Fort Randolph (Randolph, Tipton County, Tennessee)
Randolph, Tipton County · Tennessee · Civil War
History & Significance
Built in autumn 1861, Fort Randolph served as the second Confederate defensive position along a strategic reach of the Mississippi River north of Memphis. Confederate military leaders believed the main Federal invasion would proceed down the Mississippi River Valley, and Memphis leaders urgently sought protection of this vital waterway.
Fort Randolph was constructed only months after Fort Wright, the first fortification at Randolph, establishing a two-fort defensive network. The structure employed earthen breastworks rising over 100 feet above the riverbank, affording excellent command of river traffic for both surveillance and artillery attack.
Forts Randolph and Wright were abandoned by Confederate forces in the summer of 1862. In October 1864, Lieutenant Colonel Jesse A. Forrest, brother of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, commanded a company of the 16th Tennessee Cavalry at Fort Randolph, and on October 27 his men attacked the steamboat Belle of St. Louis. The fort's strategic significance declined as Union forces gained control of the Mississippi River valley; after Confederate guerrillas fired on the river packet Eugene at Randolph on September 25, 1862, General William T. Sherman retaliated by ordering the entire town of Randolph burned except for an old church and one dwelling.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Randolph_(Tennessee)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph,_Tennessee
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Randolph,_Tennessee
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wright_(Tennessee)
- https://www.tiptoncountytn.com/news-stories/cities-towns-and-unincorporated-communities/randolph-tennessee/
- https://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/history/virtual-tours/randolph/
- https://classic.tnvacation.com/civil-war/place/287/forts-wright-and-randolph/