Английская Википедия:Fort Curtis (Arkansas)

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Fort Curtis was a defensive position used by the Union Army to defend Helena, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Built in 1862 after the Union occupation of the city, it only saw combat once, in the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863. Military use of the site ended in 1866, and the fort was destroyed in 1874. The Sidney H. Horner House now occupies a portion of the original site. A reconstruction, known as New Fort Curtis, was opened in 2012. There is some uncertainty about both the exact armament and size of the original fort.

History

Construction and early use

Файл:Battle of Helena map.jpg

Map of the defenses at Helena.

In April 1861, the American Civil War began, pitting the United States of America against the secessionist Confederate States of America. One of the states that seceded and joined the Confederacy was the state of Arkansas.Шаблон:Sfn The first year of the war saw fighting north of Arkansas in the border state of Missouri,Шаблон:Sfn and in early March 1862, Union (United States) forces commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis defeated a Confederate army in the Battle of Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas.Шаблон:Sfn The next month, Curtis's men began a campaign that ended in mid-July with the occupation of the city of Helena, which is in eastern Arkansas on the Mississippi River.Шаблон:Sfn

Curtis's command, known as the Army of the Southwest, began building defenses, as they were in hostile territory. In mid-August, work on Fort Curtis, which was named after the Union commander, began. Both Union soldiers and freed slaves contributed to the construction. The fort was located in a position where it would have a commanding field of fire that covered almost all of the surrounding area.Шаблон:Efn It was completed by October 29,Шаблон:Sfn and a dedication for the fort was held the next day. After its completion, Fort Curtis served as an important Union post in the area. The Union troops defending Helena generally believed that the fort would provide adequate defense against an assault, but Major General Frederick Steele and Military Governor of Arkansas John S. Phelps doubted the capabilities of the position and had opposed its construction.Шаблон:Sfn

The fort was made of earth and was shaped in a square.Шаблон:Sfn Two gunpowder magazines and a well were located in Fort Curtis. The exact intended armament of the fort is not known, although an archaeological investigation in the 1960s found evidence of a barbette for a 24-pounder cannon in each of the fort's four corners, as well as positions for three other cannons along the walls.Шаблон:Sfn The 24-pounder guns were removed from the fort in May 1863 for use in the Vicksburg campaign.Шаблон:Sfn A Union soldier writing before the fort's completion state that six cannons were present and earmarked for use in Fort Curtis, of sizes ranging from 32-pounders to 64-pounders.Шаблон:Sfn Another Union soldier wrote two months after the fort's completion that it contained nine 32-pounder guns, while a visitor in November 1863 reported that Fort Curtis mounted a number of heavy cannons, with the largest being a 42-pounder gun.Шаблон:Sfn The exact size of Fort Curtis is also unknown: it may have been as a large as a city block, or it could have been smaller.Шаблон:Sfn

Later use and destruction

Файл:Fort Curtis Helena AR 003.jpg

View of the modern reconstruction of Fort Curtis

In mid-1863, the Confederate leadership decided to attack HelenaШаблон:Sfn in hopes of retaking it and relieving some of the pressure on the Siege of Vicksburg in Mississippi.Шаблон:Sfn The new Union commander at Helena, Major General Benjamin Prentiss, expected an assault and had four additional defensive works constructed. These works were known as Batteries A, B, C, and D.Шаблон:Sfn Fort Curtis was located east of Batteries B and C, and was positioned between the two works. At this time, Fort Curtis was armed with three 30-pounder Parrott rifles.Шаблон:Sfn These guns were manned by infantrymen from the 33rd Missouri Infantry Regiment.Шаблон:Sfn Prentiss arranged for the warning signal that Helena was under assault to be a single cannon shot from Fort Curtis.Шаблон:Sfn

On the morning of July 4, the Confederates attacked. Fort Curtis fired its warning shot at about 3:30 am.Шаблон:Sfn Confederate attacks on both flanks were repulsed by the other batteries, but part of the Confederate force was able to overrun Battery C.Шаблон:Sfn Union reinforcements were rushed to the Fort Curtis area, and when Confederate troops tried to assault Fort Curtis, they were mowed down. The cannons at Fort Curtis joined with the three surviving lettered batteries and the gunboat USS Tyler in firing on the Confederates at Battery C.Шаблон:Sfn Defeated, the Confederates withdrew at about 10:30 am, ending the threat to Helena.Шаблон:Sfn

Helena was not the subject of a significant Confederate threat for the rest of the war, and the city served as a Union base during the Little Rock campaign in September 1863. Fort Curtis continued to be a Union base for the rest of the war, which ended in 1865 with a Confederate defeat.Шаблон:Sfn The last Union troops occupying Fort Curtis left in 1866, and the fort was abandoned. Fort Curtis was destroyed in 1874, and the site was subdivided into city lots. The Sidney H. Horner House was constructed on part of the location in the early 1880s.Шаблон:Sfn As part of a 2005 plan to jumpstart economic development in the area, a reconstruction of Fort Curtis was built; the new fort was dedicated in 2012. Known as New Fort Curtis, the reconstruction is open to the public and features exhibits, historic interpretation, and cannons.

Sources

• Шаблон:Cite journal
• Шаблон:Cite book Note: ISBN printed in book is 0-89029-516-3.
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book

• Шаблон:Cite web
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite thesis