All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S05E03.Haunting.of.Heartbreak.Castle.1080p.DISC.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-DoGSO_track3_[eng]

Narrator: two forgotten
Fortresses on opposing banks...

Of the mississippi.

Something bigger than just
The passage of time

Has taken an even heavier toll
On these buildings.

Narrator: ...A concrete behemoth

That proved invulnerable
To enemy bombardment...

These structures are so massive.

They're so well built.
You can't get rid of them.

You can't level them.
You can't tear them down.

You can't blow them up.

You can't blow them up.

Narrator: ...And a ghostly ruin
That's home

To a haunting presence.

There are reports of apparitions
In the corridors,

And that's no surprise.

It has that kind of feel to it.

If you ever want to visit
A haunted mansion,

Then this is it.

*

Narrator: decaying relics,

Ruins of lost worlds,

Forged through years of toil,
Now haunted by the past,

Forged through years of toil,
Now haunted by the past,

Their secrets
Waiting to be revealed.

*

-- captions by vitac --
Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

*

On the north coast of wales

Overlooking the sea
Sits a foreboding castle.

Overlooking the sea
Sits a foreboding castle.

*

This looks like something out
Of a medieval fairytale

Like a home
For princes and princesses.

It's a grand palace of
A building with so many rooms,

Embattled towers
And amazing windows.

Somebody clearly wanted
To impress and make an impact.

Narrator:
But as striking as it appears
From the outside,

Narrator:
But as striking as it appears
From the outside,

Once you venture
In through the arches

The feel of the place
Takes a turn.

If you ever wanted to visit
A haunted mansion,

This place has got it all.

You've got your gothic
Architecture,

Your faded grandeur,
Your air of mystery and terror.

Rumors of hauntings float
Around the place,

And every wall tells a story:

Marriages gone terribly wrong,
Battles and children

Marriages gone terribly wrong,
Battles and children

Fleeing from cruel
And deadly fates.

Narrator: this site's story
Isn't quite what it seems.

Scott: what's strange is that
Although it looks ancient

There's parts of this building
That don't look that old at all.

You can see this was once
A glorious structure,

But now it's just crumbling away
And disintegrating.

It's as though the life
Has been sucked from the place.

It looks so sad and abandoned.

What went wrong here?

What went wrong here?

Narrator: contained within these
Crumbling walls

Are stories of ambition,
Families at war

And a people saved
From slaughter.

Yet, there is something strange
About this defensive stronghold.

There's some clever trickery
At play here

Because it's clearly been made
To look like something it isn't.

Because it's clearly been made
To look like something it isn't.

Narrator: dr. Mark barker is
An architectural historian.

He's spent the last 20 years

Investigating this building's
Deepest secrets.

So this looks like
A medieval fortress,

But as we look around you
Will find out

That there's a lot more
To it than meets the eye.

Narrator:
Inside are clues that betray
The true age of this structure.

So one of the telltale signs
That you can pick up

So one of the telltale signs
That you can pick up

Looking around the building

That it's not as ancient
As you think are the windows,

And the windows are made
Out of cast iron,

Which was the wonder material
Of the early 19th centuries,

The pvc of the day.

Narrator: so if this wasn't
A medieval castle,

Then why did someone spend a
Fortune making it look like one,

And would those defensive walls
Ever be called upon?

This place was commissioned
By the wealthy industrialist

This place was commissioned
By the wealthy industrialist

Lloyd hesketh in 1812.

It was the largest structure
To be erected in britain

In the 19th century

And at its peak boasted
An estate of over 6,000 acres.

Scott: many said that hesketh
Was a dreamer,

But he had a bold
And ambitious plan,

One that he hoped would
Influence architecture forever.

Barker:
It all seems to center around
The loss of his mother

Barker:
It all seems to center around
The loss of his mother

When he was around
About 11 or 12,

And he wants to build him
A monument to her

To immortalize her
In architecture.

