Fort Lytle

This was a Civil War fortification which was occupied and used by both sides during the war. This is also one of three forts that had defended Bowling Green whose remains are visible today. Lytle's remains has been incorporated into the College Hill section of Western Kentucky University with the trenches which soldiers roamed still visible. The historical marker for Fort Lytle can be found the rear entrance of Gordon Wilson Hall. The fort was initially built by troops under the command of General Simon Bolivar Buckner and was named Fort Vinegar The fort was later was improved under union control by Col. Benjamin Harrison and renamed to Fort Lytle in honor of Union Officer William Haynes Lytle who was killed in the battle of Chickamauga. In the 1920's the fort started to be called Fort Albert Sydney Johnston after Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston, who commanded troops in Bowling Green and was born in Kentucky, after WKU officials decided it needed a confederate name.

Initially, Kentucky was very much neutral in the civil war, maintaining a balance between North and South. Bowling Green was particularly valuable because the Barren River, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, and its hilly terrain made it a prime defensive location. In addition, Bowling Green's location was vital for Confederate forces supply lines from Nashville, TN to Louisville, KY, fortifications and great efforts were needed to protect the hilly grounds of the city. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner was appointed to be in charge of defending Bowling Green in September of 1861. Buckner was then eventually put in charge of Fort Donelson in western KY since it was under siege and under threat of being taken by the Union under Grant. Buckner was forced into unconditional surrender. With the loss of Buckner and forts Henry and Donelson, the fate of Bowling Green was sealed as they were not in an unattainable defensive position. On February 14, 1862, the city was abandoned and captured the next day by forces loyal to the Union. This fort was originally called Fort Vinegar by the Confederate army that was stationed there, for it was on then called Vinegar Hill. It was changed to Fort Lytle in honor of Union General William Lytle who was killed in action in the battle of Chickamauga on September 20th, 1863. Colonel Benjamin Harrison (future American president) was placed in charge of the fortifications after U.S. Troops captured the fort and oversaw the forts extension and renovations. After the war, the fort was abandoned and as Western Kentucky University expanded around the 1920's, there was a real possibility that the fort would be lost by the expansion of Campus. However, Dr. Stickles was instrumental in encouraging the preservation of at least the westerly part of the old fort wall and the placing of the historical marker. In accordance the lost cause myth and the high confederate sympathies of the time, according to Dr. Stickles' account, he and President Cherry named the fort for General Johnston. Johnston was a Confederate General who was born in Kentucky. Since then, the fort's remains are now a part of Western Kentucky University. Some of the trenches now serve as walking paths for students and only roughly 40% of the original fort survives today.

Collections, WKU Special. Bowling Green in the Civil War, 2024. Accessed March 12th, 2025. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/civilwar_exhibit/9/

Hatton, Todd. Civil War Dispatch - Western Kentucky University, WKMS. November 3rd, 2011. Accessed March 12th, 2025. https://www.wkms.org/2011-11-23/civil-war-dispatch-western-kentucky-university

Staff, WNKY. Throwback Thursday – Fort Lytle, WNKY. May 2nd, 2019. Accessed March 12th, 2025. https://www.wnky.com/throwback-thursday-fort-lytle/

Stickles, Arndt, "UA37/37 The Ruins of a Confederate Fort on the Campus of Western Kentucky State College" (1964). Faculty/Staff Personal Papers. Paper 55. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/fac_staff_papers/55

NPGallery NRHP Archive Search,”Kentucky Historic Resources Inventory" National Parks Service, accessed March 14, 2025, https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/84000848_text.

Fort Albert Sydney Johnston; Marker memorializing a Confederate fort, Locating Slaveries Legacies. Accessed March 14th, 2025. https://locatinglegacies.org/s/hub/item/519.