Fort Delaware

Fort Delaware (1847-1944) - A Third System masonry fort. Established on the site of previous fortifications in 1847 and construction continued until 1859. First garrisoned in 1861 at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War by Federal troops, it remained garrisoned until 1870 when the fort was deactivated. The fort was reactivated during the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. Finally deactivated in 1944.

Fort Delaware by Seth Eastman

Fort Delaware and Pea Patch Island

Fort Delaware History

Established to protect the entrance to the Delaware River, part of Harbor Defenses of the Delaware.

The first fortification on the site was an earthwork fort built in 1813 and dismantled in 1821. A second wooden fort was started in 1814 and was partially destroyed by fire in 1831 and was dismantled in 1833. A dispute between the State of Delaware and the State of New Jersey over the Island was settled and in 1847 Congress appropriated one million dollars fort the construction of a Third System masonry fort on Pea Patch Island.

U.S. Civil War

During the U.S. Civil War the fort served as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war. The prison population varied from about 200 in 1861 to about 12,500 in 1863 under terrible conditions. As many as 331 prisoners died of cholera in a single month and by war's end over 2,400 had died on the island.

This fort, like all the other Third System Forts was made obsolete by the adoption of large caliber rifled cannon that could penetrate the brick and masonry walls. The destruction of Fort Pulaski by Union batteries in Apr 1862 signaled the demise of the Third System Forts.

After the war the fort was allowed to deteriorate and many of its buildings and other structures were torn down and sold for scrap.

Endicott Period

In the late 1890s coastal defenses were again updated and Fort Delaware had five Endicott Period gun batteries installed, the largest being Battery Torbert with 3 - 12" disappearing carriage guns.

Fort Delaware Endicott Period Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery Torbert	3	12"	Disappearing	1894-1900-1901-1940	$ 350,000	Guns to Battery Reed, Puerto Rico
Battery Dodd	2	4.72"	Pedestal	1898-1898-1899-1917	$ 19,430	Guns & carriages to San Francisco 1917
Battery Hentig	2	3"	Pedestal	1900-1901-1901-1942	$ 15,759	Guns & carriages to Battery 5, Fort Miles 1942
Battery Alburtis	2	3"	Masking Parapet	1899-1899-1901-1920	$ 3,800
Battery Allen	2	3"	Masking Parapet	1899-1899-1901-1920	$ 4,000
Source: CDSG

Fort Delaware Plan 1921

Current Status

A Delaware State Park

---

{"selectable":false,"width":"500"}

Location: Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. Maps & Images Lat: 39.589518 Long: -75.567355 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 10'

Sources:

• Weaver, John R. II, A Legacy in Brick and Stone: America Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, Redoubt Press, McLean, 2001, First Printing, ISBN 1-57510-069-X, page 124-126
• 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 129-130
• Wikipedia

Links:

• Fort Delaware
• Fort Delaware Society
• Fort Delaware State Park
• Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library

Visited: No

Fort Delaware Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!