Fort C.F. Smith

Resting on a hill in Bowling Green, Kentucky, are the remains of Fort C.F. Smith, one of three surviving reminders of Bowling Green’s original Civil War fortifications. Now little more than ruins, Fort C.F. Smith served as an important fortified position near the Kentucky-Tennessee border, overseeing vital supply depots and railway transportations.

At the time of its construction, Fort C.F. Smith was the largest in a series of fortifications surrounding Bowling Green. Existing remnants of the original fortifications are located on the extreme southwest portion of the hill. Fort. C.F. Smith lies approximately 2,600 yards south of Fort Webb, and approximately 1,400 yards northeast of Fort Lytle on the summit of what is known as Reservoir Hill. A cut limestone marker (possibly used in the original construction) at the south end of an embankment reads “Earthworks thrown up under federal general Omsby M. Mitchell & Col. (future President) Benjamin Harrison, 1862”.

During the Civil War, Bowling Green served as an important military stronghold for both factions. Bowling Green’s position on the Barren River and its position between Louisville and Nashville, along with the L&N Railroad, made the town a strategic stronghold (1 of 5) along the border from Eastern Kentucky to Western Tennessee. After Confederate forces abandoned the city, Union troops immediately set about completing and reinforcing the fort to protect the area from further rebel incursions. Union forces named the fort after Union commander Charles Ferguson Smith. 

Today, the fort is known locally as Reservoir Hill or College Hill. The property was purchased by the City of Bowling Green in 1869 for use as a park and reservoir. Reservoir Hill has been continuously maintained as a neighborhood park.

Kentucky MPS Fort C.F. Smith, National Archives Catalogue. Accessed December 15th 2020. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123848773.

Fort C.F. Smith, Historical Marker Project. Accessed December 15th 2020. https://historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HMQIX_fort-c-f-smith_Bowling-Green-KY.html.