Port Hudson in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Fort Desperate

Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, July 30, 2016

1. Fort Desperate Marker

Inscription.

"…so terrible had been the fighting....that the position was called Fort Desperate."
Colonel Benjamin W. Johnson
15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment
Commander of Fort Desperate

Not a fort but a defensive earthwork called a lunette, Fort Desperate was named by its defenders: the 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment and Battery B, 1st Mississippi Artillery Regiment. Surrounded by deep ravines choked with felled trees, Fort Desperate guarded a road leading to the important Confederate commissary complex and armory. Numbering 318 officers and enlisted men, Fort Desperate's Confederates fought off two major Union assaults during the forty-eight day siege.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil.

Location. 30° 41.278′ N, 91° 16.566′ W. Marker is in Port Hudson, Louisiana, in East Feliciana Parish. Marker can be reached from U.S. 61, one mile north of Plains-Port Hudson Road, on the left when traveling north. Located on the grounds of the Port Hudson State Historic Site. The marker is located about 1 mile along the trail to Fort Desperate, part of a 6-mile walking trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 236 Hwy 61, Jackson LA 70748, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker. Fort Desperate Artillery (a few steps from this marker); Sharpshooter Tower (a few steps from this marker); Subterranean Torpedoes (a few steps from this marker); Union Sap (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Tunnel (within shouting distance of this marker); Exterior Rifle Pit (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Trench (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Batteries 7 and 8 (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Hudson.

Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, July 30, 2016

2. Fort Desperate Marker

Fort Desperate overlook from marker image. Click for full size.

July 30, 2016

3. Fort Desperate overlook from marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2016. This page has been viewed 547 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 28, 2016. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.