Fort DeRussy (Louisiana)
Encyclopedia
Fort DeRussy, located four miles (6 km) north of Marksville
, Louisiana, was a Confederate
stronghold during the American Civil War
defending the lower Red River
Valley in Louisiana.
The fort was named for Colonel Lewis G. DeRussy, the oldest West Point graduate to serve in the Confederate Army
. DeRussy, a prominent engineer in civilian life, was the engineering officer in charge of the construction of the first fortifications at the fort. The remains of the Colonel were exhumed from an abandoned grave and reinterred on the grounds of the fort on September 26, 1999.
Mississippi Squadron captured the fort on May 5, 1863 and
destroyed on May 9, 1863 by the USS Benton
.
The fort yielded to the Union Army, led by General A. J. Smith, on March 14, 1864.
River Waterway Commission to purchase an additional 53 acres (214,483.6 m²), and 11 more acres were donated by the City of Marksville, at which time the state agreed to accept the donation of the fort and adjoining 70 acres (283,280.2 m²).
Marksville, Louisiana
Marksville is a city in and the parish seat of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Louisiana's first land-based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994...
, Louisiana, was a Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
stronghold during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
defending the lower Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
Valley in Louisiana.
The fort was named for Colonel Lewis G. DeRussy, the oldest West Point graduate to serve in the Confederate Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. DeRussy, a prominent engineer in civilian life, was the engineering officer in charge of the construction of the first fortifications at the fort. The remains of the Colonel were exhumed from an abandoned grave and reinterred on the grounds of the fort on September 26, 1999.
Battles
A portion of Rear Admiral David D. Porter'sDavid Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
Mississippi Squadron captured the fort on May 5, 1863 and
destroyed on May 9, 1863 by the USS Benton
USS Benton (1861)
USS Benton was an ironclad river gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for American senator Thomas Hart Benton. Benton was a former center-wheel catamaran snagboat and was converted by James B. Eads, St...
.
The fort yielded to the Union Army, led by General A. J. Smith, on March 14, 1864.
Preservation
The property was donated to the City of Marksville in order to receive a $75,000 grant from the State of Louisiana to improve the site so that it could be accepted by the State Parks system, with Friends of Fort DeRussy in charge of spending the money for the city. A grant of $150,000 was received from the RedRiver Waterway Commission to purchase an additional 53 acres (214,483.6 m²), and 11 more acres were donated by the City of Marksville, at which time the state agreed to accept the donation of the fort and adjoining 70 acres (283,280.2 m²).
External links
- Friends of Fort DeRussy
- Site photographs CivilWarAlbum.com