Ship Island

Named by French explorers in 1699, Ship Island is located approximately 12 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast and lies about equidistant between Mobile and New Orleans.  The barrier island was initially used as a port of entry by colonists and has been called the “Plymouth Rock” of the Gulf Coast. 

During the War of 1812, the British used it as a staging area in an attempt to capture New Orleans.  In 1859, construction of a fort was begun on the island.  When the Civil War erupted, Confederates took possession of the unfinished structure and called it Fort Twiggs until they abandoned it late in September, 1861 due to their inability to adequately garrison it.  The occupying Federals renamed it Fort Massachusetts after the warship involved in the capture of the island.  The only combat action seen on the fort was in June, 1861, and consisted of a 20-minute bombardment between the ship and Confederate forces occupying it before leaving it to the Federals. 

 Like the British before them, Union officers also used it as a staging area:  David Farragut and Benjamin Butler in 1862 for the expedition to take New Orleans and Farragut again in 1864 for the Battle of Mobile Bay.  I have recently discovered that one of the 15,000 soldiers stationed on the island in preparation for the assault on New Orleans may have been a woman.  Research is continuing.

Ship Island eventually became a prison for Union soldiers who committed crimes, and then later   “Beast” Butler sent civilian prisoners there from New Orleans.   One of them was Mrs. Eugenia Phillips who was accused of mocking a Federal officer’s funeral possession.  She was confined at Ship Island from the summer of 1862 until she took an oath of honor on September 11^th, 1862, not to aid the Confederacy in any way.  She was then allowed to leave the island.  In 1864, it housed Confederate POW’s.

Quite a few soldiers wrote about their experiences on Ship Island.  Private James F. Stoddard of the 7^th Vermont wrote his wife that they saw “…lots of prickley pares…” and ended up killing a snake that was three feet long.  He noted that “….there is some lemmon trees….but they [don’t’] have any lemmons on them…”  

Lieutenant George C. Smith mentioned that “We found many curious shells, nuts, fruits, and branches of trees….Many pieces of wrecks lay along the beach….Some porpoises were sporting in the water and many birds were seen.  Some of the men caught a few fish.  Ripe blackberries were found among the pines.  An alligator had been imprudent enough to show himself in a small pond of fresh water, and several officers and soldiers were watching for him with guns, but he was too cunning for them and they did not get him.”

Captain John William DeForest of the 12^th Connecticut described Ship Island as “…the sandiest region this side of the Great Sahara…Here the sand is of a dazzling white which glistens in the moonlight like snow, and by day dazzles and fatigues the eyes….”

Andrew M. Sherman of the 23^rd Connecticut also wrote about the sand, “When I tell you that this island…consists almost entirely of fine, white sand, with scarcely a tree for shade or ornament, and with only here and there a patch of grass, you cannot doubt the propriety of applying the word ‘barren’ to our present quarters….. Our shoes are never free from the irritating presence of this sand.”  He went on to say that “…we lie, and sleep as best we can with the various insects that minister to our discomfort." 

A letter from assistant surgeon Simeon Evans with the 13^th Maine to his mother reflected the difficulty New England soldiers had in acclimating to the South Mississippi climate.  “We have terrible weather here now.  The sand reflects the heat so that we get about as much from below as we do from above.  I tell you, we suffer greatly from the heat….It is lucky I brought a pair of green glasses with me, or my eyes would have been burnt out of my head before this time.”

The rough living conditions proved deadly for inhabitants of the island.  Approximately 150 Confederates and 230 Federals died and were buried on the island.  In 1867, 228 Union soldiers were exhumed and reinterred at Chalmette National Cemetery.  Only 60 were identified.   In 1885, more bodies were removed from the Island to Chalmette.  It is not known why the latter bunch was not included in the initial group.

Fort Massachusetts after Hurricane Katrina

Fort Massachusetts still stands today, and visitors to Ship Island can tour it.  While the fort has stood the test of time and that of the elements, the island itself has suffered.  In 1969, extremely powerful Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm, cut the island in two, with the parts simply referred to as East Ship Island and West, which is where Fort Massachusetts is located.  The gap between them is called Camille Cut.    

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina widened the cut and sank a large portion of the eastern part.

Ship Island after Hurricane Camille (top) and Hurricane Katrina (bottom)

Sources:

www.msshipisland.com

www.mshistory.mdah.state.ms.us

www.nps.gov/guis/