The “Battle” of Ship Island

Fort Massachusetts is located on Ship Island about 10-12 miles off the coast of Mississippi. From March to October a ferry runs from Gulfport, MS to the island, an hour ride in each direction. During the Civil War the island was seven miles long and about 3/4 of a mile wide. In 1969 Hurricane Camille split it in two into East and West Ship Island with the fort on West Ship Island, which was the situation when I visited. Subsequently, the two ends were reconnected by a $400-million dollar federal project at the end of 2020.

As you will see below that the “Battle” of Ship Island wasn’t really much of a battle at all. I probably should have entitled the post the island or fort that no one really wanted. Fort Massachusetts as it came to be called was one of the last masonry forts along the United States coast to be built in response to the war of 1812. Ironically, Jefferson Davis when he was Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce played a significant role in its final approval. The fort’s construction was still in its early stages when militia from Mississippi seized it. They quickly decided to abandon it only to change their mind after the war began. A few months later they once again decided to leave the fort. The Confederates ultimately realized that given its location 10-12 miles off the coast they would be unable to defend it against a Union Naval assault. In addition, it was difficult to supply, the walls were only 6 feet high when they left, and the environment was harsh. The heat and humidity were oppressive and the reflection of sunlight off the bright white sand left several men with visual disturbances.

Work began on the fort in March of 1859 under the direction of engineer Frederick E. Prime. The fort was built on the western end of the island and shaped like the letter D with the flat side facing east protecting against a land attack, and the curved part facing water. It was designed to hold a maximum of 37 cannons. The initial construction team included 35 laborers, 7 carpenters, a mason and a blacksmith. Construction was slowed by two severe storms in the second half of 1860. The first in August destroyed almost all the crew’s wooden buildings, scattered construction materials across the site, and 40 hogs were lost. The following month the island was struck by a hurricane. On January 13, 1861 a boat of armed Mississippi militia landed on the island to occupy it. One week later the Federals left. Governor Pettus subsequently decided that the fort could not be armed and abandoned it. When the war began he changed his mind. On July 6th Captain Edward Higgins landed with 140 Confederates and 2 cannons. Seventy-five additional men arrived the next day. On July 9th the U.S.S. Massachusetts (for which the fort is named) under Captain Melancton Smith noticed the rebel forces and three Confederate flags flying over the fort and exchanged fire with the enemy. This 20-minute exchange that resulted in no deaths and few injuries was the only military engagement involving the fort in the war.

In September Colonel Johnson Duggan of the 1st LA Artillery assumed command and recommended abandoning the fort because he did not feel it could be defended against a naval assault. On September 13th the Confederate War Department ordered General Twiggs in New Orleans to evacuate the island. Between September 14th and 16th five ships were loaded, the Frenal lens from the lighthouse was removed, and the tower stairs were burned along with piles of lumber. The U.S.S. Massachusetts saw the fires and boats leaving and after firing on them reclaimed the island on September 17th. They extinguished the fires and were able to save most of the lumber, 13 outbuildings, and 36 cattle. The Confederates had left a note on the door of the fort:

Fort Twiggs- Ship Island, September 17, 1861

By order of my government I have this day evacuated Ship Island. This my brave soldiers under my command do with much reluctance and regret. For three long months your good ship was our constant companion. We have not exactly “lived and loved together,” but we have been intimately acquainted, having exchanged cards [a reference to the brief Battle of Ship Island] on the 9th day of July last. In leaving you today we beg you accept our best wishes for your health and happiness while sojourning on this pleasant, hospitable shore. That we have another exchange of courtesies before the war closes, and that we may meet face to face in closer quarters, is the urgent prayer of your obedient servant.

H.W. Allen, Lieutenant-Colonel, Commanding Ship Island

By the end of 1861 more than 15,000 Union troops were on Ship Island which was being used as a staging area for the upcoming attack on New Orleans. On February 20, 1862 Admiral David Farragut who would lead the naval aspect of the invasion arrived. Benjamin Butler would command for the Army. The troops boarded ships on April 15th and left for New Orleans the following day. The Union Navy shelled Forts Jackson and St. Philip for six days before running past the forts to the city, which surrendered on April 25th. Three days later the two downstream forts also surrendered.

Two regiments of Black soldiers were mustered into Union service on September 27th and October 12th of 1862. Seven companies of the second regiment were stationed on Ship Island. Following the fall of New Orleans Fort Massachusetts and Ship Island served as a prisoner-of-war camp. The first prisoners arrived on June 16, 1862 and by the end of the war nearly 6000 had been brought through the island. Of these 153 died and are buried in a cemetery about a mile and a half east of the fort near the graves of 228 federal soldiers. After the fall of Mobile another large influx of prisoners arrived. At the end of April 1865 the total prison population swelled to 4,356. Political prisoners were also taken to Ship Island at the direction of Major General Benjamin Butler in his role as the military governor of Louisiana. The most famous was Eugenia Levy Philips who was accused of mocking a Union officer’s funeral procession in New Orleans. She and her maid were confined to an abandoned railroad boxcar on the island and were released after 10 weeks when she took the oath of allegiance. Eugenia was a known Confederate spy and the sister of Phoebe Pember, a matron of Chimborazo Hospital in Richmond. In June with the end of the war the P.O.W. camp closed. The last federal troops and military prisoners left the fort on April 5, 1870.

A brochure of a walking tour of the fort can be found at the link. There are multiple markers on the island none of which are in the historical marker database so I will include pictures of those.