Civil War Sites of Cape Girardeau

     
      The nation is engaged in Civil War.  Battles rage across the nation.  Cape Girardeau is no exception.  The date is April 26, 1863, and suddenly the calm of an early spring morning is shattered as the Union and Confederate armies engage in a fierce, four-hour artillery battle that will come to be known as the Battle of Cape Girardeau.

     As the battle winds down, the air is heavy with the smoke and smell of gunpowder.  There are casualties... 23 Union and 30 Confederate.  The "War Between the States" tore deeply at the fabric of our nation.  It was a time when brother fought against brother.  Cape Girardeau was a divided community during the war.  While there were Union and Confederate sympathizers, the city was firmly held for the duration of the war by Union forces.

     A driving tour of Cape Girardeau's Civil War sites allows visitors to step back in time and to experience anew the echos of a now distant war.  In Cape Girardeau's Courthouse Park, the Union Monument and Fountain and the Confederate War Memorial stand side by side.  The cannons of Fort D have long been silent.  The trees of Old Lorimier Cemetery keep silent watch over the unknown and unnamed soldiers interred there in unmarked graves.  With the passage of time, bitterness has yielded to forgiveness and division has long since given way to unity.

Civil War Sites

Fort D ··· Old Lorimier Cemetery ··· Port Cape Girardeau
Union Monument & Fountain ··· Common Pleas Courthouse
Confederate War Memorial ··· Minton House
Battle of Cape Girardeau

Fort D

     Due to the fact that it was the first high ground north of the Ohio River, Cape Girardeau was an important military post at the onset of the Civil War. General John C. Fremont, the Union commander in the Mississippi Valley who was headquartered in St. Louis, ordered the fortification of Cape Girardeau in order to resist assault by land and water. 

     Following General Fremont’s orders, four forts were constructed in a semi-circle across the front of the village. This led to the belief that Cape Girardeau was one of the most fortified cities in the United States.  Constructed in the summer of 1861 by Union troops under the leadership of John Wesley Powell, Fort D is the only one of the four original forts remaining.

     Fort D was the most heavily armed of the forts, with both 24 and 32-pound cannons that could fire across the Mississippi River to challenge any Confederate gunboats that might try to move north.  Fort D Historic Site operates as a part of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department.  Displays and historical signage allow visitors to browse the grounds at their own pace.  Fort D is located just off of Sprigg Street, four blocks south of Highway 74, left on Locust Street.  Admission to the grounds is free and open daily.

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Old Lorimier Cemetery

     This cemetery, located on Fountain Street, is one of the oldest west of the Mississippi River. It was established in 1820 when Don Louis Lorimier set aside six acres of land to be used as a cemetery for Cape Girardeau residents. There are many unmarked graves of soldiers who died during the Civil War.  The Cemetery is located 3 blocks north of Broadway on Fountain Street.

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Port Cape Girardeau

     One of the oldest standing structures west of the Mississippi River, Port Cape Girardeau’s abstract dates back to a Spanish land grant and shows construction was prior to 1836.

     According to his memoirs published in 1885, General Grant received “important special instructions” assigning him “to the command of the district of south-east Missouri, embracing all the territory south of St. Louis, in Missouri, as well as all southern Illinois.” It is thought that he may have commandeered the three-storied building of Port Cape for his temporary headquarters. With walls three bricks thick, it would have provided warmth as well as extra protection from any elements waiting outside.

     The building has continued to play a role in American history. It has withstood two major tornadoes which devastated the city of Cape Girardeau, survived several floods, and from evidence found among rafters on the third floor, accommodated bootleggers during prohibition.

     The structure lay vacant for many years and was restored in 1974. Located at 19 North Water Street, just feet from “Old Man River,” it is now home to Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant.

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Union Momument & Fountain

     This cast monument of a Union soldier and fountain were presented to Courthouse Park in 1911 by the Women’s Relief Corps. Fifty years later, in 1961, the monument was rededicated in memory of all American Veterans.

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Common Pleas Courthouse

     This magnificent building grandly sits high above Cape Girardeau, keeping watch over the city and the mighty Mississippi River.

     Completed in 1854, the courthouse was important to the Union forces during the Civil War. The provost marshal chose this location for his headquarters, and its dungeon was used to hold Confederate soldiers and southern sympathizers.

     During the war, sandstone blocks provided access from Spanish Street to the courthouse. By the turn of the century, erosion, weather and heavy usage made replacement necessary. Portland cement was brought from England to build the existing tiers of steps. Preceding even the first concrete street paving in the city, this is said to be the first concrete construction in Missouri south of St. Louis.

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Confederate War Memorial

     “Dedicated to the Confederate Soldiers of Southeast Missouri” and chiseled from Georgia silver grey marble, this monument stands 14 1/2 feet tall and weighs 12 1/2 tons.

     On the front of the monument appear the letters C.S.A. (Confederate States of America), while beneath this and poised on a shelf is the Confederate flag. The flag’s background is of a rough texture while its stars and strips are embellished in polished marble.

     Presented to the city in 1931 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the cost, including the foundation and delivery, was in excess of $2,000. It was rededicated on Veterans’ Day, 1995.

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Minton House

     Located at 444 Washington, this brick and stucco house was built in 1846, earning it the distinction of being one of Cape Girardeau’s oldest homes. During the war it was used as a United States smallpox hospital.

     Mystery surrounds the house. Stories have been handed down for generations that it is haunted, perhaps by one of the soldiers who spent time in the hospital. Legend also tells of a tunnel beneath the structure, possibly leading to Old Lorimier Cemetery or a site near the river. It is believed the tunnel was used to transport the dead from the hospital.

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Battle of Cape Girardeau

     On April 26, 1863, the Battle of Cape Girardeau was fought. Note: Cape Girardeau was known as “Camp Fremont”. Brigadier General John McNiel was in command of the Union forces and the Confederacy was acting under the orders of Major General John S. Marmaduke.

     The battle, mainly an artillery duel, raged for four hours, beginning at 10 a.m. It came to a halt when Marmaduke ordered his forces to withdraw at 2 p.m.

     According to reports, the Union casualties were 22 enlisted men and one officer killed, and 37 enlisted men and seven officers wounded. While the Confederates didn’t make a detailed account, Marmaduke later reported that his casualties for the entire expedition numbered 30 killed, 60 wounded, and 120 missing. It is believed that most of these were sustained at Cape Girardeau.

     In 1951 the local Rotary Club erected a marker near Broadway and Caruthers as an observance of the battle site.

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