Fort Jackson-- Part 2: A Mutiny, Prison and 'Infested With Snakes'

Not to be confused with the Old Fort Jackson at Savannah, Georgia.

After Farragut sailed past the forts and New Orleans fell, the forts continued to battle Union forces.  Then, there was a mutiny by the garrison of Fort Jackson against their officers and conditions which caused the surrender of the forts.

Later, Fort Jackson was used a s a Union prison.  It was here that the French champagne magnate  Charles Heidsieck was held  for seven months on charges of spying.  (After reading about this gentleman, I am going to have to write about him.)

On November 9, 1927, the State of Louisiana sold Fort Jackson as surplus government property to Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Harvey, who later donated the property to the Parish of Plaquemines in 1960 in hopes that the fort and 82 acres of land it sits on, would be restored.

That same year, the fort was declared a National Landmark and it was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967.

The Plaquemines Parish began  renovations of the fort in 1961.

However, the National Park Service declared that "the Fort area had become a jungle with mud-filled tunnels infested with snakes and flooded with water."

--Old B-Runner

The Fall of New Orleans' Fort Jackson-- Part 5: Hurricanes Have Taken a Toll

The fort was repaired, but not used much for the rest of the war.  For a short time during the short Spanish-American War it was used as a prison and in World War I as a training ground before it was decommissioned.

Plaquemines Parish leaders succeeded in having it listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967.  They cleaned the place up and turned it into a military museum.

A century after the battle,  Hurricanes Betsy in 1965, Camille in 1969 inundated it with water.  In August 2005, it suffered what was essentially a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina, which submerged much of the fort for more than a month.

Today, the fort is closed to visitors, although artifacts once housed inside the fort are now on display at a nearby museum.

--Old B-Runner

About Wilmington's Eagles Island-- Part 3: Into the 1900s

Eagles Island appears to have sunk into commercial decline  about the time of World War I.

The Wilmington  Iron Works operated a shipyard and marine railway on Eagles Island as late as 1924  The rusted iron gears they used to pull ships out of the water are reportedly still in view.  In 1910, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built docks and a yard on the island that are still in use.

The battleship USS North Carolina was docked at the island in 1961 and formally dedicated  April 29, 1962,  as a memorial to World War II veterans from North Carolina.  The memorial now occupies a 61-acre tract on the island and is set aside as a nature preserve.

Today, parts of the island  are on the National Register of Historic Places for the number of wrecks in the area along the west bank of the Cape Fear River.

The paddle wheel of a U.S. Engineer snag boat, the H.G. Wright, was removed from the island in the 1980s, restored and now is on display at the Cape Fear  Museum.

--Old B-Runner

Donaldsonville, La. --Part 5: Battle of Fort Butler

Part of Fort Butler's garrison included  the 1st Louisiana Volunteers, a black military group, as well as some Louisiana Native Guard and some fugitive slaves.

In June 1863, Confederate forces consisting of more than 1,000 Texas Rangers under General Tom Green attacked Fort Butler.  Free Blacks and fugitive slaves joined in the successful defense of the fort.  This is one of the first instances of Blacks fighting as a group for the Union.

The Fort is on the NRHP.

The American Civil War site:

Major Thomas Greens's cavalry was joined by Major General James P. Major's troops.  On June 28, 1863,  in the early morning hours, they attacked the fort.  The small garrison was aided by Union gunboats in the river.  There was some close hand-to-hand combat, even at times with bricks being thrown.

With daylight, the Fort was still in Union hands and the Confederates withdrew.

It Is Hard To Find Information On This Battle.  --Old B-R'er

Donaldsonville, Louisiana-- Part 1: Former State Capital and Fort Butler

From Wikipedia.

Abner Read was mortally wounded in a fight with Confederates near here on July 7, 1863.  He died the next day.

I'd never heard of this town before or its role in the Civil War.

It was the former capital of Louisiana (1829-1831), moved from New Orleans as English-speaking people in the state wanted to get the capital away from all the French people on New Orleans.

Union forces attacked and occupied the city in 1862.  Fort Butler was built to protect the city and it was successfully defended on June  28, 1863,  against a Confederate attack.  This marked the first time that free blacks and fugitive slaves fought as soldiers on behalf of the Union Army.  The fort is listed on the NRHP.

--Old B-Runner

Blockade Runner Elizabeth

From the July 8, 2015, FaceBook  "This Is Oak Island."

The remains of the blockade runner Elizabeth are above water at low tide.  It was previously named the Atlantic and was a 216 foot long, 623 ton sidewheel steamer.

The Atlantic was seized in New Orleans by Brigadier General Mansfield and had made eight successful runs through the blockade before running aground.

The remains are owned by the State of North Carolina and is listed on the NRHP as part of an archaeological region.

Until 1954 the paddle wheel could be seen from the shore, but Hurricane Hazel destroyed it.  Now you can only see what is left of the smokestacks.

Do not attempt to swim out to it.

--Old  B-Runner