Fort D, Cape Girardeau

One of four forts constructed by the United States military to help them control this section of the Mississippi River and the port city of Cape Girardeau during the Civil War, Fort D was built under the command of Lieutenant John Wesley Powell in 1861. The fort consists of earthen walls and trenches that are a total of 600-feet long and roughly form two sides of a triangle. A wooden palisade formed the third side and faced the Mississippi River. In the center of the fort is a replica gunpowder house built in 1937 that today serves as a museum structure. There are also several interpretive signs providing information about the site. Fort D is the only one of the four forts that still exists. From Spring until Fall a number of living history events are held here including reenactments. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Cape Girardeau was an important strategic center during the Civil War. It is situated north of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and several roads connected to it. The Union used the city as a place to stockpile supplies and train soldiers, and hospitals were located here as well. Both the Union and the Confederates knew that the Mississippi River was vital to winning the war.

In addition, the city was under threat of attack as soon as the war began. Missouri, which remained in the Union, was very divided before and during the war. Although it was a slave state most residents did not want to secede. The southeastern part of the state was very pro-slavery (and had a high enslaved population) but Cape Girardeau had a large German population, which was mostly anti-slavery. The city was vulnerable to attack from irregular secessionists militias, which began to attack German farms and settlements at the start of the war.

The first Union troops arrived in Cape Girardeau on July 6, 1861. Later that month, General John C. Fremont ordered that the forts be built to protect the city and in early August construction began. German engineer troops from St. Louis participated in the effort. The construction of Fort D got underway on August 6th using plans drawn by Powell. While Powell was not a trained military engineer, he studied engineering on his own and it is possible he helped design at least some of the other forts as well. Work continued on the forts for the next several months.

General Ulysses S. Grant came the city on a number of occasions to inspect the construction progress. When he visited in October he promoted Powell to captain and authorized him to recruit locals to form an artillery company, named Battery F, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery, to man the guns at the forts. Within two days just over 100 men volunteered. Over the fall and winter the men occupied the forts and trained on the guns.

In the March of 1862, Battery F was sent to Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee. On April 6, they fought in the Battle of Shiloh and were located in the famous "hornet's nest" area. Powell was severely wounded when a bullet struck his hand and went up his harm. His arm was amputated above the elbow and returned to service after months in recovery. Battery F went on to fight in several other battles including at the Battles of Corinth and the Siege of Vicksburg. In 1869, Powell became the first to explore the Grand Canyon. He worked for the Smithsonian Institution and became the second director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Confederate troops led by General John Marmaduke attacked Cape Girardeau on April 26, 1863. It was not a major battle and the attack was unsuccessful because the artillery barrage from Union guns proved to be too much for the Confederates. Most of the fighting occurred at Fort B; Fort D was not attacked. The forts were abandoned after the war.

Fort D was never redeveloped and in 1936 the local American Legion chapter bought it to preserve it as a city park. The Works Progress Administration, which was one of several federal agencies established in the 1930s to boost the economy during the Great Depression, built the gunpowder house in 1937. It served as the meeting house of the American Legion chapter house until, 1945 when the Girl Scouts started to use it as recreation center. This only lasted until 1948. In the 1950s the building was used as a local civil defense headquarters. Between the late 1950s and early 1960s it became a private residence. After operating as a senior citizen's center and as the home of the Junior Optimist Club (a youth organization), the building became vacant and vandalized. Revitalization of the building and the site began in 2005.

"History." Fort D Historic Site. Accessed May 31, 2022. https://fortdhistoricsite.com/history.

House, Scott R. et al. "Fort D." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. August 1, 2019. https://fortdhistoricsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/national-register-nomination.pdf.