The Columbus Belmont Battlefield

By Charles H. Bogart · Originally published May-June 2025 · pp. 18–19

The Columbus Belmont Battlefield — lead photograph from the original article

The Columbus Belmont Battlefield By Charles H. Bogart

On September 3, 1861, Confederate army units under the command of General Leonidas Polk invaded Kentucky, and occupied bluffs above the Mississippi River at Columbus, Kentucky. Here they dug a series of fortifications, emplaced guns, and laid an iron chain across the Mississippi River to Belmont, Missouri. They named this location Fort De Russey, but this name was seldom used. To protect the chain and provide cross fire across the Mississippi River, a fortified military camp was established at Belmont. The total military strength of the Confederate Columbus and Belmont garrisons was some 10,000 men. Once the Confederates fortified Columbus, Federal Mississippi River traffic could only operate on the Upper Mississippi River. Voyages down the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri, and Louisville, Kentucky, to the port of New Orleans, Louisiana, was now a thing of the past. While the Confederates were fortifying Columbus the Federal government was building an army at Cairo, Illinois. These men were soon placed under the command of Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant. On November 1, 1861, Major General Fremont ordered General Grant to move against Columbus to pin these troops in place while General Fremont moved south from Missouri into Confederate controlled Arkansas. Grant, instead of focusing on Columbus, opted to attack Belmont. The Confederate garrisons were separated from each other by the Mississippi

River. To move potential Confederate reinforcements across the Mississippi River, steamboats would be needed. Since boats were not on hand, this would delay the arrival help for the Belmont garrison. The Belmont garrison was also not protected by extensive trenches dug into hilly terrain. Belmont sat on a flat flood plain.

This 32-pounder smoothbore was recovered from under the bluff, below the Confederate fortifications, in 1991. It is unknown if this cannon was part of the weapons emplaced by the Confederate Army at Columbus or brought here during the war for storage.

Battle of Belmont. (Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper)

Photographs from the Original Article

The Columbus Belmont Battlefield — photograph 2 from the original article

The Columbus Belmont Battlefield — photograph 3 from the original article

The Columbus Belmont Battlefield — photograph 4 from the original article

The Columbus Belmont Battlefield — photograph 5 from the original article

Captions and credits appear in the article text as originally printed.