Belmont-Columbus
Columbus-Belmont State Park
Columbus-Belmont State Park is located on the bluffs above the Mississippi River at Columbus, KY: take either Kentucky Highway 58 or Kentucky Highway 123/80 west to Columbus, KY, and follow the signs to Columbus-Belmont State Park.
Columbus-Belmont State Park is administered by the Kentucky Department of Parks. The mailing address is PO Box 9, Columbus, KY 42032-0009. Telephone: 270-677-2327.
The Kentucky Department of Parks operates the Columbus-Belmont State Park, containing a museum, gift shop, literature and maps which provide an introduction to the battlefield and its relevance to the Civil War. The Museum is open seasonally, May - September, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends only from April & October. A small fee is charged for admission to the Museum.
Columbus-Belmont State Park has self-guided intrepretive walking trails along the 2.5 miles of Confederate trenches which are preserved on the park grounds. The park also has extensive camping facilities, an activity center, picknicking & playground facilities with rentable shelters.
Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on Belmont-Columbus: MO009
(The CWSAC Battle Summary Will Open In Its Own Window)
Acknowledgements
The Battle of Belmont has a unique characteristic: the contested area of infantry combat was confined to the vicinity of Belmont, Missouri; Confederate heavy artillery located in Fort DeRussey, directly across the Mississippi River at Columbus, Kentucky, shelled the Federal attackers at Belmont, and Confederate reinforcements were sent from Fort DeRussey to Belmont during the engagement; and Federal gunboats on the Mississippi River between these two locations fired on Confederate troops at Belmont and shelled the artillery positions at Fort DeRussey. The contest raged simultaneously in two states, and on the river in between. Note on the Belmont Battlefield
The historic battlefield at Belmont, Missouri, is now partially gone due to changes in the course of the Mississippi River since the Civil War, and partially submerged as swamp lands along the river's edges for part of the year. The parts that still survive as dry land are undeveloped woodlands with little or no access from nearby roads, with virtually no signage or directions to the area, let alone signage or information at the site of the conflict.
At some future time, it is the intention of Civil War Landscapes Association staff to map and photograph those parts of the historic Belmont battlefield that do survive as dry land. Until that time, we present what photography was acquired from positions at Fort DeRussey, as well as photographic coverage of the Confederate fort itself.
TO CONTINUE
start with the introductory topics for Belmont by clicking either Prelude, Overview of Battle, or Aftermath
OR
select Image Gallery or Slideshows to view battlefield photographs
The Battle of Belmont-Columbus: November 7, 1861
(Topical anchors will be added at a later date)
The 1861 Battle of Belmont, fought to overtake the Confederate stronghold here, marked the opening of the Union's Western Campaign. It was also Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first active engagement in the Civil War.
Columbus, Kentucky, was an important trading center and the strategic location for control of the Mississippi River. Nineteen thousand rebel soldiers under the command of Confederate General Leonidas Polk, "the fighting bishop from Tennessee," labored to turn Columbus into an impregnable fortress named Fort DeRussey to defend the Confederacy.
A floating battery was positioned on the river and several river steamers were converted into gunboats; 140 heavy guns were situated on the bluffs and a huge chain was stretched across the river. A second rebel camp was built at Belmont, directly across from Columbus on the Missouri side of the river. Columbus became known as the "Gibraltar of the West."
Union General U. S. Grant attacked the Belmont camp on November 7, 1861. After a skirmish, the Confederates were forced to retreat and Grant turned his guns on the main stronghold at Columbus. However, he was overpowered and after burning the camp at Belmont, he withdrew upriver.
The battle ended all Union ideas of taking Columbus by direct assault. The Union troops proceeded to take weaker positions around Columbus. Outflanked, the Confederates evacuated Columbu in February, 1862. One month later, Union troops occupied the area and eventually reopened the Mississippi River.
(Text Adapted From: Columbus-Belmont State Park, a Kentucky State Park's brochure distributed to visitors of the park, 2005.)