Narrator: this was
Lloyd hesketh's masterpiece,

A lavish 19th century imitation
Of a much earlier time,

Gwrych castle.

So in wales, we are famous
For the medieval castles

Of the native princes,

Of the native princes,

And lloyd knew this
When he was building here,

And he set about looking back
At the medieval castles

But also all the manuscripts,

Looking at how they actually
Did it properly.

It is a hugely significant
Structure as it was

The first gothic folly
In all of europe.

Lloyd's dream
May have come true,

But this isn't a story
Of happily ever after.

But this isn't a story
Of happily ever after.

A bitter family feud
Was brewing.

The horrors of war
Were on the horizon,

And a haunting presence
Would soon be felt.

Hesketh lived in this castle
For many years.

It was his home,

And then it got passed down
Through his family,

Eventually coming
Into the ownership

Of his granddaughter
In 1894.

Inheriting the castle
And the estate

Meant that
The countess of dundonald

Meant that
The countess of dundonald

Was a woman
Of very great means.

Like her grandfather before her,

She left her mark on the castle
In a very unique way.

Narrator: adding her own touches
To the building

Like this grand
Marble staircase,

The countess' presence
Can still be felt here,

But her more public showings
Were what caused a real stir

And may have sowed the seeds
For what was to come.

Selwood: she was a very
Strong-minded person

Who fought heavily
For women's rights

Who fought heavily
For women's rights

And was a key figure
In the suffragette movement.

This was extraordinary
At the time,

But apparently the marriage
Was a very unhappy one,

And her husband
Treated her cruelly.

Barker: she was really very
Forward-thinking,

And I think this was
Very disturbing to her husband.

I mean, he was
A victorian gentleman

Really that he should have
Control, and she refused.

Scott: what's astonishing
Was that in 1906

She did something
That was unheard of.

She did something
That was unheard of.

Bear in mind that her husband

Had all of the power
Over this property.

She actually banished him
From the castle

And cut him out
Of her will entirely.

The countess managed the estate
On her own for 20 years

Until her death
When it was put up for sale,

But its story was far from over.

As it turns out, the countess'
Estranged husband

Wouldn't let things lie.

Wouldn't let things lie.

He bought back the castle.

He bought it back out of spite,
And it was a great tragedy

That occurred that he destroyed
All of her papers.

The contents of the castle
Were sold off,

And his parting shot
Was that he said to the children

That no member of the family
Shall ever live here again.

Narrator:
According to some accounts,
The countess was determined

Narrator:
According to some accounts,
The countess was determined

To exact her revenge
Even from beyond the grave.

*

Narrator:
In north wales, the old ruins of
A castle cling to the hillside.

At the start
Of the 20th century,

A troubling battle
For this place ensued,

And it would leave a mark
On this site for years to come.

Just a few years
After the countess' death,

Her estranged husband
Bought the castle.

Her estranged husband
Bought the castle.

He sold off much of the contents
To finance the purchase,

But he was determined
To make it his again.

Shortly after the collection
Was broken up in 1928,

People start to see a figure
On the marble staircase,

A woman seen looking down the
Stairs and also in the gardens.

One of the most famous sightings
Was by a boxer

Called randolph turpin,
Who was training in the park,

And he saw this woman in white
Walking towards him crying,

And he saw this woman in white
Walking towards him crying,

And then he turned to ask what
Was wrong, and she disappeared.

Narrator: but these hauntings
Were not tales of horror.

In fact, this place would turn
Into a scene of hope.

As a ruthless tyrant spread fear
And suffering all over europe,

The walls of this gothic
Fortress offered sanctuary

To the 20th century's
Dispossessed.

Scott: this was a time when
World war ii was on the horizon,

And britain knew only too well

And britain knew only too well

What this would mean
For the children.

So what it did
Was it evacuated 10,000

Predominantly jewish children
From germany,

Poland, austria,
Czechoslovakia to britain.

