The Fort Duffield Story: Timeline 1861–1862

Explore Fort Duffield

Follow the fort’s early development, learn about the people connected to it, or explore the
research and primary sources that reveal its story.

Origins & Early History

How Fort Duffield was built, why it mattered, and the role it played in the opening year of
the Civil War.

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Construction of the Fort

The labor, engineering, and hardship behind building Kentucky’s largest Civil War earthwork.

Read construction →

Timeline 1861–1862

A chronological look at the military buildup, construction, and troop movements that shaped
Fort Duffield.

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This timeline presents the rapid military buildup, construction, troop movements, and shifting
strategic priorities that shaped Fort Duffield and West Point during the opening years of the
Civil War. It blends local events with regional command decisions to show how this ridge became —
and then ceased to be — a critical defensive position.

1861

September — Securing West Point

September 9: Union troops arrive in West Point and build a small fortification at the mouth of the Salt River to protect river crossings and supply routes.
West Point becomes a staging ground for troops moving south into Kentucky and Tennessee.

October — Command Changes & Camp Formation

October 8: Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman replaces Brig. Gen. Robert Anderson as commander of the Department of the Cumberland.
Late October: After criticism from Washington and the press, Sherman is replaced by Brig. Gen. Don Carlos Buell.
October 24: The 37th Indiana Infantry arrives and establishes Camp Holman east of Salt River.
October 28: The 9th Michigan Infantry arrives and establishes Camp Duffield east of Salt River. The future fort is named in honor of Col. William W. Duffield.

November — Construction Begins

November 3: Construction of Fort Duffield begins, primarily by the 9th Michigan Infantry.
The fort is designed as a 1,000‑foot earthen wall with firing angles for ten guns.
November 6: The 37th Indiana moves to the west side of Salt River and establishes Camp Hazard along the Ohio River.
Companies E & G of the 9th Michigan occupy Pearman Hill with two six‑pound cannon; eight more guns are added soon after.
November 9: The Department of the Cumberland is reorganized as the Department of the Ohio.
The 1st and 18th Ohio Infantry establish Camp Armstrong near Bee Branch.
November 14: The 1st Wisconsin Infantry arrives and establishes Camp Buell near Camp Duffield.
November 15: The 1st and 18th Ohio move to Elizabethtown; Buell formally assumes command of the Department of the Ohio.

December — Winter Hardships

Cold weather, illness, and exposure take a heavy toll on soldiers stationed around West Point.
The cemetery below the fort begins to fill as disease spreads through the camps.
December 3: The 1st Wisconsin departs West Point; a tragic accidental shooting occurs during the march.

1862

January — Fort Nears Completion

January 1: Fort Duffield is essentially complete.
January 4: Six companies of the 9th Michigan (A, B, C, D, F & K) are ordered to Elizabethtown.
January 17: Companies E & G depart for Elizabethtown; Companies H & I remain at the fort under Major D. M. Fox.

February — Engineering & Deployment

February 16: Gen. William “Bull” Nelson’s Division departs West Point by river for operations in Tennessee.
February 24: Major Fox receives orders to build a bridge across Salt River; it is completed two days later.

March — Artillery Arrives & the 23rd Brigade Forms

March 5: Battery G, 1st Michigan Light Artillery arrives at Fort Duffield, relieving the remaining 9th Michigan companies.
March 9: The 23rd Brigade is formed, including the 9th Michigan, 3rd Minnesota, and 8th & 23rd Kentucky (U.S.) regiments, with Col. William W. Duffield in command.
March 11: All ten companies of the 9th Michigan return to West Point to prepare for departure.
March 19: The 9th Michigan departs West Point aboard the steamboat Jacob Strader with the rest of the 23rd Brigade.

Spring–Summer — Fort Duffield Empties Out

Early April: Battery G departs Fort Duffield.
Mid‑July: Battery F departs and is replaced by Company C, 28th Kentucky (U.S.).

September–December — Final Movements & Abandonment

September 19: Company H, 16th Kentucky (U.S.) arrives in West Point.
September: Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg invades Kentucky; Fort Duffield’s presence influences his route choice.
Late September: Maj. Gen. Buell’s Army of the Ohio passes through West Point en route to Louisville.
October 18: Company H, 16th Kentucky departs West Point.
Early–Mid December: Company C, 28th Kentucky is ordered to evacuate Fort Duffield. All government property is removed to Louisville.

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