Fort Randolph was a

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

built in 1861 during the

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 ...

. Fort Randolph was located on the second

Chickasaw Bluff The Chickasaw Bluff is the high ground rising about above the Mississippi River flood plain between Fulton in Lauderdale County, Tennessee and Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee. This elevation, shaped as four bluffs, is named for the Chic ...

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated com ...

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a County (United States), county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covingt ...

History

By June 1861, the first Confederate fortification at Randolph, Fort Wright, was close to completion. Fort Randolph, the second Confederate stronghold in the area, was constructed only months after Fort Wright, in Fall 1861. The fortification was situated on the Mississippi River bluffs, about southwest of Fort Wright. In a dispatch published by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in March 1862, Fort Randolph is described as a "rough and incomplete earthwork (...) built upon the Second Chickasaw Bluffs ic more than 100 feet above the river". The position of the fortification allowed a view of the Mississippi River for , both upstream and downstream. Boats approaching the fort on the river could be detected early from this strong position. Confederate troops at the garrison could prepare for naval attacks on the fort and Union Army supply boats passing on the Mississippi River could be attacked from the elevated position of Fort Randolph without much risk of immediate retaliation. The town of

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 140 at the 2020 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi ...

, located ca. north of Randolph on the Mississippi River, was reported robbed and burnt down by Confederate forces in March 1862. "Everything was destroyed that could not be carried away." The rebels fled downstream to hide out at Fort Randolph in order to evade capture by Union troops. In October 1864, Lieutenant Colonel Jesse A. Forrest, one of General

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

's five brothers, was in command of a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

of the 16th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment at Fort Randolph. Confederate units that had suffered considerable loss or which had been fragmented in the course of the Civil War were aggregated and re-organized in the 16th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment. On October 27, Forrest's men attack the Steamboat ''Belle'' of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

from Fort Randolph. The ''Belle'' was on her way upstream from Memphis loaded with cotton bales, heading north to St. Louis. After the boat had landed at Randolph to pick up more payload, she was attacked by Confederate rebels. In the attack, two Union Army

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

s was killed on the vessel;Chicago Tribune October 30,1864
/ref> 26 of the crew, who had gone ashore for freight, were captured by Confederate

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

when the captain had the steamboat push back out into the river in order to escape and save the boat from capture or destruction. The rebel forces suffered two casualties during the attack. In 2008, Fort Randolph is no longer in existence.

Location

*Fort Randolph (historical) was at coordinates .

References

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Randolph, Tennessee Buildings and structures in Tipton County, Tennessee Tennessee in the American Civil War 1861 establishments in Tennessee

History

Location

See also

References