Fort Hill (5)

Fort Hill (5) (1863-1865) - A U.S. Civil War Fort first established in 1863 in present day Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. Named Fort Hill in G.O. 37, 11 Dec 1863, after Captain John W. Hill, 12th Kentucky Cavalry, who fell during the siege of Knoxville on 18 Nov 1863. Fort abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. History of Fort Hill Fort Hill was one of 20 named Union fortifications surrounding Knoxville, Tennessee (8 Forts and 12 Batteries) during the U.S. Civil War. This ring of defenses was established late in 1863 to counter a Confederate threat to the city. Confederate forces attempted to capture the city in November-December 1863 and laid siege to the city. Large losses were sustained by Confederate forces attempting to take Fort Sanders and the Confederates withdrew, lifting the siege. The Fort was hastily established in 1863 on the extreme eastern edge of the lines, to help counter the Confederate threat to the city. Located on Mabry's Hill at Surrey Street and Saxton Avenue. Fort abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. Current Status No remains and no markers. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1680805 Location: Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. Maps & Images Lat: 35.97333 Long: -83.89861 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1053' See Also: Knoxville Defense System - U.S. Civil War Sources: Links: North American Forts - Fort Hill Visited: No