July 4th

I'm a little late with the July 4th post but I'm not very attached to timelines and deadline these days.  Anyway, here we go.

Fort D in Cape Girardeau is the only surviving fort in a series of forts designated as A, B, C, and D, all located in Cape Girardeau.  Fort D was constructed in 1861 and served as a union garrison for Illinois, Missouri troops and others from the Midwestern states.   It also as a training fort.  The area is surrounded by earthwork walls that were restored in 1936.   The stone blockhouse that stands on the site today was built in 1936 as well, by the WPA and has since then served a variety of purposed.

On the day of our visit, a small group of Union troop re-enactors was present giving historical demonstrations and talks.  All of the re-enactors were local people and all were descendants of Fort D troops.  The youngest two were in their teens.  It was gratifying to see the gauntlet of history being handed down to the next generation.