Castle Williams
Castle Williams (1807-1966) - A Second System fort constructed between 1807-1811 to guard the channel between Governors Island and Manhattan Island along with Castle Clinton. Named Castle Williams in December 1810 after Ltc. Jonathan Williams, Engineer Corps., first superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and designer of Castle Williams. Abandoned by the U.S. Army in 1966.
Castle Williams History
Constructed as a three tier round masonry fort between 1807-1811. Designated as a Castle because of the shape and the materials, The walls were constructed from red Newark sandstone with a granite parapet. This fort served as a prototype for casemated masonry forts of the Second System.
The first two tiers of Castle Williams contained 26 embrasures each, the third tier was meant to house troops but also contained 26 embrasures. Addition gun emplacements were placed along the top of the fort "en Barbette". The fort was originally designed to mount a total of 80 guns and was later modified to mount 102 guns. The embrasures were designed so that an incoming cannon ball could not pass between the gun and the embrasure, thus protecting the gun crew.
The sallyport entrance to the fort is crowned by an arch and keystone inscribed with the name and the construction start date (1807) and the completion date (1811).
The strength of Castle Williams, Castle Clinton and Fort Jay provided sufficient protection to New York City during the War of 1812 that the British did not attack.
U.S. Civil War
Castle Williams housed confederate prisoners of war and political prisoners during the U.S. Civil War. The fort was originally prepared to house 150 prisoners but by the end of the war as many as 1000 were confined there.
Following the U.S. Civil War the fort continued to be used a prison and as a processing point for Army recruits. The guns remained mounted on the first two tiers for a number of years. Castle Williams continued to be used as a prison up until the U.S. Army left the island in 1966.
Current Status
Part of Governors Island National Monument.
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Location: Northwest corner of Governors Island, New York County, New York. Maps & Images Lat: 40.6928006 Long: -74.0194523 |
Sources:
- 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 555-556
Links:
Visited: 20 Aug 2010
Castle Williams Picture Gallery
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