Fort Dixon

Fort Dixon (1832-1832) - A temporary U.S. Army Black Hawk War fort established in 1832 in present day Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. Named Fort Dixon after the land owner John Dixon and/or the location, Dixon's Ferry. Abandoned in 1832 at the end of the Black Hawk War. Also known as the Fort at Dixon's Ferry. History of Fort Dixon A painting of Fort Dixon by Noah Brooks, a friend of Abraham Lincoln. A temporary U.S. Army Black Hawk War fort established during the Black Hawk War in 1832 on the north bank of the Rock River at Dixon's Ferry. Built with two loopholed blockhouses enclosed in an earth and sod breastwork, four and a half feet high with one side abutting on the river bank. The northeast blockhouse was much larger than the other blockhouse and may have contained the powder magazine. Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis (Cullum 530), Winfield Scott, and Zachary Taylor reportedly served at or near Fort Dixon and met for the first time there. General Henry Atkinson made the post his headquarters on 22 May 1832 and used it to conduct operations for much of the short war. The post was abandoned after the end of the war in 1832. The fort structures remained standing for many years after the war. Current Status No remains and no marker in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. In the park where the fort stood is a statue of Abraham Lincoln dressed as a volunteer Captain. Location: Presidents Park in Dixon, Lee County, Illinois. Map point is the park and may not be the exact location of the fort. Maps & Images Lat: 41.846477 Long: -89.484699 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' See Also: Black Hawk War Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 849. Links: North American Forts - Fort Dixon Lee County Historical & Genealogy Society Wikipedia - Fort Dixon Visited: No