Battery Lazear

Battery Lazear (1901-1920) - Battery Lazear was a concrete Endicott Period 3" gun battery located on Fort Howard (1), Maryland. Battery Lazear was named on 11 Feb 1902 in honor of Dr Jesse Lazear a military contract surgeon who gave his life to help find a cure for yellow fever. Battery construction started in 1899, was completed in 1900 and transferred to the Coast Artillery for use 8 May 1901 at a total cost of $ 10,445.00. Deactivated in 1920. Endicott Period (1890-1910) Part of the Harbor Defense of Baltimore. Battery Lazear was a reinforced concrete Endicott Period 3" gun battery with two M1898MI guns mounted on M1898 masking parapet mounts. The battery consisted of two 3" gun emplacements 30' apart separated by the main battery structure with a separate magazine for each gun emplacement. The gun mounts were sent to Fort Howard on 14 Mar 1904 from Driggs-Seabury. Battery Lazear Armament (edit list) Empl No Caliber Type Barrel Length Model Serial No Manufacturer Carriage Service Dates Notes 1 3" Rifle 154.5" M1898MI 78 Driggs-Seabury Masking Parapet, M1898, #78, Driggs-Seabury 1904-1920 See Note 1 2 3" Rifle 154.5" M1898MI 67 Driggs-Seabury Masking Parapet, M1898, #67, Driggs-Seabury 1904-1920 See Note 1 Source: CDSG, RCW Form 1 1 May 1920, Berhow, Mark A. ed, American Seacoast Defenses: A Reference Guide, 2nd Edition, CDSG Press, McLean, VA, 2004, ISBN 0-9748167-0-1, pages 70, 208 Note 1: CDSG Gun Card Collection from NARA World War I (1917-1918) The U.S. entry into World War I resulted in a widespread removal of large caliber coastal defense gun tubes for service in Europe. Many of the gun and mortar tubes removed were sent to arsenals for modification and mounting on mobile carriages, both wheeled and railroad. Most of the removed gun tubes never made it to Europe and were either remounted or remained at the arsenals until needed elsewhere. Battery Lazear was unaffected by the World War I redistribution but was caught up in the following 1920 disarmament program that saw all of the M1898 gun batteries deactivated and disarmed. The Battery was deactivated in 1920 and the guns were removed and later shipped on 11 Aug 1920 to Watervliet. The #67 mount was sent to Aberdeen on 7 Jan 1921 and the #78 mount was scrapped on 20 May 1920. A C.R.F. station for the battery was completed 19 Nov 1920 after the battery had been deactivated. The C.R.F. station was a small concrete structure located about 200' off the left flank of Battery Lazear. Current Status On Fort Howard VA Hospital grounds, Maryland. The battery itself has been destroyed and no period guns or carriages are in place. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location:Fort Howard VA Hospital grounds, Maryland. Maps & Images Lat: 39.197087 Long: -76.4460683 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 19.7' Sources: Links: CDSG Visited: 3 Apr 2009 Battery Lazear Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!