Fort Jones, with its companion, Fort Laughlin were

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...

s, built by the employees of

Jones and Laughlin Steel The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, also known as J&L Steel or simply as J&L, was an American steel and iron manufacturer that operated from 1852 until 1968. The enterprise began as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard L ...

in June and July 1863 for the defense of Pittsburgh from a suspected invasion by Confederate troops. It is named for Benjamin Franklin Jones, a local businessman. Fort Jones occupied the top of a hill in

Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania Mount Oliver is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,394 at the 2020 census. It is a largely residential area situated atop a crest about west of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded en ...

. It was destroyed in 1868, and became the site of St. Joseph's Church at 438 Ormsby Street, for which the site was originally purchased. The church is now closed. It was sometimes known as ''Fort Jackson'', in honor of Brig. General Conrad Feger Jackson, killed in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

, Virginia, in December 1862.

References

{{Pittsburgh Demolished buildings and structures in Pittsburgh Pittsburgh metropolitan area Pennsylvania in the American Civil War

Jones Jones or Joneses may refer to: People and fictional characters *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname * List of people with surname Jones, including fictional characters ** Justice Jones (disambiguation) ** Judge Jones (disambiguati ...

1863 establishments in Pennsylvania Demolished buildings and structures in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures demolished in 1868