Fort A was one of a series of Civil War earthwork fortifications built by Union forces on the bluffs above Cape Girardeau to defend the town and the strategic Mississippi River crossing point. The site commands an excellent view of downtown Cape Girardeau and the river below, which is reason enough to visit even if Civil War history is not your primary interest.
The earthworks have been partially preserved and are accessible as a public site. Interpretive signage explains the military significance of Cape Girardeau during the Civil War — the town changed hands and saw significant fighting during the 1861–65 period. The overlook is particularly good at sunset, when the river takes on a copper tone that explains why so many 19th-century landscape painters chose Mississippi river towns as subjects.