I got this one off website. I think it did a good job of explaining… And I quote: “hold the fort/holding the fort – take responsibility for managing a situation while under threat or in crisis, especially on a temporary or deputy basis, or while waiting for usual/additional help to arrive or return – ‘hold the fort’ or ‘holding the fort’ is a metaphor based on the idea of soldiers defending (holding) a castle or fort against attack by enemy forces. Fort and fortress are old English words that have been in use since the 1300’s in their present form, deriving from French and ultimately Latin (fortis means strong, which gives us several other modern related words, fortitude and forté for example). The first recorded use of ‘hold the fort’ is particularly noteworthy and although earlier use might have existed, there seems little doubt that this story was responsible for establishing the expression so firmly and widely. The expression seems first to to have come to prominence in American Civil War newspapers and other reports (notably that of Daniel Webster Whittle, US Civil War army major, evangelist and writer) of semaphore (flag) messages exchanged on 5 October 1864 between General Sherman and John Corse, a commander of 4th Division, Fifteenth Corps, who defended a crucial position (because it contained a million and a half rations) with 1,500-2,000 men (reports vary) at the Battle of Altoona Pass, near Atlanta GA, when attacked and outnumbered by 3,000-6,000 men and heavy artillery of the Confederate army under the command of general Samuel French. Corse’s men suffered casualties of between a third and a half, but against all odds, held their position, inflicting huge losses on the enemy, forcing them to withdraw. After the battle, newspapers reported that Sherman had sent a semaphore message from a distant hilltop to Corse, saying ‘Hold the fort; I am coming. WT Sherman.’ According to these reports, the message had a stirring effect on Corse’s men, although Corse it seems maintained that he had successfully held the position without Sherman’s assistance, and ironically Sherman seems later to have denied sending such a message at all. Whatever, the story of the battle and Sherman’s message and its motivating effect on Corse’s men established the episode and the expression in American folklore.”

Hold Down The Fort

Alamo. yeah I’ll say that.