Selwood: it was known as the
Kindertransport,

And the children were taken
To farms, foster homes

And schools across the country

With 200 of them
Coming here to the castle.

Scott: it would have been
Heart-wrenching

For these children
To be pulled away

For these children
To be pulled away

From their parents
At such a young age,

Brought to a completely
Foreign country,

But what is truly horrifying
Is these children

Were often the only surviving
Members of their family

After the holocaust.

Narrator: after the war,
The castle opened to the public,

One of the first country
Houses in britain to do so,

But with the cost
Of upkeep too high

It soon fell into disrepair.

It soon fell into disrepair.

The castle was extensively
Looted and vandalized,

Reduced to a derelict shell,

But then the final blow
Came when a fire broke out

And caused devastating damage
To the structure.

*

*

Narrator: for years,
The castle sat forgotten

Until an 11-year-old boy
Fell under its spell.

This fairytale
Had one last twist.

This fairytale
Had one last twist.

So I'd pass the castle every day
To and from school,

And it really kind of invoked
Something in me

Wanting to save the place.

That drove me on
To set up the trust.

Narrator:
Mark now leads a team dedicated
To restoring gwrych castle

To its former glory,

Its future now secured
For generations to come.

Selwood:
In its short life, the castle
Has seen many fascinating

Selwood:
In its short life, the castle
Has seen many fascinating

And important events.

Hopefully, it can be brought
Back from the dead

So that it can do so again.

Narrator:
On the west coast of france
Surrounded by the busy harbor

Of lorient
Is a colossal brutalist relic.

As you approach the structure,

You can see from miles away
How big they are.

You can see from miles away
How big they are.

It's in stark contrast
Of what's surrounding it.

You've got these beautiful
Luxury yachts and villas,

And then you've got
This concrete

What some would call
A monstrosity.

Corum: what you see are
Identical massive structures

Just like this one,

And you realize you're not
Dealing with just one structure.

You're dealing with an entire
Complex of structures.

You're dealing with an entire
Complex of structures.

Barratt: they are oppressive
In their scale.

They are absolutely huge,
Sat there on the waterline.

Narrator:
Vast concrete chambers,
Heavy metal doors,

Whatever this place was,

It appears built to withstand
More than just the elements.

There's nothing fragile
About the construction of this.

It looks absolutely solid.

There's superficial damage
In places,

There's superficial damage
In places,

But this is in no way going to
Collapse in the next few years.

But then when you go to other
Parts,

You can see they're darker,
Locked away,

And those are windows
To this structure's

Rather sinister past.

Corum: what you have is
A strange-looking man-made

Concrete tunnel with large beams
And the light coming down.

You really wonder what
Kind of facility this is.

You really wonder what
Kind of facility this is.

Narrator:
Do the ominously submerged
Vessels in the harbor

Offer a clue to the purpose
Of this baffling complex?

Why are there ships sunk out
The front of these structures?

Was this a scene of a battle
Or something else?

*

Narrator:
Construction had begun two years
Into the second world war,

The conflict that ultimately
Claimed 85 million lives.

The conflict that ultimately
Claimed 85 million lives.

It was a time when the people
Of france were forced

To live under the thumb
Of nazi oppression.

What was hidden inside
These haunting walls

Struck fear into the hearts
Of the allied forces?

1940 was a game changer
For the axis powers.

Germany went from having just
A small area on the baltic

They could have access
To seas from

To having the whole
Of the coastline of france,

To having the whole
Of the coastline of france,

And that changed the face of
Warfare for the next few years.

And what this meant was that
There was a change

In focus of the nazis.

It went from very much
A land-based war

To being much more focused
On the sea

And then
Particularly the atlantic.

Narrator:
A clue to the devastating power
Stored here can be found

In the extreme lengths
German forces went to defend it.

What made this place so great
For the nazis

What made this place so great
For the nazis

And at the same time
Dangerous for the allies

Was the design of the roof.

