Fort C. F. Smith

Fort C. F. Smith (HMQIX)

Location: Bowling Green, KY 42101 Warren County
Buy Kentucky State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 59.32', W 86° 26.231'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 847 views
Inscription
Construction of this strong defensive work began in 1862 during the Confederate occupation of Bowling Green. After the Confederates abandoned the city the Union Army completed the fortification, named Fort C. F. Smith in honor of General Charles Ferguson Smith.

Of the extensive fortifications that once occupied this hilltop, only these outer earthworks remain. The long, linear wall is the breastwork, which protected infantrymen from enemy fire. The semi-circular lunette sheltered artillery pieces. Union Colonel Benjamin Harrison supervised construction of these earthworks.

Fort C. F. Smith was described as a bastion fort; forts designed to withstand attack from any direction. Owing to the time and labor required in their construction, bastion forts were usually built only at sites of great importance; sites which demanded the presence of troops. Fort C. F. Smith was heavily armed. The fort mounted four 20-pounder Parrotts; two 3.8 inch James rifles; four 4-inch rifled guns; thirteen 12-pounder light and two 6-pounder smooth bores.

(Captions from upper left to lower right):
Lt. N.S. Andrews of the 6th Michigan Battery drew this plan in November 1863. It depicts the fort, then under construction, as it would look when completed. The original drawing is at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Gen. Benjamin Harrison
Harrison was one of five Union Civil War generals later elected President of the United States

The 20-pounder Parrotts were the heaviest artillery at Fort C.F. Smith. This rifled cannon could shoot a 20 pound projectile 2,100 yards, slightly less than 1 ? miles.

Gen. Charles Furguson Smith
Smith died April 25, 1862 from injuries received at the Battle of Shiloh 2 1/2 weeks earlier.

This 6-pounder bronze cannon was the smallest of the fort's artillery. Even though it could shoot a six-pound projectile 1,523 yards it was virtually obsolete by 1861.

Details
HM NumberHMQIX
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at 10:07pm 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 550084 N 4093763
Decimal Degrees36.98866667, -86.43718333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 59.32', W 86° 26.231'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 59' 19.20" N, 86° 26' 13.86" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)270, 502
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1019 High St, Bowling Green KY 42101, 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.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Lillian H. South
0.11 miles
College Hill
0.12 miles
Bowling Green
0.28 miles
Williams Building
0.34 miles
Quigley-Younglove Building
0.34 miles
Turpin Building
0.34 miles
Barr Building
0.36 miles
Getty Building
0.37 miles
Princess Theatre
0.39 miles
Civil War Occupations
0.39 miles
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. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?