Copyright 2007 by Dale Cox
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Grand Gulf Military Monument - Fort Wade
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Fort Cobun at Grand Gulf Military Monument
Fort Cobun - Grand Gulf Military Monument
Overlooking the original "grand gulf" of the
Mississippi River, Fort Cobun was heavily engaged
during the Battle of Grand Gulf.
Roughly one mile upstream from Fort Wade at a place called "Point
of Rocks," Fort Cobun was a powerful fortification literally cut into a
hillside.

Like Fort Wade, the fort was constructed by Confederates troops
under Brig. Gen. J.S. Bowen in 1863 to protect Grand Gulf from
Union attack. Federal troops under General Ulysses S. Grant initially
planned to seize the old town for use as a launching point for their
land campaign against Vicksburg.

Before Grant could land his troops at Grand Gulf, however, Forts
Cobun and Wade needed to be reduced, along with their supporting
fortifications. This would not be an easy task.

Fort Cobun in particular was an extremely powerful earthwork
fortification. Located where Point of Rocks overlooked a sharp bend
of the Mississippi River, the fort was created by actually cutting an
emplacement down into the bluff instead of building an earthwork on
top of it. This design, coupled with its elevated location, made the
fort a very difficult nut for the Union forces to crack.

The Battle of Grand Gulf began on the morning of April 29, 1863,
when Admiral David D. Porter moved his warships into range and
opened fire on the Confederate artillery emplacements at Forts
Cobun and Wade. The Confederate gunners returned fire and a
massive bombardment began that shook the countryside for miles
around.

While Porter and his sailors engaged the forts, Grant and his army
remained aboard their transports upstream, waiting for a chance to
land and finish the job once the heavy guns on the bluffs were
silenced.

The Confederate guns, however, could not be silenced. Despite
heavy shelling and the overwhelming number of cannon aboard the
Union ships, the positions at Grand Gulf proved too strong. The
Southern troops continued to return fire throughout the battle,
inflicting damage to the Union ironclads and finally forcing Porter to
admit that he would not be able to bombard the forts into
submission. He finally pulled back his flotilla, giving the defenders a
short-lived but significant victory.

Fort Cobun today is preserved in a detached part of the Grand Gulf
Military Monument. The fort is located about one mile upstream from
the main park entrance and can be reached either by following the
signs or using the interpretive map available at the visitor center.

The earthworks of the powerful fort remain intact and interpretive
markers on the ground help acquaint visitors with the design and
significance of the defenses.
View of Fort Cobun at Grand Gulf
This is a view looking across the floor of Fort Cobun
at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. Southern artillery was
positioned here aimed to the left.
Parapet of Fort Cobun
The earthen parapet or mound in this photograph
protected Confederate gunners as they fired on
Porter's flotilla during the Battle of Grand Gulf.
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