The Project

In his book "New Orleans:  America's Most Fortified City", Codman Parkerson sums up the importance of New Orleans by stating:

My copy of  Parkerson's book:  A wonderful Christmas gift from my children.

          Although the strategic and tactical military function of these forts long ago expired, these structures still represent the era they served, and exhibit the efforts made to protect the various nations they defended.  New Orleans, standing as it does at the mouth of the continent's largest river system, was considered strategically vital to any nation who wished to control the Mississippi's extensive drainage valley.  The Mississippi delta has many arms, so many fortifications were necessary in order to ensure protection from naval assault.  Since the ground around New Orleans was so swampy, the danger of attack by land was considered negligible.  Control of New Orleans passed through the hands of several sovereign nations, and each governor imposed his own notion of how to best protect the city from real or anticipated danger.  Relatively few of the proposed fortifications were actually erected; and relatively few of the threats against the city actually materialized.  The forts surrounding and defending New Orleans saw very little military action.  However, life at the old forts must have been miserable for the workers and soldiers who endured the loneliness, the dampness and chill of winter, and the heat and humidity of summer along with gnats, mosquitoes and deer flies that attacked them in clouds.  Then, too, the snakes and alligators could be a nuisance and a threat.  These forts stand as monuments to the courage, fortitude, and patience of the men who served them.  They are, with their moats and drawbridges and fascinating architecture taken from the Old World, true American castles.

Parkerson goes on to list 56 locations of forts, batteries, military posts, and other such means of defense in and around New Orleans.  As a native of South Louisiana, and long time "history nerd", I've always enjoyed reading about my state's history - especially how different nations each made their own influence into our language, architecture, and culture as a whole.  Using Parkerson's book as a field guide, I intend to visit, photograph, and otherwise chronicle my adventures as I attempt to visit each location.