The Battle Of Cape Girardeau

The old fort is a public park. During their leisure hours, soldiers stationed there used to go bowling – using 32-pound cannonballs! During the winter they dug caves in the river bluffs, finding them more comfortable than the drafty rooms at the fort. The fort was at Cape Girardeau, one of four erected to protect the city during the Civil War. It was an important city from a strategic standpoint for both sides. The four forts which protected Cape Girardeau bore no heroic names. They were just Forts A, B, C, and D.

AUDIO: AOWM April 26, 2005 (mp3)