Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Grant Takes Command

Fort D

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

1. Grant Takes Command Marker

Inscription.

Grant Takes Command. Fort D. , In April 1861, Ulysses Simpson Grant, a graduate of West Point and a former army officer, was out of the army and clerking in his father's store in Galena, IL. Grant's loyalties were clear: "We have a government and laws and a flag, and they must all be sustained." He volunteered with the State of Illinois and was made colonel of the unruly 21st Illinois Infantry in June 1861. Organizing them into shape, Grant moved the regiment into northern Missouri where the soldiers helped maintain order. There Grant learned a valuable lesson about his opposing commander as a group of Confederates fled before a fight ensued: "I never forgot he had as much reason to fear my forces as I had his." , Grant was given command of the post at Ironton, MO where he received his official appointment as brigadier general early in August 1861. He was sent to Jefferson City, MO to prepare the city for an expected attack. When the attack did not occur, Grant was ordered to St. Louis to receive "important special instructions." These instructions sent Grant to Cape Girardeau to command the District of Southeast Missouri including all, of southern Illinois. , On August 30, 1861, the man who was a store clerk just five months earlier took command of the Union Army in Cape Girardeau. Eventually, this army would he known as the Army of the Tennessee and, lead by Grant and William T. Sherman, would win battles at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Champions Hill, Vicksburg and Atlanta before its last major battle at Bentonville, NC. , In 1869, Grant became the 18th president of the United States. However, while in Cape Girardeau in 1861, he was unsure of his future. From the St. Charles Hotel, he wrote to his wife and asked for her support: "You should be cheerful and try to encourage me. The safety of our country... depends upon my acts." Uncharacteristically, he continued: "All I fear is that too much may be expected of me." , [image captions] , . Ulysses Grant , . Cape Girardeau , . Battle of Vicksburg , . Battle of Bentonville

In April 1861, Ulysses Simpson Grant, a graduate of West Point and a former army officer, was out of the army and clerking in his father's store in Galena, IL. Grant's loyalties were clear: "We have a government and laws and a flag, and they must all be sustained." He volunteered with the State of Illinois and was made colonel of the unruly 21st Illinois Infantry in June 1861. Organizing them into shape, Grant moved the regiment into northern Missouri where the soldiers helped maintain order. There Grant learned a valuable lesson about his opposing commander as a group of Confederates fled before a fight ensued: "I never forgot he had as much reason to fear my forces as I had his."

Grant was given command of the post at Ironton, MO where he received his official appointment as brigadier general early in August 1861. He was sent to Jefferson City, MO to prepare the city for an expected attack. When the attack did not occur, Grant was ordered to St. Louis to receive "important special instructions." These instructions sent Grant to Cape Girardeau to command the District of Southeast Missouri including all, of southern Illinois.

On August 30, 1861, the man who was a store clerk just five months earlier took command of the Union Army in Cape Girardeau. Eventually, this army would he known as the Army of the Tennessee

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and, lead by Grant and William T. Sherman, would win battles at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Champions Hill, Vicksburg and Atlanta before its last major battle at Bentonville, NC.

In 1869, Grant became the 18th president of the United States. However, while in Cape Girardeau in 1861, he was unsure of his future. From the St. Charles Hotel, he wrote to his wife and asked for her support: "You should be cheerful and try to encourage me. The safety of our country... depends upon my acts." Uncharacteristically, he continued: "All I fear is that too much may be expected of me."

[image captions]
• Ulysses Grant
• Cape Girardeau
• Battle of Vicksburg
• Battle of Bentonville

Erected 2005 by Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau; the City of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department; and The Civil War Roundtable of Cape Girardeau.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1861.

Location. 37° 17.444′ N, 89° 31.595′ W. Marker is in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Fort Street and

Marker detail: General Grant in 1862 image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: General Grant in 1862

Westport Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located on the Fort D Historic Site grounds, along the walkway in front of the museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 920 Fort Street, Cape Girardeau MO 63703, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Unwanted, Untrained & Indispensable (here, next to this marker); Fort D (here, next to this marker); The 20th Illinois Regiment (here, next to this marker); Down the Colorado (here, next to this marker); Marching with the 1st Nebraska (a few steps from this marker); Saving Fort D (a few steps from this marker); Bowling for Boredom (within shouting distance of this marker); 32-Pounder Seacoast Gun (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cape Girardeau.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fort D Historic Site

Also see . . . Battle of Cape Girardeau (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

In 1861 General Ulysses S. Grant approved the construction of four forts at strategic locations around the city of Cape Girardeau. They were named Forts A, B, C, and D. Fort A was positioned on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River at the north edge of town and was meant to defend the city against Confederate gunboats on the river. Fort B was located on a hill

3. Marker detail: President Grant
now occupied by Southeast Missouri State University and was built to protect the city from enemy approaches on the Perryville Road and Jackson Road (now Broadway Avenue). Fort C was near the present intersection of South Ellis Street and Good Hope Street and guarded approaches on the Bloomfield Road, Gordonville Road (now Independence Street), and Commerce Road (now Sprigg Street).
Fort D was located on a river bluff south of the city, and like Fort A, it was primarily a river defense. It was the largest and most important garrison in the region and is the only fort remaining in Cape Girardeau today. However, Fort D did not play an important role in the Battle of Cape Girardeau.

(Submitted on November 26, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021

4. Grant Takes Command Marker

Looking northeast. Fort D Historic Site Museum in background.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 83 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 26, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.