Fort Mitchell (5)
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Fort Mitchell (5) (1862-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort established in 1862 in Stevenson, Jackson County, Alabama. Named Fort Mitchell after Union General Ormsby M. Mitchell. Abandoned in 1865 after the end of the war.
HistoryConstructed by the Union Army in the summer of 1862 and expanded in 1864, using soldiers and freed slaves, Fort Mitchell was one of three named forts and some seven blockhouses built to protect a strategic rail junction at Stevenson, Alabama. The fort itself was built just south of the railroad tracks about 120' southwest of Kansas Avenue in Stevenson.  Fort Mitchell was built as a packed earth redoubt, 100 feet square, with a magazine and a small blockhouse keep. It had a barbette gun platform at each angle. The second large fort, Fort Harker, two smaller redoubts, and at least seven blockhouses were constructed along the railroad lines at Stevenson. Fort Granger was the third fort and it remained serviceable but partially incomplete at the war's end. The defenses at Stevenson were strong but forts Harker and Mitchell were attacked on 31 Aug 1862 by Confederate general Samuel Jones, (Cullum 1077), with some 1,000 soldiers. The greatly outnumbered federal forces were compelled to retreat, leaving behind several pieces of artillery and great quantities of supplies. General Jones telegraphed his superiors that he saw 200 wagons departing Stevenson loaded with goods and fleeing troops. Fort Mitchell was abandoned in 1865 after the end of the war.
Current Status No visible remains except for an earth mound at the identified location. Private residences on either side of the earth mound.
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Links: Visited: 3 Aug 2021
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