Why Was Fort Buhlow Built?

Fort Buhlow was built in response to rumors that the Union Army would attack the Red River in the spring of 1865. General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, believed strong fortifications were needed to defend the river and wanted forts placed on promontories overlooking it. A site just above Alexandria near the remains of the Union-built Bailey's Dam was chosen because the dam remains and the rocks of the river rapids would force enemy gunboats to slow, giving Confederate soldiers in the forts a chance to fire down on them. Historical records also show that another fort, Fort Alexandria, was planned on the south side of the river near the mouth of Bayou Rapides, with construction due to begin in December 1864, but no firm evidence shows that it was built. However, an earthwork fort was built eight miles downstream of Alexandria overlooking the river.

Pineville, Louisiana · United States