Fort Winfield Scott (2)
Fort Winfield Scott (2) (1853-1914) - A Third System brick Fort established under the supervision of 1st Lt. William H.C. Whiting, U.S. Corps of Engineers, and under construction 1853 to 1861. Originally named Fort Point and renamed Fort Winfield Scott after Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott 25 Nov 1882. Declared obsolete in 1905 and abandoned for military purposes in 1914. Also known as Fort Blanco, Castillo de San Joaquin and Old Fort Scott.
Fort Winfield Scott (2) History
Part of the Harbor Defense of San Francisco.
Fort Point was built to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay.
U.S. Civil War
The fort was designed to mount 126 massive cannon. Rushed to completion at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, Fort Point was first garrisoned in February of 1861 by Company I, 3rd U.S. Artillery. The fort was occupied throughout the U.S. Civil War, but the advent of faster, more powerful rifled cannon made brick forts such as Fort Point obsolete. In 1886 the troops were withdrawn.
Endicott Period
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Dynamite (3) | 3 | 15" | Barbette | 1894-1900-1900-1904 | $ 127,137 | |
| Battery Lancaster | 2 1 |
12" | Disappearing | 1898-1900-1900-1918 1896-1898-1899-1918 |
$ 107,409 | Part buried for bridge |
| Battery Godfrey | 3 | 12" | Barbette | 1892-1896-1896-1942 | $ 299,862 | |
| Battery Saffold | 2 | 12" | Barbette | 1897-1897-1898-1942 | $ 107,409 | |
| Battery Howe (1) | 16 | 12" | Mortar | 1893-1895-1900-1920 | $ 144,247 | 1 mortar pit remains Pits C & D redesignated Battery Wagner (1) 1906 |
| Battery Wagner (1) | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1893-1895-1900-1920 | Included in above |
Formed from pits C & D of Battery Howe (1) 1906 |
| Battery Stotsenburg | 16 | 12" | Mortar | 1897-1898-1900-1942 | $ 130,188 | Pits C & D redesignated Battery McKinnon 1906 |
| Battery McKinnon | 8 | 12" | Mortar | 1897-1898-1900-1942 | Included in above |
Formed from pits C & D of Battery Stotsenburg 1906 4 mortars to Battery Howe (2) 1918 |
| Battery Cranston | 2 | 10" | Disappearing | 1897-1898-1898-1942 | $ 55,432 | Buildings built into it |
| Battery Miller | 3 | 10" | Disappearing | 1891-1898-1898-1918 | Included in Battery Godfrey |
Established from Battery Cranston 1907 |
| Battery East | 2 | 8" | Barbette | 1897-1915 | $ ? | Converted Rodman |
| Battery Slaughter | 3 | 8" | Disappearing | 1899-1900-1900-1917 | $ 71,063 | Part buried |
| Battery Crosby | 2 | 6" | Disappearing | 1899-1900-1900-1943 | $ 59,039 | |
| Battery Chamberlin | 4 2 |
6" 6" |
Disappearing Pedestal |
1903-1904-1904-1917 1920-1949 |
$ 100,803 | 1 restored |
| Battery Boutelle | 3 | 5" | Balanced Pillar | 1898-1901-1901-1917 | $ 27,030 | |
| Battery Sherwood | 2 | 5" | Pedestal | 1900-1900-1900-1918 | $ 20,355 | Guns & carriages to Battery Bruff 1918 |
| Battery Blaney | 4 | 3" | Masking Parapet | 1901-1903-1907-1920 | $ 20,355 | Part buried |
| Battery Baldwin | 2 | 3" | Masking Parapet | 1901-1903-1903-1920 | $ 11,120 | |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
World War I
Post World War I
Between 1933 and 1937 the fort was used as a base of operations for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
World War II
During World War II, Winfield Scott was occupied by about 100 soldiers who manned searchlights and rapid-fire cannon mounted atop the fort as part of the protection of a submarine net strung across the entrance to the Bay.
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Fort Point | 4 | 3" | Pedestal | 1942-1942-1943-1946 | 2 Guns from Battery Yates, Fort Baker (1) 2 Guns from Battery Kirby Beach, Fort Baker (1) |
| Battery AMTB - Baker Beach | 2 | 90mm | Pedestal | 1943-1943-1943-1946 | |
| Source: CDSG | |||||
Fort Point is the only third system brick fort on the west coast of the United States.
Current Status
Part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area (GGNRA) administered by the National Park Service. A National Historic Site since 16 Oct 1970.
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Location: Under the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Maps & Images Lat: 37.8108 Long: -122.4769 |
Sources:
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 31
- Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 34
- 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 98
- Military Museum - Fort Winfield Scott
Links:
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