Situated about 9 mile south of it's sister fortification - Fort Pike - Fort Wood sits near the confluence of Chef Pass and Lake Borne. According to Parkerson, this is the same area of a previous fortification, Gen. Jackson's fort at Chef Menteur and Bayou Savage.
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| Fort Wood aka Fort Macomb as viewed from Chef Pass |
Like Pike, Wood is a modified Vauban design and capable of supporting 64 large guns. Parkerson notes the forts part during the Civil War with it's history mirroring that of Pike: "Like Fort Pike, Fort Wood was surrendered to the Confederate sympathizers in January, 1861, and later evacuated by the Confederates when Admiral Farragut took New Orleans."
Prior to it's Civil War action, the fort was renamed in 1851 in honor of Major General Alexander Macomb, a Seminole War Hero.
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| An interior view shows two levels of embrasures for protected small arms fire |
A visit of any means today must be by water. Unlike the maintained Fort Pike, Fort Wood is gated from the public and in generally poor shape. The entire peremiter looks to be but a storm or two away from seeing the outter walls collapse into the water. Boat traffic and currents continually work the base of the walls, eroding the foundation, while the tops are being cracked from the rooted vegetation growing there. While the canon ports are barred, a closer inspection revealed the bars to be of modern rebar. Obviously the state is trying to keep visitors out by "barring the windows".
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| Green on top and wet on bottom - the destruction of Ft. Macomb |
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| A closer view of nature at work on Ft Macomb |
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