Mile 78.1 - RBD - Fort St. Leon

78.1 RBD - Fort St. Leon

Fort St. Leon was the name of a French fort, as well as an American fort, each established at a section on the Mississippi River below New Orleans known as English Turn. The French fort was begun in 1749 but was abandoned by the time of the administration of the Spanish governor, O'Reilly, in 1768. The American fort was begun in 1809 but was abandoned about 1815-1817.

French Period: Fort Détour à l'Anglais (1722 - 1765), originally three earthwork batteries at English Turn. Rebuilt in 1748 as two nearly identical 30-gun stockaded earthworks (a 10-gun crescent with five four-gun redans each) located across from each other just north of Belle Chasse (Batterie de l'Anse) and at English Turn (Batterie de la Pointe). Later rebuilt again in 1754 as four-bastioned squares, renamed Fort St. Leon (19 guns) and Fort Ste. Marie (21 guns) respectively.

Spanish Period: Fort San Leon (1766 - 1780 ?) near Belle Chasse (see above). In ruins by 1780.

American Period: Fort St. Leon (1808 - 1817) was built on the site of French Fort St. Leon near Belle Chasse. Built for nine guns, only four were emplaced in 1814. Also built were a magazine, two barracks, officers' quarters, kitchen, and guardhouse. It was not attacked by the British in December 1814. It was completed in January 1815, but later dismantled.