1861

1861. The Civil War. This view of the Mississippi River is from Fort A, one of the four forts constructed by Union forces in the summer of 1861. These forts, which encircled Cape Girardeau, provided protection from attack from either land or water. Fort A was on the bluff at the eastern end of Bellevue Street. Fort B encircled the Dittlinger home on the current site of Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library. Fort C guarded the western and southern approaches to the city and blocked Confederate forces' access to the city via the Old Bloomfield road at the Old Fairgrounds (between Sprigg and Pacific on Good Hope). Fort D, the only surviving Civil War fort, still stands at Fort and Locust streets east of South Sprigg Street., (caption) , Grant vs. Prentiss - 1861 , Cape Girardeau became a fortified and occupied community when the Civil War began in 1861. Newly appointed Brigadier Generals Ulysses S. Grant (left) and Benjamin Prentiss (right) reached Cape Girardeau on the same day with conflicting orders of command. Who was in charge? A shouting match took place in which Grant emerged the winner. Prentiss went back to St. Louis while Grant went on to Vicksburg, Shiloh, Chattanooga and eventually the Presidency.