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 History

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 fort the construction of a Third System masonry fort on Pea Patch Island.

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 in a single month of cholera.

Current Status

A Delaware State Park

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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

Links:

• Fort Delaware
• Fort Delaware Society
• Fort Delaware State Park

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Fort Delaware Picture Gallery

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