Fort Delaware: Difference between revisions
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==[[U.S. Civil War]]== | ==[[U.S. Civil War]]== | ||
[[Image:Fort Delaware CW Cannnon - 2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Fort Delaware Civil War Era Cannon in Casemate]] | |||
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 2,900 Confederate prisoners had died on the island. New research by Fort Delaware Society archivist Jocelyn P. Jamison compiled the names of 2,925 Confederate prisoners of war using the fort’s record books from NARA. In addition, there were 109 Union guards [26 others are still unknown], and 39 civilian detainees who died at the Fort. For more detail see [http://www.fortdelaware.org/Finns%20Point%20National%20Cemetery.htm Finns Point National Cemetery] and [http://www.fortdelaware.org/Publications%20&%20Merchandise.htm They Died at Fort Delaware 1861-1865]. | 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 2,900 Confederate prisoners had died on the island. New research by Fort Delaware Society archivist Jocelyn P. Jamison compiled the names of 2,925 Confederate prisoners of war using the fort’s record books from NARA. In addition, there were 109 Union guards [26 others are still unknown], and 39 civilian detainees who died at the Fort. For more detail see [http://www.fortdelaware.org/Finns%20Point%20National%20Cemetery.htm Finns Point National Cemetery] and [http://www.fortdelaware.org/Publications%20&%20Merchandise.htm They Died at Fort Delaware 1861-1865]. | ||
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After the war the fort was allowed to deteriorate and many of its buildings and other structures were torn down and sold for scrap. | After the war the fort was allowed to deteriorate and many of its buildings and other structures were torn down and sold for scrap. | ||
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==[[ | ==[[Endicott Period]]== | ||
In the late 1890s coastal defenses were again updated and Fort Delaware had five [[Endicott Period]] gun batteries built, the largest being [[Battery Torbert]] with 3 - 12" disappearing carriage guns. | In the late 1890s coastal defenses were again updated and Fort Delaware had five [[Endicott Period]] gun batteries built, the largest being [[Battery Torbert]] with 3 - 12" disappearing carriage guns. | ||
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Revision as of 09:42, 2 November 2010
Fort Delaware (1847-1944) - A Third System coastal 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.
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Fort Delaware History
Part of the Harbor Defense of the Delaware. Established to protect the entrance to the Delaware River.
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 for 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 2,900 Confederate prisoners had died on the island. New research by Fort Delaware Society archivist Jocelyn P. Jamison compiled the names of 2,925 Confederate prisoners of war using the fort’s record books from NARA. In addition, there were 109 Union guards [26 others are still unknown], and 39 civilian detainees who died at the Fort. For more detail see Finns Point National Cemetery and They Died at Fort Delaware 1861-1865.
Despite the large number of deaths, the prison at Fort Delaware had one of the lowest death percentages (10%) of any U.S. Civil War prison.
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 built, the largest being Battery Torbert with 3 - 12" disappearing carriage guns.
| 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 | ||||||
Current Status
A Delaware State Park.
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Location: Pea Patch Island, New Castle County, in the Delaware River. Maps & Images Lat: 39.589518 Long: -75.567355 |
Recent Blog Posts:
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
Links:
- North American Forts - Fort Delaware
- Wikipedia - Fort Delaware
- Visit the Fort - Fort Delaware
- Fort Delaware Society
- Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library
Visited: 6 Aug 2010
Fort Delaware Picture Gallery
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Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better! |