Fort Curtis

In August 1862, Union forces occupying Helena erected on this site a redoubt of earth and timbers that served as the key to the city’s defenses. Fort Curtis, named for the Union general in command at the time of construction, was one of five fortified positions that enabled Union soldiers to repulse a Confederate attack on July 4, 1863, an effort to recapture the city and relieve the siege at Vicksburg. On the day of the attack, 4,129 Union officers and men under General Prentiss were positioned in and around the fort against 7,646 Confederate troops under General Holmes.

Dundee, Mississippi · United States