Fort Halleck, Kentucky

Fort Halleck was a Civil War fortification on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River above Columbus, Hickman County, Kentucky.

The Confederate Army first built defensive earthworks on the bluff in the fall and winter of 1861 and named them Fort DeRussy. In March 1862, the fortifications were abandoned by Confederate forces, taken over by the Union Army, and renamed Fort Halleck after Major General Henry W. Halleck.

Remains of the fort, which was decommissioned after the war, can be seen in the Columbus-Belmont State Park.

Additional Information

 * Columbus, KY: Gibraltar of the West. Lots of history and illustrations from curator of the Hickman County Museum.
 * “Fall of Fort Halleck.” New York Times article from 1865 saying part of the bluff holding the fort had fallen into the river.
 * Archaeological Geophysical Survey of Columbus-Belmont State Park, Hickman County, Kentucky.
 * Wikipedia entry for Columbus-Belmont State Park.