Columbus-Belmont State Park, on the shores of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

in Hickman County, near

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 170 at the 2010 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi Ri ...

, is the site of a Confederate fortification built during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The site was considered by both

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and South to be strategically significant in gaining and keeping control of the

. It commemorates military actions that took place in both Columbus, Kentucky, and

Belmont, Missouri Belmont is an extinct town in Mississippi County, on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Missouri at the Mississippi River. The GNIS classifies it as a populated place under the name "Belmont Landing". History Belmont was platted in 1853, and ...

across the river. This is 1 of 3 state parks in Kentucky that will be in the path of totality for the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse.

History

Confederate General

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Ch ...

fortified the area now occupied by the park beginning September 3, 1861. The fort at Columbus was built upon a bluff along the "cutside" of the river. The fort was christened Fort DeRussey, after an engineer supervising construction of fortifications, but Polk referred it as the "

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

of the West". He had equipped it with a massive chain that was stretched across the Mississippi to

, to block the passage of Union gunboats and supply vessels to and from Southern destinations in the western theaters of the war. Equipped also with 143 cannons, Columbus was the northernmost Confederate base along the Mississippi, protecting

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, Vicksburg, and other key Southern holdings. As the northern terminus of the

Mobile and Ohio Railroad The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobil ...

, Columbus was logistically tied to Confederate supply lines. Many of the earthen fortifications, buildings, and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

pieces were lost to erosion of the bluff during heavy flooding in the region during the 1920s. When the flooding receded in 1925, the giant chain was exposed, and the people of Columbus decided to save it for future generations. The area containing the park was purchased by the state of Kentucky in 1934.

Attractions

The primary attraction in the park continues to be Polk's giant chain, which is estimated to have been more than a mile long before flooding and erosion destroyed part of it. Its anchor weighted between four and six tons and each chain link was eleven inches (279 mm) long. In 1934, during the Great Depression, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

built a stone monument to hold the chain. Another attraction at the park is the "Lady Polk", the remains of a giant experimental cannon named for Polk's wife. At long and 15,000 pounds, the imposing gun bombarded Ulysses S. Grant's troops at the

Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861 in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in chief and eventual U.S. president, ...

with 128-pound conical projectiles that it could fire up to three miles (5 km). However, repeated shots from the cannon heated and expanded the metal barrel, deforming it. When soldiers fired the last loaded but unfired shot from the Battle of Belmont two days later, the projectile was unable to escape the barrel. The cannon exploded into three pieces and killed 18 Confederate soldiers. A Federal newspaper soon after mocked that: "a person would be likely to consider himself as safe on one end f the cannonas the other."

Museum

A single surviving antebellum building at the park, once a farmhouse, served as a Confederate hospital during the early part of the war. The restored building is used as a museum and

interpretive center An interpretation centre, interpretive centre, or visitor interpretive centre is an institution for dissemination of knowledge of natural or cultural heritage. Interpretation centres are a kind of new-style museum, often associated with visitor c ...

for the Kentucky state park system. Exhibits focus on the Civil War history of the area and local natural and cultural history. The museum is open daily from May through September, and on weekends in April and October.

References

External links

Columbus-Belmont State Park
Kentucky State Parks

Library of Congress *

' by William H. Mulligan, Jr., Forrest C. Pogue Public History Institute, Murray State University {{authority control Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Kentucky in the American Civil War State parks of Kentucky Protected areas on the Mississippi River National Register of Historic Places in Hickman County, Kentucky Protected areas established in 1934 American Civil War museums in Kentucky Museums in Hickman County, Kentucky Civilian Conservation Corps in Kentucky Protected areas of Hickman County, Kentucky Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Geography of Hickman County, Kentucky 1934 establishments in Kentucky American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky

History

Attractions

Museum

See also

References

External links