On the Trail—Forts, Battlefields, Cemeteries and Lighthouses: Fort Pike, Louisiana

FORT PIKE

27100 Chef Menteur Highway
New Orleans, LA 70129
504-255-9171 or 888-662-5703 toll free
Email: fortpike@crt.la.gov

9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday; closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Entrance Fees: $4 per person; free -- seniors (62 and over) and children age 12 and under. Groups are asked to call in advance.

Louisiana State Park

http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ifortpike.aspx

On our quest to visit forts, we discovered Fort Pike named for Zebulon Pike. Named for Mr. Pike of Pike’s Peak, Colorado fame. He was a Revolutionary War General and later explorer. It was begun in 1819 and completed in 1826. This is rather surprising as there are many forts in the Third System Fortifications, genrally built with brick and masonry. These forts oft took twenty or more to come to completion. After the War of 1812 the primary way one could attack the United States was by water. Most of the of Third System forts were, therefore, coastal or within bays near the coast.

First (1793 under Henry Knox) System forts were twenty coastal sites on which were built mostly traditional low walled structures with low sloped earthworks protecting wood or brick walls. The conventional wisdom was that soft earth would cushion the effect of cannon fire against the walls, and that low walls presented less exposure to projectiles. Walls were laid out at angles to each other forming a system of bastions, usually resembling a star, so that enemy forces could not mass against the bottom of a wall beneath the vertical field of fire from the wall; defenders on any wall could see and fire-on the base of the adjacent walls. The angled walls also reduced the chance for more destructive straight-on hits from cannon balls. These generally were desinged by artillery personnel.

Artillery technology improved. However, the design for forts remained fairly constant.

Thomas Jefferson looked to add more fortifications. 1808 to 1809 was the genesis for this group. These became known as Second System Fortifications. West Point Military Academy was instituted in 1802 separating engineers from artillery. French engineer, the Marquis de Montalembert, advocated a major change in the design of fortresses to address some of the problems created by the star shaped. His design protected a fort's gunners by placing most of them in covered casemate walls with openings for the guns. By stacking rows of casemates in high walls more guns could be mounted along shorter walls. This was particularly important for seacoast fortifications, which had only a limited time in which to fire at passing enemy ships. Taller forts would need to be built of masonry.

These could also be made thicker which was needed in order to withstand cannon fire. The Second System was distinguished from the First System by greater use of Montalembert's concepts and the replacement of foreign engineers by engineers graduating from the infant Military Academy. Because of relative peace, funding dried up and forts often were left unfinished.

Then the War of 1812 came along. Wake up time! President Madison ordered new coastal fortifications to be built in strategic coastal locations. Much of Montalembert’s concepts were used, thick masonry forts along with the Vauban concept, with layers of low, protected-masonry walls. Many had moats—some dry, some with shallow water.

A total of six forts (For Pike included) were built in Louisiana to protect its coast and the Mississippi River.

I felt a bit sad at seeing Fort Pike. Seems as though it needed a lot of work. It had been in the path of Katrina and survived. I guess that there are many other places that funding is needed. Maybe like the hope of Fort Jackson to become part of NPS, this could also happen for Fort Pike. It is also on the list of the most endangered US Battlefields from the Civil War Preservation Trust, a nonprofit group in Washington, D.C.

“The original armament of Fort Pike consisted of 32-pounder and 24-pounder cannons; the exact number of each type is unknown. At various times the fort held other types of cannons. The wartime garrison was approximately 400 men; in peacetime it varied between one and 80 soldiers.

Fort Pike's role in the military affairs of the United States prior to the Civil War varied considerably. During the Seminole Wars in the 1830s, Fort Pike served as a staging area for many troops en route to Florida, and also as a collection point for hundreds of Seminole prisoners and their black slaves who were being transported to Oklahoma. Cannons were removed from some of the casemates to convert them to cells. At one point in this conflict, only 66 soldiers guarded 253 Indian and black prisoners.

Similarly, during the Mexican War in the 1840s, Fort Pike was a stopover for soldiers bound for Texas and Mexico. In between these wars, Fort Pike was largely abandoned and left in the care of a single ordnance sergeant.

In 1861, the silence of Fort Pike was broken. Before the actual start of the Civil War, the Louisiana militia captured the fort. Confederates held it until the Union forces took New Orleans in 1862, whereupon the Confederates evacuated Fort Pike. Union forces then reoccupied the fort, using it as a base for raids along the Gulf coast and Lake Pontchartrain area and as a protective outpost for New Orleans. The Union also used Fort Pike as a training center, where former slaves were taught to use heavy artillery. These troops became part of the United States Colored Troops, who played an important role in the outcome of many battles, including the siege at Port Hudson. Yet, in spite of all this activity, not a single cannonball was ever fired in battle from Fort Pike.

Fort Pike was again left to the care of an ordnance sergeant from 1871 until it was officially abandoned in 1890. In 1972 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.” Quoted from the Web Site.

We never saw the ranger or other staff member.