Fort Cassin

Fort Cassin (1813-1815) - A War of 1812 era American fort established in 1813 near Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont. Named Fort Cassin after Naval Lt. Stephen Cassin commander of the armed schooner Ticonderoga. Abandoned as a fortification in 1815 at the end of the war. Ruins of Fort Cassin History Fort Cassin was established in 1813 during the War of 1812 at the mouth of Otter Creek where it enters the 120 miles long Lake Champlain. The Fort was a hastily built seven-gun earthwork built to defend a temporary Naval Shipyard at Vergennes. The commander of the U.S. flotilla on Lake Champlain, Captain Thomas McDonough, under orders to expand the Lake Champlain fleet, chose Vergennes for his shipyard because of the ready supply of suitable timber and most importantly, existing sawmills powered by the massive Otter Creek falls. Under construction at the shipyard were the 140-foot ship Saratoga mounting 26 guns along with six 75 foot row galleys each with two cannons. Otter Creek extended some distance from the shipyard to its mouth at the lake and could have been easily blocked should the British take any ground along it. On 14 May 1814, the British appeared off the mouth of Otter Creek and fired on the fort. In the ensuing Battle of Fort Cassin, the two sides exchanged cannon fire for some two hours before the British ships gave up the attempt to bottle up the American ships. Abandoned in 1815. Current Status No remains, no marker. Location: Near Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont. Maps & Images Lat: 44.229031 Long: -73.321793 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation:~144' GPS Locations: 44.229031, -73.321793 Approximate Fort Location See Also: Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 798. Links: North American Forts - Fort Cassin Vermont Public Radio - Fort Cassin Fortification ID: VT0010 - Fort Cassin Visited: No