In June 1863, a ragtag group of Union soldiers and local Black laborers quickly constructed a fort just west of the Susquehanna River to defend against the approaching Confederate troops. Today, Fort Couch stands as a testament to the importance of Black soldiers and civilians in the Union’s defense of Pennsylvania.
The year is 1863, and a fierce Confederate invasion threatens the Pennsylvanian capital of Harrisburg. The hot summer sun, frequent rains, and low morale plague Union forces. Thanks to the labor of Black civilian laborers and Union troops, however, Confederate forces were unable to march on the city. The work of the brave men at Fort Couch and Fort Washington was a crucial part of turning the tide against the Confederacy in the Civil War. Equally significant, the inclusion of local Black men in the northern war efforts illustrated substantial progress toward a truly integrated military.
This episode of the fortification of Harrisburg immediately preceded the famous Battle of Gettysburg that took place nearly a month later. Fort Couch's defenses and the Union troops' efforts at Harrisburg forced Confederate troops to turn to Gettysburg, which would give the rebels a solid position to keep moving northward. As is well known, however, General Robert E. Lee’s forces were still defeated. The stand at Gettysburg was the northernmost point Lee’s army would reach, resulting in its retreat southward and eventual surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865, marking the end of the Civil War.
In June 1863, however, the South’s defeat was far from inevitable. Harrisburg, a vulnerable point in Union defenses, seemed to be an ideal gateway northward. Capturing the city would give the rebels control over the ports of the Susquehanna River, the railroads, and the defensive points along the river. As the Confederate forces approached, mass evacuations took place leaving the typically busy capital nearly empty.
To fend off incoming Confederate forces, Union Major General Darius N. Couch ordered the construction of fortifications overlooking the river on Hummel Heights. He was assisted by Major James Brady, of the Pennsylvania Volunteer Artillery, and Engineer John A. Wilson. The Union troops built the fortifications—later named “Fort Washington”—on the bluffs in what is today Lemoyne’s Negley Park overlooking the river. Upon reviewing that this position was vulnerable to attack from a nearby high point, General Couch called for another fortification half a mile to the west. The second location was the site of Fort Couch, which occupied a higher, more tactically advantageous position.
To build Fort Couch quickly, Couch’s troops needed additional manpower. President Lincoln received word of the advance and on June 16, 1863, called for militias in the region to meet the invaders. These forces did not appear on time, however, because many were not paid on time. One businessman, William T. Hildrup, put a notice in the local newspaper, The Patriot and Union, calling for African American men to volunteer to build the fortifications. The ad, addressed “TO THE COLORED MEN OF HARRISBURG”, sought “Men of Muscle” to work and earn $1.25 per day. Black laborers looking for a good job came to help, attracted by the cause and the pay, which was equal to what white laborers were receiving. Finding extra men to work on Fort Couch was a priority regardless of race.
Along with a company of Black troops led by Captain Bradley and T. Morris Chester, more than 120 men worked on the defenses, a combination of civilian volunteers and Chester’s men. Construction on Fort Couch began around June 15, 1863. It was led by Major Brady, Engineer John A. Wilson, and Major General Couch. An additional 500 men from the railroad, canal companies, Harrisburg Car Company, and McCormick Rolling Mills were sent to prepare the defenses. Despite what the name suggests, the construction of Fort Couch was anything but comfortable. Laborers dug day in and out in the rain. The hard shale in the area’s soil slowed progress despite the earnest efforts of the men of muscle. Wilson voiced concerns about the soundness of the fort due to the impromptu nature of the construction. Would cutting corners withstand an invasion?
The men toiled until June 19 when General Couch called the fort complete. Wilson and his engineers reported that the work was not up to par, but there seemed to be no time for fine-tuning. Although rebels led by General Albert G. Perkins and his cavalry took Mechanicsburg by June 28, and Jenkins and the Union militias fought off Confederates the following day on Oyster Point, the attack on Fort Couch never occurred. In response to the Union movements in Pennsylvania, Robert E. Lee ordered his forces to station in Gettysburg and wait there, where the climax of the Civil War would occur.
The ad targeting Black men and the equal pay of the job demonstrated the changing attitudes of the time. White residents of the capitol area began to accept the value of the Black laborers who built Fort Couch, many of whom were residents of Harrisburg and Cumberland Valley. Attitudes toward Black men in the military were changing, too. In the midst of the Civil War and a dire need for soldiers, Pennsylvania Governor General’s Order 44 called for “sixty thousand men for the defense of the State, to be mustered into the service of the State, for the period of ninety days, unless sooner discharged.” This infusion of new men came at a crucial time for the Union forces that were losing their edge in 1863. The Black troops played a significant role in the Civil War, helping the Union to victory and closer to emancipation, both from chattel slavery and the stereotype of “labor and servitude.”
Although the men working on Fort Couch were paid equally, this was not the case across the Union. The Harrisburg Patriot reported that in other places where Black and white soldiers worked together, officers were not compensating them adequately, resulting in strikes, protests, and even violence among the ranks. The efforts at Fort Washington in this respect were a positive outlier in the experience of Black troops in the Civil War. Although the armed forces would not be fully integrated until the administration of President Harry Truman, this episode of local American history marked a notable moment in the path toward equality.
A full list of the resources used in this story can be found here.
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