Near Leesville in Vernon Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
Burr's Ferry Earthworks
1863~1864
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2017
1. Burr's Ferry Earthworks Marker
Inscription.
Burr's Ferry Earthworks. 1863~1864. On July 2, 1863 during the Red River Campaign, Confederate Major General John Bankhead MacGruder issued orders that East facing fortifications be built in 3 locations along the Sabine-Niblett's Bluff, Burr's Ferry, and Logansport. Constructed first and considered by MacGruder as most important, Burr's Ferry could hold 2,500 men, and was built under the direction of Major General William R. Scurry. This cremaillere type of fortification allowed marksmen to fire in different directions, and consisted of mounds, ditches, and redans, areas for cannon placement, as well as exhibiting a special feature, tetes de pont, or head of bridge, designed for defending roads leading to river crossings. This is the only known surviving tetes de pont in Louisiana. An original remnant of the Texas Beef Trail still exists here. Burr's Ferry Earthworks was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
On July 2, 1863 during the Red River Campaign, Confederate Major General John Bankhead MacGruder issued orders that East facing fortifications be built in 3 locations along the Sabine-Niblett's Bluff, Burr's Ferry, and Logansport. Constructed first and considered by MacGruder as most important, Burr's Ferry could hold 2,500 men, and was built under the direction of Major General William R. Scurry. This cremaillere type of fortification allowed marksmen to fire in different directions, and consisted of mounds, ditches, and redans, areas for cannon placement, as well as exhibiting a special feature, tetes de pont, or head of bridge, designed for defending roads leading to river crossings. This is the only known surviving tetes de pont in Louisiana. An original remnant of the Texas Beef Trail still exists here. Burr's Ferry Earthworks was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Erected 2004 by Vernon Parish Tourism Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 2, 1863.
Location. 31° 3.934′ N, 93° 30.716′ W.
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Marker is near Leesville, Louisiana, in Vernon Parish. It is at the intersection of Nolan Trace Parkway (State Highway 8) and Biscamp Road, on the left when traveling east on Nolan Trace Parkway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leesville LA 71446, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Louisiana. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 15, 2018. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,202 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 30, 2017, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 6. submitted on February 14, 2018, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
