Fort DeWolf

Fort DeWolf (HM2AJ1)

Location: Shepherdsville, KY 40165 Bullitt County
Buy Kentucky State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 37° 59.023', W 85° 43.043'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 226 views
Inscription
The Union army began protecting the L&N Railroad from the beginning of the war. Once Nashville was taken the railroad became a vital supply line for Federal troops in Tennessee. It was equally important for the Confederacy to disrupt that line of supply as early and as often as possible.

By December 1862, the Union army had constructed six stockades between Elizabethtown and Sheperdsville (Big Run trestle and Sulphur Fork trestle both on Muldraugh Hill, Lebanon Junction, Belmont, Bardstown Junction and Sheperdsville). The stockades were manned only with infantry and proved woefully inadequate against troops with artillery. In March 1863 the Union army proposed upgrading the stockade in Sheperdsville by "...erect[ing] an artillery and infantry parapet, together with a line of rifle pits connecting it with abattis or entanglements...and the establishment of artillery." The fort was only partially finished in July 1863 when Morgan attacked and burned the stockade at Bardstown Junction. During Morgan's July 1863 rail, Major Israel N Stiles, commander of the Union troops in the area, ordered his men at Belmont and Bardstown Junction to Sheperdsville. He believed that his unfinished earthwork and single cannon offered more protection than the stockades.

Fort DeWolf was improved and more artillery was added, as



a result it was never again threatened by Confederate forces.

Fort DeWolf was named for Lieut. William DeWolf, 3rd US Artillery, who was killed at Williamsburg, Virginia.

(captions)
According to official reports the completed fort was armed with three 12-pounder light artillery pieces.

The completed fort was across the Salt River south of Sheperdsville. Fort DeWolf was constructed so that the L&N literally passed through it. Between the fort and the river was a barracks and along the railroad a brick water tank. Constructed between the river and the fort was a line of inclined palisades, a wooden wall five feet high, made of sharpened posts. The line of palisades was designed to protect the barracks and to keep an attack from flanking the fort.

This drawing made by a Union engineer shows the layout of Fort DeWolf. The solid lines show how the fort appeared at the time of the engineer's inspection. The dotted lines are proposed improvements. Later drawings found at the National Archives indicate that most of the improvements were made.
Details
HM NumberHM2AJ1
Tags
Placed ByKentucky Heartland Civil War Trails Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, August 18th, 2018 at 2:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 612637 N 4204784
Decimal Degrees37.98371667, -85.71738333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 59.023', W 85° 43.043'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 59' 1.3800000000002" N, 85° 43' 2.58" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)502
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 605 Preston Hwy, Shepherdsville KY 40165, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?