Fort Jackson, a nearly two-century old stronghold on the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana, was the site of a ferocious Civil War battle with the Union Navy. The fortress, occupied by Confederate troops, failed to stop the Union advance. That led to the surrender of New Orleans and Union control of the lower Mississippi River.
Work began on the brick star-shaped fort in 1822. Fort Jackson is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River 70 miles below New Orleans, Louisiana. Huge cypress timbers buried in the soft ground support the fort’s 8-foot-thick brick walls , according to Plaquemines Parish historian James Madere. Fort Jackson opened in 1830 when Andrew Jackson was President of the United States.
louisiana’s Fort Jackson under siege
Fort Jackson endured 12 days of fierce bombardment during the American Civil War. Confederate troops occupied Fort Jackson and the older Fort St. Philip located on the opposite side of the Mississippi River. A Union fleet, commanded by Admiral David Farragut, sailed up the river and attacked the Louisiana forts in April of 1862. Madere says the Confederate troops took a unique approach to defending the forts. “They strung a chain along barges from Fort St. Philip to Fort Jackson, just to be able to slow down Farragut’s fleet,” Madere explained. But the Union attack set the barges on fire and the chains sank to the river bottom. And after pounding the forts with thousands of cannon balls, the fleet was able to sail past the forts and capture the city of New Orleans.
fort jackson featured on tv
hot shot cannon balls
Fort Jackson contained a furnace for heating “hot shot” cannon balls. “They would roll the cannon balls through the very hot coals,” Madere says. “They came out the other end cherry red and fired at wooden ships on the river.”
nearby St. Philip built by the spanish
Fort St. Philip is located directly across the Mississippi River from Fort Jackson. The forts are located on a bend in the river, which required a slow and difficult maneuver for naval ships trying to sail upstream and avoid cannon fire. In the War of 1812’s Battle of New Orleans, Fort St. Philip successfully halted the advance of the British Navy on the Mississippi River.
TV feature on fort st. philip
Fort jackson bombarded by louisiana hurricanes
20th Century hurricanes continued to pound Fort Jackson. Storm surges from Hurricanes Betsy (1965), Camille (1969), and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 put the fort under 20 to 30 feet of water.
The hurricanes caused major damage to the brick walls and foundation. The interior of Fort Jackson is closed to visitors. But a park area around the fort is open. And the Fort Jackson Museum is located a short distance away.
Getting to fort jackson and museum
Fort Jackson is located at 38039 LA-23, Buras, Louisiana. The museum and welcome center is located a half-mile before the fort on the river side of LA-23. The museum is normally open 8am-4pm weekdays, but call ahead to check status. 504-934-3783.
Mark D. Vizzini
I wish there was more reading material on Fort St. Philip. There is a lot of history there, also. Although in sad disrepair, nothing is known about its ownership or if there are are any efforts of preservation.
Rebecca Clay
Why has there never been the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River at St. Joseph, Louisiana? One has to travel quite a distance free this area to cross over into Mississippi.
Shailyn Henderson
Does anyone know who to contact to be able to try to go out there to go ghost hunting? I have a YouTube channel called the Ohana spirit speakers. We would love to be able to go out there to be able to tell the stories of all the people who died out there that would love to get their story out to the world.
Dave McNamara
The fort has been closed to visitors due to hurricane damage. It is operated by the Plaquemines Parish Government. You can try contacting the nearby museum: https://www.plaqueminesparish.com/272/Fort-Jackson-Museum
Glenn J Scorsone
As a young boy scout from Belle Chasse we used to have our district jamboree at Fort Jackson. Troops from Belle Chasse, Buras, Port Sulphur would camp out at the fort. One year it rained so hard we moved into the fort itself sleeping on the brick floor.
The roof leaked because years before we arrived people would dig for the copper and lead roof lining that was used to “waterproof” the interior of the fort. We found a few mini balls and fragments of cannon balls over the years in the areas of the embankments.
We also participated in the Cavelier De La Salle Monument dedication.
Fond memories.
Too bad it is not open to the public as it was a very nice place to go for a picnic or just to hang out for a day.
CJ Gros
We went to fort Jackson in the early 90s as teenagers and roamed freely in and outside . It was really neat . I’d love to go back and see what all I’ve forgotten and took for granted . Now almost 30 yrs later I love the construction , texture , materials and craftsmanship of not only the brick , but gates , hinges , bolts etc . The little things that we take for granted mean so much more later in life . It’s a shame the interior is now closed. I’ll have to check out the museum .
Just to think about the design , layout and construction of that star shaped structure in that marsh and how symmetrical it is without modern equipment and engineering , and the amount of weight it bears down . Just amazing in all it’s glory to say the least .