My Favorite Forts - Part 2

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This Army testing facility features the Ordnance Museum, a mecca for all fans of tanks, artillery, and small arms, particularly from World War II, but including other eras as well. The largest gun at the museum is a 16" gun on a complete Panama mount. The other exhibits are too numerous to mention here. The Proving Ground is located just off Rte. 95 about 30 miles northeast of Baltimore, Maryland.

Ft. McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

Ft. McHenry is, of course, the fort whose heroic defiance of a massive British bombardment in the War of 1812 inspired "The Star Spangled Banner". The fort and the surrounding area were built up later, and the result is that this fort has the largest collection of mounted 19th-Century cannon at one site. There are 10" and 15" Rodmans, and 8" converted rifles. Plus a collection of older unmounted cannon, and numerous unexploded rounds from the British bombardment.

Washington, DC

The National Capital area has several sites of interest to fort fans. One of them is the Navy Yard Museum, which includes a selection of large 19th-Century naval cannon, mostly captured Confederate weapons, plus several 18th-century French and Spanish bronze pieces. Another is Fort Ward, a partially restored Civil War earthen fort from the Defenses of Washington. There were over 100 forts and batteries built for this system. A complete guide to their current state is "Mr. Lincoln's Forts", by B. F. Cooling, III.

There are also Ft. Foote and Ft. Washington, both in the Ft. Washington section of Prince George's County, south of the Maryland end of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Ft. Foote has two remounted 15" Rodman guns, while Ft. Washington is the only masonry fort in the area. Surrounding Ft. Washington are several Endicott batteries, with more across the river at Ft. Hunt, just north of George Washington's home of Mt. Vernon.

The home of the US Army's Training and Doctrine Command, Ft. Monroe is located just north of Norfolk, Virginia. It's the largest fort in the Americas. Just walking around will take you back in time.

Most all of the gun emplacements are in good condition. The museum is extensive and well laid out, covering the period from the early 19th Century through WWII, and including information on how the guns were reloaded. On the parade ground is the "Lincoln Gun", the very first 15" Rodman gun made.

There are also Endicott emplacements on site, extending about a mile to the north of the main fort. These include a pair of rare 3" guns and a 90mm gun, still mounted, and a large wooden tower at the north end of the post. Edgar Allan Poe was stationed here as a soldier, and gave poetry readings at a nearby hotel as an author. Confederate ex-President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned for 18 months here following the Civil War.

Nearby is the still-active Fort Story, where 16" emplacements now serve as storage facilities. I'm not sure if the fort is accessible to the public. Photos of Forts Monroe and Story are on Phil Payette's page.

Charleston Harbor, SC

There are two masonry forts, one cannon-filled park, and historic sites too numerous to mention in Charleston. The most famous fort is, of course, Ft. Sumter, on a small island in the harbor. It was extensively damaged both by the initial Confederate bombardment and by Union bombardments throughout the Civil War. The damage and the fort's conversion to an Endicott battery have left it much changed since 1861. There are regular boat tours to the fort.

The other famous fort is Ft. Moultrie. This is a must-see for fans of forts or historic cannon. The fort has been restored so that different parts of it represent different eras. Separate from the main fort is a reconstruction of a Revolutionary War battery that drove off an attacking British task force. The main fort is, of course, mostly Civil War, with remounted 15-inch Rodmans and 32-pdr seacoast guns. The World War II harbor command post has been restored (these are very hard to find intact), and a 4.2-inch gun is mounted. Nearby are other Endicott batteries. There is also a collection of unmounted cannon, including heavy Parrott guns and a unique 10-inch columbiad that was banded, rifled, and had trunnions replaced at Confederate General Beauregard's personal expense.

The Battery in downtown Charleston is well worth a look. This is a public park with about 10 guns of various eras in it that was a fort in the Civil War. The first gun fired in the Civil War, a 10-inch columbiad, is here. A nearby house still holds part of a 12.75-inch gun that exploded (the other part is at West Point). And there's an 8-inch gun with a "bayonet lug" (check it out, you'll see what I mean).

If you have a boat, you can visit the site of Ft. Wagner on Morris Island to the south of the harbor mouth, the site of the heroic but futile charge of the 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment recruited in the North. Unfortunately, the fort was made of earth, and the tides have re-shaped the island so that no trace remains. For those equipped for some serious hiking, the site of the "Swamp Angel" gun is usually above water.

