Fort Warren (2): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:00, 19 March 2011

Fort Warren (2) (1847-1947) - Constructed between 1833-1861 and dedicated in 1847 as a Third System Fort. Located on Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Named after Dr. Joseph Warren who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Decommissioned in 1947.

Fort Warren Sallyport	Parade Ground and Gun Emplacements of Fort Warren

Third System (1816-1867)

Fort Warren was built from 1833-1861 under the supervision of Col. Sylvanus Thayer and was completed shortly after the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. The fort was built with granite and stone as a pentagon with bastions at each corner. A large ravelin with gun positions covered the ship channels. The walls were two stories tall with large brick vaulted casemates roofs to support the barbette tier. The fort was designed to mount over 200 cannons, including some heavy mortars and flanking howitzers. Most of the armament was emplaced on the barbette tier.

U.S. Civil War (1861-1865)

Fort Warren was never fully armed but throughout the U.S. Civil War it was heavily armed with 10 and 15 inch Rodman cannons, the largest available coastal guns. Union troops first garrisoned the fort in April 1861. During the war the fort was a training camp and a prisoner-of-war camp for some 2,000 plus captured Confederate personnel and sympathizers.

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

It was modified in the late 1890's accommodate the newer rifled ordnance of the Endicott Period. Fort Warren was active through the Spanish American War and World War I.

**Fort Warren (2) Endicott Period Battery** (edit list)
Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost
Battery Stevenson	2	12"	Disappearing	1899-1902-1903-1944	$ 144,495
Battery Bartlett	4	10"	Disappearing.	1892-1899-1899-1942	$ 236,106
Battery Adams	1	10"	Disappearing	1892-1899-1899-1914	$ 92,138
Battery Plunkett	2	4"	Pedestal	1898-1899-1899-1920	$ 9,084
Battery Lowell	3	3"	Masking parapet	1899-1900-1900-1920	$ 12,750
Source: CDSG

World War I (1917-1918)

World War II (1941-1945)

During World War II Fort Warren served as a control center for the south mine field in Boston Harbor. Fort Warren was permanently decommissioned in 1947.

Current Status

The State of Massachusetts obtained possession in 1958 from the U.S. General Services Administration. The fort was opened to the public after initial restoration efforts in 1961. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation maintains and administers the fort.

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Location: Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Maps & Images

Lat: 42.320335 Long: -70.927756

Multi Maps from ACME
Maps from Bing
Maps from Google
Elevation: 50'

Sources:

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 90
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 411-412
U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Boston, Massachusetts, (HDB-AN-45), 31 Jan 1945, CDSG

Links:

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Fort Warren (2) Picture Gallery

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Fort Warren guardhouse (left) and sentry box (on right) at the entrance about 1861

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 == [[Third System]] (1816-1867) ==
-Fort Warren was built from 1833-1861 under the supervision of Col. [[Sylvanus Thayer]] and was completed shortly after the beginning of the [[U.S. Civil War]].
+Fort Warren was built from 1833-1861 under the supervision of Col. [[Sylvanus Thayer]] and was completed shortly after the beginning of the [[U.S. Civil War]]. The fort was built with granite and stone as a pentagon with bastions at each corner. A large ravelin with gun positions covered the ship channels. The walls were two stories tall with large brick vaulted casemates roofs to support the barbette tier. The fort was designed to mount over 200 cannons, including some heavy mortars and flanking howitzers. Most of the armament was emplaced on the barbette tier.
 == [[U.S. Civil War]] (1861-1865) ==
-During the [[U.S. Civil War]] the fort was a training camp and a prisoner-of-war camp for some 5,000 captured Confederate personnel and sympathizers.
+Fort Warren was never fully armed but throughout the [[U.S. Civil War]] it was heavily armed with 10 and 15 inch Rodman cannons, the largest available coastal guns. Union troops first garrisoned the fort in April 1861. During the war the fort was a training camp and a prisoner-of-war camp for some 2,000 plus captured Confederate personnel and sympathizers.
 == [[Endicott Period]] (1890-1910)==
 It was modified in the late 1890's accommodate the newer rifled ordnance of the [[Endicott Period]]. Fort Warren was active through the [[Spanish American War]] and [[World War I]].