Fort San Jacinto
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Fort San Jacinto (1898-1947) - An Endicott Period Coastal Fort first established in 1898. Named Fort San Jacinto, 21 Apr 1899, in commemoration of the 63rd anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. Abandoned in 1947.
Fort San Jacinto History
Part of the Harbor Defense of Galveston.
Endicott Period
Construction began on the four Endicott Period gun batteries in 1897 and the fort was first garrisoned on 20 Apr 1898 by Battery G, 1st U.S. Artillery under the command of Capt. Clermont L. Best. The hurricane of 1900 severely damaged the island and the fort and it was not restored until 1906. In 1911 the Fort was re-garrisoned and the four refurbished gun batteries were accepted for service by the Coast Artillery, all on 21 Aug 1911.
| Battery Click on Battery links below | No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Mercer | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1897-1899-1899-1900 1901-1906-1911-1943 | See Note 1 |
| Battery Heileman | 2 | 10" | Disappearing | 1897-1898-1899-1900 1901-1906-1911-1943 | See Note 1 Destroyed |
| Battery Hogan | 2 | 4.7" | Armstrong | 1898-1899-1899-1900 1901-1906-1911-1917 | See Note 1 Part destroyed |
| Battery Croghan | 2 | 3" | Masking Parapet | 1899-1900-1900-1900 1901-1906-1911-1946 | See Note 1 |
| Source: Coastal Defense Study Group Note 1:Damaged in 1900 Hurricane and not re-garrisoned until 1911. Reconstruction began in 1901 all accepted for service 21 Aug 1911. | |||||
World War I
In 1917 the guns from Battery Hogan were dismounted and prepared for shipment overseas. World War I ended before the guns were actually shipped to Europe and they were returned, only to be scrapped in the 1920 disarmament program. All the other batteries remained active during the war.
World War II
| Battery Click on Battery links below | No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery 235 | 2 | 6" | Shielded Long Range Barbette | 1944-1946 | |
| Battery AMTB - Galveston Seawall | 4 | 90mm | Fixed Pedestal | 1943-1946 | |
| Source: Coastal Defense Study Group | |||||
Current Status
Most of the batteries are in a bad state or are inaccessible. No period guns or carriages in place.
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Location: Eastern End of Galveston Island, Texas. Maps & Images Lat: 29.3334284 Long: -94.769429
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Recent Blog Posts:
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 777
- Gaines, William, The Seacoast Defenses of Galveston, Texas, The Coast Defense Journal, Vol 21, Issue 4, Nov 2007, page 4
- Coastal Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library
Links:
Visited: 12 Nov 2009
Fort San Jacinto Picture Gallery
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