Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Troglodytes
Fort D
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021
1. Troglodytes Marker
During the winter, some of the soldiers stationed here dug shelters into the hillside. One soldier reported that his mess of four men built a covered shelter measuring ten feet long by eight feet wide. The top was covered with dirt, and a stovepipe chimney stuck out of the rear. To the soldiers, these shelters resembled artificial caves, and the men referred to themselves as temporary troglodytes or cave-dwellers.
Since digging and building the shelters was hard work, many of the other soldiers preferred to spend the winter in their tents.
Erected 2005 by Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau; the City of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department; and the Cave Research Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil.
Location. 37° 17.459′ N, 89° 31.585′ W. Marker is in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in Cape Girardeau County. It can be reached from the intersection of Fort Street and Westport Street, on the right when traveling west. The marker is located on the Fort D Historic Site grounds,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Missouri. It is also in the American Ozarks, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, 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, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bowling for Boredom (here, next to this marker); 32-Pounder Seacoast Gun (here, next to this marker); Quaker Cannon (a few steps from this marker); Marching with the 1st Nebraska (a few steps from this marker); Saving Fort D (a few steps from this marker); Down the Colorado (a few steps from this marker); The 20th Illinois Regiment (within shouting distance of this marker); Unwanted, Untrained & Indispensable (within shouting distance of this marker).
2. Marker detail: Hillside Shelter
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fort D Historic Site
Also see . . . Fort D Historic Site. (Submitted on November 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2021
3. Troglodytes Marker
Looking east. Fort D Historic Site Museum & Mississippi River in background.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 183 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 28, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
