Fort C. F. Smith

Construction of this strong defensive work began in 1862 during the Confederate occupation of Bowling Green. After the Confederates abandoned the city the Union Army completed the fortification, named Fort C. F. Smith in honor of General Charles Ferguson Smith.

Of ...

Fort C.F. Smith

Historical Site

Defenses of Washington

1861-1865

Fort C.F. Smith

Just to the north are the remains of Fort C.F. Smith. A lunette built early in 1863 to command the high ground north of Spout Run and protect the flank of the Arlington Line. It ...

Fort C.F. Smith

Protecting the Capital

The ramps in front of you, now covered with grass, led to wooden platforms on which the various cannons were placed. When built in 1863, Fort C.F. Smith had platforms for twenty-two artillery pieces and four siege ...

Fort C.F. Smith

Mr. Lincoln’s Forts

Fort C.F. Smith was constructed in 1863 on farmland appropriated from William Jewell. The fort was named in honor of Gen. Charles Ferguson Smith, who was instrumental in the Union victory at Fort Donelson, Tennessee in 1862. The ...