Fort Sully (Fort Leavenworth) (Leavenworth County, Kansas)
Leavenworth County · Kansas · Civil War
History & Significance
Fort Sully was constructed on the plateau of Hancock Hill in September and October 1864. Since Fort Sully was part of an existing fort, it was technically termed a battery instead of a fort.
The earthworks were armed with heavy siege guns and manned by a hastily gathered composite force including companies of the Seventh Kansas Militia, discharged veterans, convalescents, and civilian employees. The entire complex was named Fort Sully after Brigadier General Alfred Sully who had been stationed at Fort Leavenworth at the outbreak of the war.
Price spent all of September and most of October in Missouri on an expedition to occupy that state. The threat to Fort Leavenworth was eliminated with Price's defeat at Westport, Missouri, on October 23, 1864, and by June 1865 only four men were assigned to Fort Sully.
Since access to the site has always been restricted, the Fort Sully site has remained well preserved to this day. The ruins of the fort can be reached on foot or via horseback by accessing the powerline clearing located behind Stanley Avenue and Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery on Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Civil War earthwork battery with crater-like artillery positions
- M1819 24-pounder siege gun emplacement sites visible
- Plateau-shaped fortifications on Hancock Hill
- Accessible via Heritage Trail near Fort Leavenworth
- Built 1864 during General Price's Missouri raid
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sully_(Fort_Leavenworth)
- https://home.army.mil/leavenworth/about/visitor-information/fort-leavenworth-history
- https://www.kansashistory.gov/kansapedia/fort-leavenworth/17810
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=66684