Barratt:
The roof construction itself
Is a very clever

Well-thought-out
Piece of engineering

To protect what's below
From the threat from the skies.

Narrator: maritime historian
Christophe cerino

Is an expert
On this defensive stronghold.

Narrator: this three-part design
Was repeated

Across the entire structure,

Essentially a line
Of concrete frames

Sitting above the actual solid
Roof that's 10-feet thick.

Barratt: what we see here
With the beams across the top

Is they're almost sacrificial.

Is they're almost sacrificial.

If a bomb was to hit those,
They could break

But not threaten
The main structure below.

They're to absorb the energy

And thus protect
The structure below.

The design of the roof
Didn't mean there was no damage.

There was just no damage
To the actual bit

That needed protection.

Narrator:
So what deadly weapon were
The nazis working so hard

Narrator:
So what deadly weapon were
The nazis working so hard

To safeguard from allied bombers
That they needed to build this?

*

Narrator:
In the second world war,

This large concrete base
On the edge of the atlantic

Sheltered a deadly fleet
That offered

Hitler a way to cut off
The allies' supply lines.

Now, the germans have lost
The greater part

Of their surface fleet,

Damaged or destroyed
In the norway campaign,

But the german navy
Has one weapon

But the german navy
Has one weapon

With which it can bring
A great deal of power

And force against great britain,
And that's the u-boat.

Narrator:
To house their machines of war,
The third reich built this,

The keroman u-boat base,

The largest submarine facility
Of its kind,

On the west coast of france.

In order for the u-boats
To be most effective,

They needed a quick way
To resupply, refuel

They needed a quick way
To resupply, refuel

And then get them back out
In the sea,

And that's what this structure
Was all about.

You can see the effort
That was put into building it.

It is absolutely vast,
And it rises up,

And it's just this massive
Imposing temple to u-boats,

And it completely
Dominates the area.

Narrator:
From here and four other similar
Sites along the west coast,

The battle for the atlantic
Was waged.

It was the longest continuous
Campaign of the entire war

And a vital part
Of hitler's plans.

Scott: it was basically
A different way of fighting.

Scott: it was basically
A different way of fighting.

It was picking off the enemy,
Hiding in the shadows.

Corum: britain is an island.

It has to import key
Raw materials.

It has to import men.

It has to import oil,
And if the germans can establish

An effective submarine blockade
Against great britain,

They can win the war.

Narrator:
After the fall of france,

The germans newfound access
To the atlantic

Led to the destruction
Of some 3,500 merchant vessels.

Led to the destruction
Of some 3,500 merchant vessels.

In one devastating week,
German u-boats sank

27 royal navy ships.

We're talking millions of tons
Of shipping

That goes down and shipping

And carrying supplies,
Carrying personnel,

Carrying oil and raw materials.

This kind of warfare became
Very successful for the nazis,

And so obviously when you find
Something successful

You invest in it,

And that's exactly
What they did.

Corum: winston churchill said
The one battle

Corum: winston churchill said
The one battle

That kept him awake at nights
Was the battle of the atlantic,

Which lasts from 1939

Until the last day
Of the european war, 1945.

Narrator: allied forces
Were on their knees.

At all costs, the german u-boat
Bases had to be destroyed.

I've seen some of
The aerial photographs

That were taken post mission,

That were taken post mission,

And 500-pound,
1,000-pound bombs,

Direct hits all over these
Massive concrete structures,

And they barely chip
The concrete.

Scott: underneath this modern
Protective shelter,

You can see
A bomb crater.

You can see that there was
Damage caused to the roof,

But what you can also see is
That that damage is contained.

It didn't go through
To the actual building.

It didn't go through
To the actual building.

Narrator: it wasn't just
The roof of this facility

That was designed
To be impregnable.

Every inch of the site
And its surroundings

Was intended
To repel aerial assault.

Gun emplacements sat atop it,

And in the waters in front
Makeshift torpedo barriers

Were established.

