Forts

West Point, New York

The long trough of land which runs 384 miles from New York to Montreal, consisting of the Hudson River Valley, Lakes George and Champlain and the Richelieu River Valley, is without doubt the most vital of American natural highways and its importance has been recognized from the earliest days of American history. The French in the days when the lilies of France waved over half of the American continent sent their war parties down this depression to prey upon the English settlements, and hence came about the building of Ticonderoga at the northern entrance to the long march. The American … Read more

Historic and Quaint Forts of North America

Panorama of Newport Harbor

Historic and Quaint Forts of North America. An account of the most famous fortifications of North America is, in realty, a cross section of the military history of the continent; and whatever ingenuity there may be in this method of presenting the conspicuous deeds of valor of the American people will, it may be hoped, add interest to the following pages.

Forts Trumbull and Griswold

Fort Trumbull, New London

The sunny waters of the Thames at New London, Connecticut, present a smiling aspect, and from the high flagstaff of trig little Fort Trumbull the stars and stripes float gaily. Across the river on the hill above the little town of Groton is the State reservation containing the remains of Fort Griswold, with rough zigzag paths approaching the summit of the hill. Adjacent to Fort Griswold is the stone monument which commemorates the Fort Griswold massacre. Many sunny years will not wipe out the memory of the bloody deeds of that violent hour. Fort Trumbull is situated one mile from … Read more

Fort Ticonderoga

One could desire to be at the bold promontory of Ticonderoga in 1609, when the virgin woodside gazed anxiously at Samuel Champlain, that intrepid French adventurer, as he fired his bellmouthed musket against the mystified Iroquois. The echoes of the discharge of this ancient firearm were seldom allowed to die in these wildernesses until the beginning of the Nineteenth Century, until the complete ascendency of white man over red had been established. Standing upon the ramparts of the old fort one may today easily imagine himself in a virgin forest world. Civilization has set her hand upon Lake Champlain, but … Read more

Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Old Stone Tower at Fort Snelling

Established in 1819, Fort Snelling is located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, near St. Paul, Minnesota. Originally a remote U.S. western outpost, the fort lies in a naturally beautiful area close to the Falls of Minnehaha and Bridal Veil Falls, attracting many visitors annually. It occupies a strategic position at the rivers’ junction, atop a 300-feet high bluff. The site, chosen initially by Lieutenant Z.M. Pike in 1805 following negotiations with the Sioux, didn’t commence construction until 1820 under Colonel Snelling’s oversight, completing in 1822. Initially named Fort St. Anthony, it was renamed Fort Snelling in 1824. Evolving from log huts to modern barracks, the fort served as a military and cultural hub, notably during the Civil War and the 1862 Sioux outbreak, helping shape the surrounding regions, including what later became St. Paul.

Fort San Carlos de Barrancas

Pensacola Bay is a lozenge shaped body of water, the entrance to which from the Gulf is at the southern point of the figure, and the southern side is formed by Santa Rosa Island, which stretches out in a long sandy line here to divide sea and inland water. On the western shore, near the head of the bay, is situated the busy city of Pensacola, one of the most active shipping points on the Gulf and also one of the most ancient. About six miles south of Pensacola, and near the mouth of the bay, is the city’s ancient … Read more

Fort Pulaski

The trip from beautiful Savannah to the battered ruins of the once famous brick fortress, Pulaski, takes one through that gold and green country which one comes to associate with the name of this charming southern city. Fort Pulaski is that great hexagon of brick which one sees from incoming steamers on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the muddy Savannah River, and all the country round about is marshy, reedy land, cut up by big and little streams with no hills to be seen and only scraggy pine trees breaking the flat monotony of the horizon. If one would … Read more

Fort Ontario, Oswego, New York

It was in 1722 that Oswego, New York, was made the site of an armed camp and, at that, it was more through the stubborn determination of Governor Burnet of the colony that the thing should be done than through any willingness of the staid burghers of the State Assembly to cooperate with their executive in schemes leading to future good. As a matter of fact, Governor Burnet is said to have paid the bill for establishing his little fort out of his own pocket, though he may have made this sum up in some other direction authorities do not … Read more

Fort Niagara

The main building of old Fort Niagara, “The Castle,” is probably the oldest piece of masonry in the State of New York, having been constructed by the French in 1726. The stonework of the barracks, a structure 134 by 24 feet with walls only eight feet in height, goes back to 1757, and in this year was, also, built the magazine. The bake-house, replacing a former one on the same site, was put up by the British in 1762 and the two stone blockhouses by them in 1771 and 1773. In the two hundred and eighty-eight and a half acres … Read more

Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay, Alabama

Mobile Bay, that pear shaped body of water, with its far reaching system of water tributaries, has been a scene of settlement and fortification since the early days of French attempts at settlement in the New World. There was, to begin with. Fort Louis de la Mobile, which protected the infant first settlement of Mobile, precursor of the city of today. In various guises Fort Louis passed from one to another of the different races of men with which the history of Mobile Bay is associated. Then there are the forts placed on the islands at the mouth of Mobile … Read more

Fort Mifflin

Visit to Fort Mifflin, Mud Island, on the Delaware River, Pennsylvania, today reveals a star shaped fort of familiar pattern and of most substantial construction. It has the distinction of being within the corporate limits of one of the largest cities on the continent of North America, – Philadelphia, – yet a more deserted or forlorn looking spot it would be hard to imagine. Without benefit of policemen or any of the familiar marks of a great city, it might well serve in a ” movie ” for an ancient stronghold in a desert waste and may have been discovered … Read more

Fort Monroe

Showing Shells leaving motors, Fort Monroe, Virginia

Morning bugle call, the evening gun, grey ships of war stealing in from a misty sea with long plumes of soft black smoke, military uniforms on the streets and trig bright houses are, probably, the average civilian’s impressions of a stay at Old Point Comfort where is located Fort Monroe. “Fort ” or “Fortress,” for the place changes its sex indifferently according to the state of mind of the speaker, it probably satisfies the popular conception of a mighty stronghold of defense more completely than any other such establishment in the United States. And, indeed, it is a great defensive … Read more

Fort Michillimackinac and Fort Holmes

Fort Michillimackinac and Staten Park, Mackinac Island, Michigan

Fort Michillimackinac, with over three centuries of history, began at Saint Ignace due to the efforts of Father Marquette and the Sieur de la Salle, representing the Church and State, respectively. Established among the Ottawas by Marquette, it was fortified by La Salle, who also lost the Griffon, the first Great Lakes sailing vessel. Lauded by local tribes, Michillimackinac’s name means Great Turtle. Despite fortifications by notable figures like La Motte Cadillac, the fort waned with Detroit’s rise and eventually relocated to Mackinaw City. It saw bloody conflict when Indians, aligned with Pontiac, massacred the English garrison in 1763. The site changed hands between British and American control through wars until being garrisoned for the last time in 1895. Now restored and maintained by Michigan’s park commission, the revered fort remains a historical tourist destination.