Fort Comstock

Fort Comstock (1863-1865) - A U.S. Civil War Fort first established in 1863 on Summit Hill in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. Named Fort Comstock in G.O. 37, 11 Dec 1863, after Lt Colonel Comstock, 17th Michigan Infantry, who was killed during the siege of Knoxville. Fort abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war.

History of Fort Comstock

Fort Comstock was one of 20 named Union fortifications surrounding Knoxville, Tennessee (8 Forts and 12 Batteries) during the U.S. Civil War. This ring of defenses was established late in 1863 to counter a Confederate threat to the city. Confederate forces attempted to capture the city in November-December 1863 and laid siege to the city. Large losses were sustained by Confederate forces attempting to take Fort Sanders and the Confederates withdrew, lifting the siege.

The Fort was hastily established in 1863 on Summit Hill to counter the Confederate threat to the city.

Abandoned in 1865.

Current Status

Unknown status in Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1680748

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Location: Lawson McGhee Library, Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. Maps & Images Lat: 35.96667 Long: -83.92278 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 961'

See Also:

• Knoxville Defense System - U.S. Civil 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 739.

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Comstock

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