Fort Morton (3)

Fort Morton (3) (1862-1867) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort established in 1862 in present day Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. Named Fort Morton after James St. Clair Morton. The fort was abandoned by Union troops in 1867 after the end of the war and after Tennessee had returned to the Union.

History of Fort Morton

The beginning of the U.S. Civil War found Nashville under Confederate control with Fort Henry and Fort Donelson providing external protection. With the loss of Fort Henry (6 Feb 1862) and Fort Donelson (16 Feb 1862) the Confederate position in Nashville became untenable and they surrendered the city on 25 Feb 1862.

Union forces occupied the city and turned Nashville into a Union logistics hub for the region. Work on the fortifications for the city began in August 1862 using large numbers of conscripted contrabands (runaway slaves) and free Blacks.

Fort Morton was constructed under the supervision of Captain James St. Clair Morton in 1862 and located west of the Franklin Pike and south of South Street.

The fort was abandoned by Union troops in 1867 after the end of the war and after Tennessee had returned to the Union.

Current Status

No remains and no markers.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1680879

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Location: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. Map point is the GNIS coordinates and may not be accurate. Maps & Images Lat: 36.14333 Long: -86.78333 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 620'

See Also:

• Nashville 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 743.

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Morton

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