Battery Meigs (1902-1915) - Battery Meigs was a concrete Endicott Period 12" mortar battery located on Fort Washington (1), Maryland. The Battery was named in G.O. 43, 4 Apr 1900, for Bvt Major General Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General, U.S. Army, 1861-1882. Battery construction started 25 Aug 1898 , was completed in FY 1902 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 27 Oct 1902 at a total cost of $ 117,000. Officially abandoned 13 Jan 1915.
Battery Meigs was a reinforced concrete Endicott Period 12" mortar battery with eight 12" M1890M1 mortars mounted on M1896 mortar carriages. The carriages arrived at Fort Washington (1) in April and May of 1899. The guns and carriages were removed in April 1913 and shipped to Fort Banks (2), Battery Kellogg, in Massachusetts.
A crew of 18 men was required to service each 12" mortar. The shells for the mortars weighed between 700 lb - 1046 lb and the normal powder charge was 65 lb. The maximum range of the mortars was 12 - 15 thousand yards depending on the projectile weight.
Source: Coast Defense Study Group, RCW Form 1 1 Feb 1919, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 140, 209 Note 1: Mortars mounted Aug 1902. Mortars and carriages removed and shipped to Battery Kellogg, Fort Banks (2) in 1913-1914, later ordered scrapped at Fort Banks (2) 15 Dec 1942, CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA, CDSG gun carriage card collection from NARA.
Current Status
On Fort Washington (1) National Park. No period guns or carriages are in place. The mortar pits and the rooms are being used for storage and are not open to the public.
