Fort Duffield
Encyclopedia
Fort Duffield is an American Civil War
fort located outside West Point, Kentucky
. It saw use in 1862, and was abandoned when it appeared that the War would never come near the fort. Ironically, John Hunt Morgan
would in 1863 lead his Raiders right past the fort and could have been stopped had the fort not been abandoned.
William Tecumseh Sherman
was concerned with the Confederate positions in Bowling Green
and Columbus
, and sent the 37th Indiana
and the 9th Michigan regiments to West Point. The plan was to use West Point as a Union supply base for Elizabethtown
. Sherman ordered the fort to be built on Pearman Hill to protect the town. Construction began on November 3, 1861 and was finished in two months. The fort was named for the Rev. George Duffield of Detroit, whose son, Colonel William W. Duffield, led the 9th Michigan Infantry . There were 950 troops stationed there, but they were soon sent to the front lines and the fort was mostly unused in 1862, seeing its last use that Fall.
The fort is mostly a serpentine wall, unlike the typical star-shaped Civil War forts in Kentucky. The earthworks of the fort are well-preserved. Originally there was a one mile clearing between the fort and any trees, but since the fort's abandonment the forest has grown back around the fort. A fresh water spring was inside the fort.
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...
fort located outside West Point, Kentucky
West Point, Kentucky
West Point is a city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States, near the edge of Fort Knox military reservation on Dixie Highway. It is located in a former meander bend of the Ohio River...
. It saw use in 1862, and was abandoned when it appeared that the War would never come near the fort. Ironically, John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
would in 1863 lead his Raiders right past the fort and could have been stopped had the fort not been abandoned.
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
was concerned with the Confederate positions in Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
and Columbus
Columbus, Kentucky
Columbus is a city in Hickman County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 229 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbus is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, and sent the 37th Indiana
37th Regiment Indiana Infantry
The 37th Regiment Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 37th Indiana Infantry was organized at Lawrenceburg, Indiana and mustered in for a three year enlistment on September 18, 1861 under the command of Colonel James S...
and the 9th Michigan regiments to West Point. The plan was to use West Point as a Union supply base for Elizabethtown
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Elizabethtown is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,531 at the 2010 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in the state...
. Sherman ordered the fort to be built on Pearman Hill to protect the town. Construction began on November 3, 1861 and was finished in two months. The fort was named for the Rev. George Duffield of Detroit, whose son, Colonel William W. Duffield, led the 9th Michigan Infantry . There were 950 troops stationed there, but they were soon sent to the front lines and the fort was mostly unused in 1862, seeing its last use that Fall.
The fort is mostly a serpentine wall, unlike the typical star-shaped Civil War forts in Kentucky. The earthworks of the fort are well-preserved. Originally there was a one mile clearing between the fort and any trees, but since the fort's abandonment the forest has grown back around the fort. A fresh water spring was inside the fort.
See also
- American Civil War fortifications in LouisvilleAmerican Civil War fortifications in LouisvilleLouisville's fortifications for the American Civil War were designed to protect Louisville, Kentucky, as it was an important supply station for the Union's fight in the western theater of the war. They were typically named for fallen Union officers; usually those that served in the Army of the Ohio...
- Kentucky in the American Civil War
- Louisville in the American Civil War