Fort Bainbridge
| Fort Bainbridge | |
|---|---|
| Boromville, Alabama in United States | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Earthen fort |
| Owner | Private |
| Controlled by | Private |
| Open to the public | No |
| Location | |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 411: Malformed coordinates value. | |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Site history | |
| Built | March 1814 |
| Built by | North Carolina militia |
| In use | 1814 |
| Battles/wars | Creek War |
Fort Bainbridge was an earthen fort located along the Federal Road on what is today the county line between Macon and Russell counties in Alabama.[1] Fort Bainbridge was located twenty-five miles west of Fort Mitchell.[2]
History
[edit | edit source]Creek War
[edit | edit source]Fort Bainbridge was named in honor of naval captain William Bainbridge.[3][4] Fort Bainbridge was built in the style of a bastion fort with eight outcroppings. The bastions were surrounded by a ditch that was filled with pickets and the fort was entered by a drawbridge.[5] It was constructed in March 1814 by North Carolina militia under the command of General Joseph Graham in an effort to protect the supply route from Fort Hull to Fort Mitchell.[6] Captain Jett Thomas directed the fort's construction.[7] Fort Bainbridge allowed supply wagons to travel between Fort Mitchell and Hull in one-day intervals and was garrisoned by 100 to 300 troops.[8] Fort Bainbridge was garrisoned by Tennessee militia until July 31, 1814.[2]
Postwar
[edit | edit source]In 1820 on his North American tour, Adam Hodgson described Fort Bainbridge as being a "small stockaded mound".[7] Captain Kendall Lewis (who commanded Benjamin Hawkins' scouts), along with his Creek chief father-in law, Big Warrior, operated a tavern as a stagecoach stop about 400 yards west of Fort Bainbridge, which stayed open under the care of Lewis' widow until at least 1836.[9] During his return tour, the Marquis de Lafayette stayed at the Lewis Tavern for his first night in Alabama.[10] Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach stayed at the Lewis Tavern on his 1826 travels through North America.[11] The site of the fort also lies along naturalist William Bartram's four-year journey through the Southern United States, during which he documented the flora, fauna and Native Americans of the area.[12] The fort site was later used as a plantation.[13]
Present
[edit | edit source]Today, it remains unmarked and its legacy lies in a small unincorporated community, Boromville, that developed from it.[14] Though unmarked, the location is known and the area has been damaged by relic hunters.[15]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Harris 1977, pp. 36.
- ^ a b Jackson 1927, pp. 23.
- ^ Bunn & Williams 2008, pp. 42.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Waselkov & Christopher 2012, pp. 42.
- ^ Waselkov & Christopher 2012, pp. 222.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Owsley 2008, pp. 60.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Waselkov & Christopher 2012, pp. 204.
- ^ Bartram Trail Conference 1979, pp. 134.
- ^ Braund, Waselkov & Christopher 2019, pp. 100.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Braund 2012, pp. 249.
Sources
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).