed, I presented my letter of introduction from General Hebert to Colonel Logan, who commands the fort. He introduced me to a German officer the engineer...... Fort Beauregard is a much more formidable work than I expected to see, and its strength had evidently been much underrated at Munroe..... When the works are complete they will be much more formidable."
Fort Sabine
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/181/rec/7
Fort Quintana
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/172/rec/5
Three gun battery in Fulton Arkansas
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/48/rec/1
Camden, Arkansas and its defences (zoom in feature comes in real handy on this one)
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/52/rec/6
Fort Derussy in Louisiana
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/27/rec/2
Shreveport Louisiana and its defenses (again zoom in feature comes in handy)
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/32/rec/3
Port Hudson
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/97/rec/11
Again I'm mainly starting this thread for the sake of discussion, as this doesn't seem to get discussed, what are y'all's thoughts?
But for the sake of discussion, what are y'alls thoughts on these fortifications? Were they just as good as back east? Were they inferior contraptions thrown up by backward western Confederates? Or are they unappreciated and unjustly forgotten works that were great examples of military science? I'm interested in hearing everyone else's thoughts, and seeing where the discussion leads.
Here are some observations on Trans-Mississippi forts by the famous Arthur Fremantle, (notice that he speaks of foreign influence in their construction):
On Galveston's Forts:
"I rode with Colonel Debray to examine Forts Scurry, Magruder, Bankhead and Point. These works have been ingeniously designed by Colonel Sulokowski (formerly of the Austrian army), and they were being very well constructed by one hundred and fifty whites and six hundred blacks under that officer's superintendence, the blacks being lent by neighboring planters."
Fort Beauregard in Harrisonburg LA:
"At 4 p.m. we were assured by a citizen on the bank that the gunboats really had retreated; and at 5:30 our doubts were put to rest, to our great satisfaction, by descrying the Confederate flag flying from Fort Beauregard, high above the little town of Harrisonburg. After we had landed, I presented my letter of introduction from General Hebert to Colonel Logan, who commands the fort. He introduced me to a German officer the engineer...... Fort Beauregard is a much more formidable work than I expected to see, and its strength had evidently been much underrated at Munroe..... When the works are complete they will be much more formidable."
Fort Sabine
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/181/rec/7
Fort Quintana
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/172/rec/5
Three gun battery in Fulton Arkansas
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/48/rec/1
Camden, Arkansas and its defences (zoom in feature comes in real handy on this one)
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/52/rec/6
Fort Derussy in Louisiana
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/27/rec/2
Shreveport Louisiana and its defenses (again zoom in feature comes in handy)
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/32/rec/3
Port Hudson
https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gilmer/id/97/rec/11
Again I'm mainly starting this thread for the sake of discussion, as this doesn't seem to get discussed, what are y'all's thoughts?
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