Scott: those boats were scuttled
At strategic positions

So if a low-flying bomber
Came in it

Would be those shipwrecks
That would take the impact

Would be those shipwrecks
That would take the impact

And not the u-boat
That's being prepared.

Narrator:
For many pilots, it was no more
Than a suicide mission.

For the allies to turn the tide
Of this war back in their favor,

They needed a new approach,

But for the population
Of lorient

That meant a campaign
Of devastation

Raining down from the skies.

*

Narrator:
On the west coast of france,

The u-boat bases so essential
To the nazi war effort

Were proving hard targets
For allied bombers.

The allies very quickly realized

Exactly how impenetrable
These u-boat pens were,

And they focused their efforts
On the town beyond.

And they focused their efforts
On the town beyond.

Something like 95 percent
Of that town was taken out,

And that meant houses.

That meant water.

That meant supplies.

By destructing the supply lines,

By taking out the railway lines
Bringing the raw materials down,

They hoped that
They would be able

To put an end
To the u-boat activity.

Narrator:
Although the allies failed
To destroy the submarine base,

The desperate tactic
Helped shatter

The progress
Of this fortress complex.

The progress
Of this fortress complex.

Scott:
You can see there looks like
What would be a fourth bunker,

And it was just that.

It was going to be
A fourth bunker,

But during the allied bombing

They just couldn't continue
Its construction.

Narrator: but for the french
Civilians of lorient,

There was a greater toll

As hundreds paid
The price with their lives.

After the nazi surrender,
The base here

Only had a momentary glimpse
Of true abandonment

Before the french navy moved in.

The legacy of the second
World war is huge.

In terms of the buildings,

They were so big
And so well constructed.

What do you do with them?

Narrator:
Today, some of those solid
Concrete structures

Narrator:
Today, some of those solid
Concrete structures

Have been repurposed
Once more,

Hosting everything
From commercial enterprises,

A theater and even a museum

Dedicated to the history
Of this site.

Just north of triumph,
Louisiana on the banks

Of the swirling
Mississippi river,

A structure emerges out of the
Thick foliage beyond the levee.

*

*

Madere: southern louisiana
Is a land

That is just sinking
Into the sea.

Everywhere you look there
Is water, strips of land,

And then here you see
This large structure.

Corum: you know you've come
Across something important

When you see blocks
Of granite, masonry, concrete.

Somebody put a substantial
Structure there.

Somebody put a substantial
Structure there.

Mitchell:
It's in such a swampy place.

There's something that
Looks like a drawbridge.

There must have been a reason

To build something
So imposing here.

Narrator:
Crossing the drawbridge
Inside the surrounding moat,

An extensive complex
Is revealed.

Wawro: it's quite
A sophisticated structure.

I mean, you come in, and you see
These huge vaulted galleries

Extending off into the distance
Built at tremendous cost.

Extending off into the distance
Built at tremendous cost.

Narrator: but this mysterious
Site is not alone.

Across the river, a second set
Of ruins are slowly drowning.

This place is clearly on its way
To being washed out to sea.

It shows a lot of damage
And destruction.

Narrator: these two remnants
Are inextricably linked,

But what force
Left them devastated,

And how did they work together
During a pivotal moment

In american history?

*

*

This striking site
Is fort jackson,

A long-forgotten relic
With a disturbing history.

Once the scene
Of a bitter conflict,

It would shape
The future of america.

James madere is an expert
On this ruin's bloody past

And is fighting
To preserve its remains.

Madere:
Because we're almost 90 miles
Away from new orleans,

Most people don't even
Realize this place is here.

Most people don't even
Realize this place is here.

It's part of our history
And our heritage.

Meigt: one thing that makes this
Fort so impressive

Is that it got built at all
And at such a scale

In this very difficult area

Where transportation
Is difficult.

There's no firm foundation
To build on.

