Fort Montgomery (Linn County)
Encyclopedia
Fort Montgomery was a fortress home constructed of logs by James Montgomery
in 1855 five miles west of Mound City, Kansas
, in Linn County
.
Montgomery was a free-state leader in Kansas Territory
. This was after southerners burned his previous cabin. Montgomery's new home, dubbed Fort Montgomery, had many features that enabled the occupants to use the building for their defense, including rifle ports. The fort was located on the side of a hill and the occupants had a clear view of everything to the south for miles.
Especially prior to the outbreak of the Civil War
, Montgomery and his family used the defense of his fort home. Several times southerners and border ruffians attempted to shoot persons inside or set the fort on fire. During the Civil War, Montgomery, an officer in the U.S. Army, was away much of the time on military duty. Through the war, however, the fort was intermittently used for refuge against guerrillas active in the area. Eventually, Montgomery abandoned his fort and it was demolished in 1915.
James Montgomery (colonel)
James Montgomery was a Jayhawker during the Bleeding Kansas Affair and a controversial Union colonel during the American Civil War...
in 1855 five miles west of Mound City, Kansas
Mound City, Kansas
Mound City is a city in and the county seat of Linn County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 694.-Geography:Mound City is located at...
, in Linn County
Linn County, Kansas
Linn County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 9,656. Its county seat is Mound City, and its most populous city is Pleasanton...
.
Montgomery was a free-state leader in Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
. This was after southerners burned his previous cabin. Montgomery's new home, dubbed Fort Montgomery, had many features that enabled the occupants to use the building for their defense, including rifle ports. The fort was located on the side of a hill and the occupants had a clear view of everything to the south for miles.
Especially prior to the outbreak of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Montgomery and his family used the defense of his fort home. Several times southerners and border ruffians attempted to shoot persons inside or set the fort on fire. During the Civil War, Montgomery, an officer in the U.S. Army, was away much of the time on military duty. Through the war, however, the fort was intermittently used for refuge against guerrillas active in the area. Eventually, Montgomery abandoned his fort and it was demolished in 1915.