Savannah, Georgia

There are three forts of note remaining here: Pulaski, Jackson, and Screven. There are some historic Civil War earthwork sites as well, but little remains of them today. Ft. Screven (near Ft. Pulaski) is "just another" Endicott site, notable mainly in that Gen. Pershing was stationed there as a junior officer, and that one battery is preserved as a museum. Ft. Jackson is a brick fort about 5-10 miles east of Savannah, with re-mounted 32-pdr cannon and some other guns. It served in the Civil War, and the sunken remains of a Confederate ironclad are in the river next to it. Ft. Pulaski is the most famous fort in the area. It's about 15 miles east of the city, on Cockspur Island (yes, there's a bridge). It's a national park and very well preserved. The fort is made of brick, which did not stand up well to the Union Army's bombardment (using the new Parrott rifles), whose scars the fort bears to this day. Ft. Pulaski has a modest but varied cannon collection that is a treat for the enthusiast. Unusual pieces such as a Wiard gun and a converted rifle double-banded with rings are here. Part of the fort has been refitted with bunks in memory of the Confederate prisoners that were held here.

Florida

Three fortified areas in Florida are described here.

St. Augustine: Castillo de San Marcos (aka Ft. Marion) is an old Spanish fort built in the 1600's and used by the US Army when Florida became part of the US, including occupation by the Union during the Civil War. The fort is built in a style similar to Morro Castle in San Juan, and is made of local "coquina" stone. This stone is extremely resilient, and is able to literally absorb cannon balls. About 5 miles south of St. Augustine is Ft. Matanzas, a small Spanish work that saw action against the British.

There are numerous other historic sites in the town, the oldest permanent settlement in what is now the United States.

Tampa Bay: Although not extensive, and active only 1898-1920, the defenses of Tampa Bay are notable for preserving seven Endicott period artillery pieces, including the only 12" mortars outside of the Philippines. There are three locations, Ft. DeSoto on Mullet Key (a state park with a bridge), Fort Dade on Egmont Key (requires a charter boat ride), and the University of Tampa. Ft. DeSoto has four 12" mortars still in place, and two 6" pedestal guns salvaged from a battery at Ft. Dade that is now under water. The mortar battery is well preserved and fully interpreted, possibly the best interpretation of any Endicott fort. On the beach are the remains of a 3" battery reclaimed by the ocean.

A charter boat ride to Egmont Key is well worth the price of about $25. Several boats leave from the vicinity of St. Pete Beach. It is very likely that you'll get free dolphin shows on the way there and back, as the dolphins like to follow a boat's wake and jump in it. The forts are not too overgrown, and there's an interpretive plaque at each battery. They're concentrated at the north end of the island. A 6" pedestal battery is under water. Then there's a triple 3" battery, converted from a twin 8" pedestal battery. One of the guns from this battery was at the University of Tampa, but was replaced following WW2. There's a twin 6" disappearing battery, which is literally disappearing as the ocean has severely undermined it. In a few years it's likely to be completely "reclaimed". Finally there's a twin 8" disappearing battery in reasonably good shape. There's also a mine casemate and some structures whose purpose is obscure, resembling large dead-end culverts.

An 8" railway gun without the rail car is masquerading as one of the 8" pedestal guns from Ft. Dade in a memorial at the University of Tampa. The University is housed in an old "Grand Hotel" that was the headquarters for Teddy Roosevelt's "Rough Riders" and "Fighting Joe" Wheeler's cavalry in the Spanish-American War. The hotel is studded with onion domes, spires, and Moorish arches. It's quite interesting to look at.

Key West: I haven't personally visited these forts, but they are certainly worthwhile if you're going down there. Ft. Taylor is the Third System fort on the island. It's mostly buried now, but its cannons were buried with it and are now being excavated. Fourteen weapons have been recovered so far, and more are being found. There are also a few Endicott batteries. Twenty-five miles off Key West is Fort Jefferson, the third largest fort in the United States and the most isolated. It's well described elsewhere on this site. Several pieces of Civil War heavy artillery are still there.

I hope you've enjoyed this guide as much as I've enjoyed writing it. If you want more detail on any of these forts, or how to get to them, contact the Webmaster.

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