*

*

Narrator: ex-marine mark sauer
Knows better

Than anyone how treacherous
Building in this region can be.

Than anyone how treacherous
Building in this region can be.

From above, the demanding nature
Of the landscape becomes clear.

Ahead of seeing fort jackson,
As you can see with the terrain,

Mostly all swampland
And intermingled canals.

This is an area
That is really cut off

From the rest of the world

And just very difficult
And challenging to get to.

Narrator:
When construction began in 1822,
Engineers found a novel way

Narrator:
When construction began in 1822,
Engineers found a novel way

To overcome the challenge
Of building on a swamp.

They literally laid down logs
Of cypress as a foundation.

It sounds crazy, but that could
Sink down in the muck

And then create a firm,
Stable platform

Upon which to build
This massive brick structure.

Wawro: it's a beautiful thing.

It has its origins
In these bastion forts

That they were building
In renaissance italy

Which were considered
This huge innovation in warfare

Because the fort
Is shaped like a star.

Because the fort
Is shaped like a star.

Narrator:
Based on european castles
Built 4 centuries earlier,

The layout was designed
To inflict maximum damage

On invading forces.

Madere:
The importance of that shape
Is always because a cannon

Has a wider sweep on a point
As well as the opposing force

Would have to basically
Go around more edges

Where you could possibly
Pick them off

With your sharpshooters
Or your bastion cannons

That go from side to side.

That go from side to side.

Wawro: that's what's really
Interesting.

Even though this thing is built
In the 1800s,

It's basically rooted
In the 1400s.

In this period,
This fort was regarded

As being almost invincible.

Narrator:
The effort required to build
Such a structure was enormous.

Whoever was responsible

Must have had something
Very important to protect.

The key to understanding
Its creation

Is the mighty river
It overlooks.

You simply can't underestimate
How important the mississippi

You simply can't underestimate
How important the mississippi

Was to american history
And still is.

It's like a superhighway

Leading into the heartland
Of the country.

If you wanted to move
A lot of goods and men,

You did it by boat
In that part of the country,

Or you didn't do it at all.

Mitchell:
This locale is on the river
Right before it bends

Towards new orleans
Into the united states,

So it's really
A strategic point.

Corum: and defending new orleans
Was a big,

Corum: and defending new orleans
Was a big,

Big issue from the very time

That the united states
Acquired the territory.

*

Narrator: but who ordered
Its construction,

And which enemy would it need
To protect new orleans against?

*

Narrator: in louisiana on
The banks of the mississippi

Are the decaying
Remains of fort jackson.

Its strategic location near
New orleans suggests

It was built
To protect the city,

But who built it,

And whose navy was it
Intended to protect against?

To find out, we need to
Investigate the origins

Of the crumbling relic on
The opposite side of the river.

Of the crumbling relic on
The opposite side of the river.

Sauer: I mean, you can see
The remains represent

A pretty bad state of disarray
Due to the high water,

The currents and the uncertainty
Of the location.

Narrator:
This is fort saint philip,
Built by the spanish in 1792,

A time before the u.S.A.
Was in control of this area.

How then is it connected
To fort jackson,

Built around 4 decades later?

This region of the gulf
Of mexico

This region of the gulf
Of mexico

Was one that was actually

Contested among the great powers
For a long time.

Spain claimed it at first,
And then france controlled it.

The early united states famously
Purchased louisiana from france,

And so it kept trading hands,

But everyone recognized it had
Enormous strategic importance.

Narrator: after the purchase
Of louisiana in the early 1800s,

The fort passed into the hands

The fort passed into the hands

Of the fledgling
American states,

And it was soon put to the test
As they desperately tried

To maintain independence
From the british empire.

The war of 1812 was coming.

Britain attempted to attack
New orleans,

Which was a pivotal port
At that time.

The ground troops attacked,
And some warships

Tried to sail up the mississippi
To join that attack.

They were beaten back
By the gunneries in this fort.

They were beaten back
By the gunneries in this fort.

