Station Three Decks – Fort Duffield

You are standing at one of the most revealing vantage points in Fort Duffield. From here, soldiers could look south across open fields and farmland, watching for any sign of Confederate movement. Though the forest has reclaimed the hillside today, this ridge once offered a sweeping, unobstructed view for more than a mile in every direction.

Historic View

Walking Tour Map

Walking tour map of Fort Duffield showing the ridge trail, station locations, and the layout of the Civil War earthworks above West Point.

Observation Point

Thumbnail view of the cleared southern slope near the observation point at Fort Duffield, showing the terrain soldiers monitored for Confederate movement.

View from the observation point at Fort Duffield, showing the steep southern hillside that was once cleared for over a mile to give Union soldiers an unobstructed field of vision during the winter of 1861–62.

If you were to stand at this observation point during the Civil War, you would see how impregnable the fort must have been. The forest you see today did not exist — the hillside was cleared for at least a mile in every direction. With such a commanding view and a garrison of 1,000 men, it is no wonder this massive fortification was never attacked.

What Happened Here

Southern Redoubt and Replica Homestead

As you look south, you’ll notice a shallow depression in the earth — this is the fort’s redoubt. A redoubt is a small, detached defensive earthwork placed forward of the main walls to give soldiers a clear field of fire and early warning of any advancing enemy. Today, this area serves as an amphitheater for programs and events.

Adjacent to the redoubt stands a replica homestead, modeled after the simple log cabins common in mid‑19th‑century Kentucky. These homesteads once dotted the Bluegrass countryside, and their open yards would have provided Confederate scouts with cover during a southern approach.

The 9th Michigan Infantry focused much of their attention on this southern sector, knowing that any assault would likely come across these farms and fields. To the north, the 300‑foot cliff formed an imposing natural barrier that protected the fort’s front approach. From the front of the fort, soldiers could overlook the Ohio River far below.

“The Battle of the Pickax”

“During our first weeks at West Point night alarms were frequent. Tuesday night, November 12th, the four regiments of infantry and one of cavalry were rallied to arms four times. First a sentinel saw a pick sticking in the top of a stump and imagined it was a rebel aiming his gun, and he blazed away. Of course the other guards fired their guns in the air, and then all the drummers tried to see which could beat his drum the hardest.

Companies E and G were then alone on the hill and expected to be the first ones gobbled up; but reinforcements came up to us on the double‑quick. This performance was repeated three times before morning, caused by other nervous sentinels ‘seeing something.’

The absurdity of it was that no rebels were nearer than Bowling Green, 50 miles away, and our army was between us. But we were all ‘raw’ then and imagined there was a rebel behind every bush, tree, and knob — and several luckless pigs lost their lives by being too inquisitive after dark.”