Fort DeRussy (Louisiana)
Fort DeRussy, located south of Alexandria, Louisiana, and four miles (6 km) north of Marksville, was a Confederate earthwork stronghold during the American Civil War. It was built in 1862 to defend the lower Red River Valley in Louisiana. Located in Avoyelles Parish, the fort, cemetery and water batteries were designated as a state historic site in 1994. The fort and the water battery were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
| Fort DeRussy | |
|---|---|
Fort DeRussy, from a sketch by Owen G. Long | |
Location within Louisiana | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Marksville, Louisiana |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 31°10′35″N 92°03′39″W |
| Construction started | 1862 |
| Completed | 1862 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Earthen |
Fort DeRussy | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Location | 379 Fort DeRussy Road |
| Nearest city | Marksville |
| Area | 74 acres (30 ha) |
| Built | 1862 |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000669 |
| Added to NRHP | September 23, 2016 |
The fort was named for Colonel Lewis G. DeRussy, the oldest West Point graduate to serve in the Confederate Army. Born in New York City in 1795 to a French family who were refugees from revolutions in Saint-Domingue and France, DeRussy was educated at West Point Academy. He was a career officer in the US Army and engineer, first stationed in Louisiana in 1826, where he lived for nearly 40 years.
DeRussy had become a prominent engineer in civilian life after his earlier military service with the US Army, including during the Mexican War. He also had a cotton plantation, and in the 1850s he served in the state house and state senate.