They weren't able to get past
This particular

Bend in the river.

Without this vital naval
Support,

The commander
Of the american troops,

General andrew jackson, was able
To rout the british army.

If the warships had
Broken through,

The outcome could have been
Very different.

Fort saint philip
Is really instrumental

In the american victory

In the battle of new orleans
In 1815.

This is the moment when britain
Gives up on its dream

This is the moment when britain
Gives up on its dream

Of reconquering
The american colonies

And bringing them back
Into the british empire.

Meigt: from a strategic
Point of view,

What we learned
From the war of 1812

Was it was very important
To defend

The lower mississippi
And defend new orleans,

And having forts
On the lower mississippi

Could make that possible.

Following the close call
With the british,

Jackson was convinced
Another fortification

Jackson was convinced
Another fortification

Was needed to protect
The south's biggest city.

Jackson was a national hero.

He was considered
A military genius

And a brave
Swashbuckling character,

So his word carried
A lot of weight,

But in fact his military advice
Was dead on.

I mean, this was an absolutely
Crucial

Avenue for
The young country to control.

Narrator: after a decade
Of construction, the stronghold,

Named after the man
That demanded it,

Named after the man
That demanded it,

Was ready for action.

Now, fort jackson
And fort saint philip

Could work together
To repel enemy attacks.

Plaquemines bend
In the mississippi river

Is at such an angle
That any sailing ship

At the time pre dates 1860s
Would have been very subject

To bombardment
From the opposing bank,

Which would have been
Fort saint philip at the time.

By having this fort
On the west bank

And having them trapped
Between these two forts,

It was incredibly dangerous
For the sailing ships.

It was incredibly dangerous
For the sailing ships.

Narrator: another ingenious
Piece of engineering

Made these two forts
Even more deadly.

Wawro:
The forts were designed company
Complement each other.

They would run
An underwater chain

Between the forts to block
Any river traffic,

So any ships trying
To push up the river

Would be caught on this chain,
And they'd be hung up,

And then they'd be exposed
To fire

From the casemates of the fort
Facing the river,

From the casemates of the fort
Facing the river,

And they'd be annihilated
In this crossfire.

So it made it, you know,
Exceedingly difficult

For anybody to contemplate
An attack on new orleans

Or an attack up the mississippi
River into the heart of america.

Narrator: yet, it would be
Another 3 decades

Before the combined defenses
For fort jackson

And fort saint philip
Were truly put to the test.

This time, the enemy
Was no foreign invader.

This time, the enemy
Was no foreign invader.

The threat came from
Much closer to home.

*

Narrator:
Near triumph, louisiana,

The remains of fort jackson
And fort saint philip occupy

Opposing banks
Of the mississippi.

One year into the conflict
That would tear america apart,

They were forced into action.

You have to remember
At the start

Of the civil war new orleans

Was one of the world's
Top port cities,

And a massive quantity of goods

And a massive quantity of goods

Were traveling through it
Every day,

So whoever controlled it
Really had their hands

Around the windpipe
Of the economy of the south.

Narrator: by 1862, the two forts
Were under the command

Of the military forces
Of the confederacy.

Union admiral david farragut
Was determined

To break through the blockade.

With 40 ships, he moved upriver.

With 40 ships, he moved upriver.

About a week before the battle,
There was barges,

Wooden schooner holes that were
Stretched between the two forts,

And chain links were linked
To each one of them.

Narrator:
On the morning of april 18th,
Farragut's ships approached.

Their ships are equipped
With the newer heavy guns.

They also bring in
A lot of smaller boats

Equipped with large mortars.

Now, the one vulnerability
That these old-style forts

Had is they were pretty
Vulnerable to mortar fire.

Had is they were pretty
Vulnerable to mortar fire.

That means high trajectory
Coming up and down

And landing explosive shells
In the middle of the fort.

