Fort Early and Jubal Early Monument explained

Fort Early and Jubal Early Monument
Designated Other1:Virginia Landmarks Register
Designated Other1 Date:June 13, 2001[1]
Designated Other1 Number:118-5162
Designated Other1 Num Position:bottom
Location:3511 Memorial Ave., Lynchburg, Virginia
Coordinates:37.3897°N -79.1733°W
Architecture:Classical Revival
Added:January 24, 2002
Refnum:01001517

The Fort Early and Jubal Early Monument was started in the early 1900s, and consists of the remains of an American Civil War fort and monument located on a 1.29acres site at Lynchburg, Virginia. Confederate forces under the command of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early constructed the roughly square earthen fort in June 1864 as part of the outer defenses of Lynchburg as the Union Army of West Virginia, under Maj. Gen. David Hunter, advanced from the north and west in an attempt to capture the city during the Battle of Lynchburg. It is the only section of the Lynchburg defenses still in existence.[2]

The walls of the fort are approximately 12 to 15feet in height on the exterior and approximately 4 to 6feet high on the interior. Within the fort is a one-story brick structure that was built in 1922 by the Fort Hill Woman's Club and contains exhibits on the Battle of Lynchburg. A brick paved entrance drive with a 15feet high iron arch erected in 1924, with the words "Fort Early", cut through the eastern portion of the breastworks and forms the entrance to the site. The remaining portions of the breastworks are intact including a sally port in the northern wall used to bring in ammunition and other supplies during the military operation of the fort. A 17feet high granite obelisk honoring Confederate General Jubal A. Early and erected in 1919, is located on a triangle of land formed by the intersection of Fort Avenue and Memorial Avenue.[2]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Virginia Landmarks Register. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. 19 March 2013.
  2. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Early and Jubal Early Monument. Nancy Weiland and Philip Wayne Rhodes . February 2001. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo