Fort Monroe
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Fort Monroe (1819-Active) - Designed as the first Third System Fort by Brig. Gen. Simon Bernard and officially named for President James Monroe in 1832. Construction on Fort Monroe began in 1819 and was completed in 1834. First known as Fortress Monroe. Active Army installation.
History of Fort Monroe
Part of the Harbor Defense of Chesapeake Bay.
The first fortification built on this site was Fort Algernourne built in 1609 by Captain John Smiths settlers. Other fortifications were built here during the colonial period but did not last. After the war of 1812 it was decided that a system of coastal defenses were needed and Fort Monroe was the first of those to be built.
Fort Monroe was built as a seven front, brick and masonry, fort with 10' thick walls and a surrounding 8' deep wet moat. It was first designed for 380 guns, later expanded to a 412 gun capacity, but was never fully armed. The fort was planned for a peacetime garrison of 600 men and a wartime garrison of 2,625 men.
Fort Monroe was first garrisoned 25 Jul 1823 by Company G, 3rd U.S. Artillery and by 1825 the garrison was the largest in the United States. In 1824 it became the first U.S. Army "Artillery School of Practice".
U.S. Civil War
During the U.S. Civil War Fort Monroe was one of the few forts in the south that remained in Union hands for the duration. It proved to be a major factor in the war by limiting the significance of the naval yard at Norfolk and by serving as a staging point for attacks on Richmond.
Endicott Period
| Battery Click on Battery links below | No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Anderson | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1898-1943 | |
| Battery Ruggles | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1898-1943 | |
| Battery DeRussy | 3 | 12" | Disappearing Carriage | 1904-1944 | |
| Battery Parrott | 2 | 12" | Disappearing Carriage | 1906-1943 | Used for AMTB #23 |
| Battery Humphreys(2) | 1 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1897-1910 | Destroyed |
| Battery Eustis | 2 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1901-1942 | Destroyed |
| Battery Church | 2 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1901-1942 | |
| Battery Bonford | 2 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1897-1940 | Destroyed |
| Battery N.E. Bastion | 1 | 10" | Disappearing Carriage | 1900-1908 | |
| Battery Barber | 1 | 8" | Barbette Carriage | 1898-1915 | Destroyed |
| Battery Parapet | 4 | 8" | Barbette Carriage | 1898-1915 | Mostly buried |
| Battery Water | 1 | 8" | Barbette Carriage | 1897-1898 | |
| Battery Montgomery | 2 | 6" | Pedestal Mount | 1904-1948 | Guns removed 1920s Guns replaced 1941 Destroyed |
| Battery Gatewood | 4 | 4.7" | British Armstrong Carriage | 1898-1914 | Mostly buried |
| Battery Irwin | 4 | 3" | Masked Pedestal Mount | 1903-Cur | |
| Source: Coastal Defense Study Group | |||||
World War I
World War II
| Battery Click on Battery links below | No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery AMTB 23 | 2 | 90 mm | Fixed Pedestal | 1943-1946 | |
| Battery 124 | 2 | 16" | Long Range Barbette Carriage Navy Gun (1940 Program) | Not Built | |
| Source: Coastal Defense Study Group | |||||
Current
Active Army installation.
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Location: Old Point Comfort, Hampton, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 37.004129 Long: -76.307237
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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 815-818
- Lewis, Emanuel Raymond, Seacoast Fortifications of the United States: An Introductory History, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 7th printing, 1993, ISBN 1-55750-502-0, page 41-43
- Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W., Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present, DaCapo Press, 2004, ISBN 0-306-81294-0, page 216-217, 293
- Robinson, Willard B., American Forts: Architectural Form and Function, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1977, ISBN 0-252-00589-9, page 99
- NorthAmericanForts - Fort Monroe
- Coastal Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library
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