Around 1,000 confederate troops
Holed up inside

Were gripped by fear as
Farragut's fleet unleashed hell.

The bombardment of over 8,100
Projectiles coming at this fort

And fort saint philip
Must have been incredible.

And fort saint philip
Must have been incredible.

We had brave men that were
Fighting hard

That didn't know the outcome
Of what was going to happen

After the thunderous cannons
Had been rocking this place

From those ships
For hours and hours and hours.

Wawro: the confederate garrisons
Of these forts,

They would have been subjected

To just really
Hellish bombardment.

They were taking, you know,
More than 1,000 rounds a day

From these union warships.

Narrator:
Could the confederate troops
Survive this onslaught

And prevent a union run on
Their biggest city, new orleans?

And prevent a union run on
Their biggest city, new orleans?

*

For 5 murderous days, the union
Fleet blitzed the forts

As they attempted
To break through.

Meanwhile, union soldiers cut
The chain linking the hulks

That were forming a barrier
Between the two forts.

This was part of a bigger
Strategy.

Meigt: they had to get past
These two forts,

And farragut did something
Really brilliant.

He decided to lead his ships
Around that bend of the river

He decided to lead his ships
Around that bend of the river

Between the two forts,
Knowing they would be

Taking fire from both sides
In a single file,

But he did it at night
When the clouds of smoke

And darkness would somewhat
Obscure his ships,

And he gambled
They could get through.

Using artillery at night
Is a very iffy proposition

Even for well-trained troops
In those days.

Both sides were blazing away
With every gun they had.

Both sides were blazing away
With every gun they had.

Narrator:
In the confusion, 13 union ships
Broke through the blockade,

And the river to new orleans
Now lay open.

Its impact downriver
Was devastating.

The morale effect of this union
Victory at fort jackson is huge.

I mean, downriver you see
A complete collapse

Of confederate resistance as,

You know,
Confederate ships surrender.

Confederate troops
Along the river surrender,

Confederate troops
Along the river surrender,

And pretty soon this important
Tract of the mississippi

Is entirely controlled
By the union,

Facilitating a push up
The river.

Narrator: with new orleans
Having now fallen,

What would become of
The confederate troops

Still occupying these forts?

Any civil war army has real,
Real problems with disease,

And you put people way out in
The swamps of southern louisiana

On malarial climate
Sitting until they're attacked.

This inside not really something

This inside not really something

That's going to work
For your troop morale.

Meigt: they were fed up.
They were dispirited.

The conditions were terrible.

They actually mutinied.

They refused to fight anymore,
And they walked out,

Which meant that
When the union army

Came to take these forts
They were able to do it

Without firing a shot.

Narrator: so if fort
Saint philip and fort jackson

Managed to survive
The civil war,

What accounts for the damage
Seen today?

What accounts for the damage
Seen today?

So you have hurricane season
That starts 1 june

Through 1 november
Every single year.

It is truly something that you
Are eagerly awaiting and praying

That a storm
Doesn't directly hit you.

Madere:
Since 1960s, there has been
Several hurricanes,

None worse than
Hurricane katrina in 2005,

Devastated this fort.

17 foot of water
Settled in for 6 weeks.

Narrator:
Although damaged, fort jackson
Survived the howling winds.

Narrator:
Although damaged, fort jackson
Survived the howling winds.

On the other side of the river,

Fort saint philip
Fared less well.

What ultimately leads to
The destruction, it's not a war.

It's not an attack.
It's not an assault.

It's nature.

*

Narrator:
Their precarious position
On the mississippi delta

Leaves these forts
At the mercy of the elements,

But while fort saint philip
Is all but gone,

But while fort saint philip
Is all but gone,

Fort jackson may have
A brighter future.

We're trying to get the national
Park service to take this over

Or a local effort
Just to try to save it.

It's part of our history
And our heritage.

The battle here was
One of the bloodiest

In the civil war history,

But not just the battle,
The people that were here.

There's lives and stories
That are untold.