Fort Mifflin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Mifflin |
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| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. in United States | |
An 1870 portrait of Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia by Seth Eastman, commissioned by the U.S. Army
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| Site information | |
| Owner | City of Philadelphia |
| Operator | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Open to the public |
yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1771 - 1776 |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Fort Mifflin |
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Fort Mifflin
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fort Mifflin Road Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Architect | John Montresor Pierre Charles L'Enfant Louis de Tousard |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000554 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | August 29, 1970 |
Fort Mifflin, also known as Mud Island Fort, was built in 1771. It is located on Mud Island in the Delaware River, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This historic fort is close to the Philadelphia International Airport.
During the American Revolutionary War, the British Army attacked and captured the fort in 1777. This was part of their plan to take over Philadelphia. In 1795, the fort was renamed after Thomas Mifflin. He was an officer in the Continental Army and Pennsylvania's first governor after the war.
The U.S. Army started rebuilding the fort in 1794. They continued to use and build on the site into the 1800s. Fort Mifflin held prisoners during the American Civil War. The U.S. Army stopped using Fort Mifflin for active soldiers in 1962.
Today, the older part of the fort belongs to the City of Philadelphia. However, a section of the fort's land is still used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This makes it the oldest fort still in use by the U.S. military. Experts have worked to restore the fort, and it is now a National Historic Landmark.
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History of Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin and the American Revolutionary War
After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Benjamin Franklin led a group to protect Philadelphia. This group quickly restarted building the fort and finished it in 1776. At the same time, they also built Fort Mercer in New Jersey. Fort Mercer was on the other side of the Delaware River, across from Fort Mifflin.
The Americans wanted to use both Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer to control the British Navy on the Delaware River. They also put "chevaux de frise" in the river. These were underwater obstacles made of large wooden frames filled with stones. Each frame had big timbers with iron spikes pointing downstream. These obstacles could damage enemy ships. There were secret gaps for friendly ships to pass through. Soldiers at the forts could shoot at anyone trying to remove these barriers.
After the Americans lost the Battle of Brandywine, the British took control of Philadelphia in September 1777. The British then began a siege of Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer in October 1777. The British Army needed to open a supply route. Captain John Montresor, who had helped design Fort Mifflin earlier, planned and built the siege works. He led the attack and destroyed much of Fort Mifflin.
During the siege, about 400 American soldiers bravely held off over 2,000 British troops and 250 ships. They fought until November 10, 1777, when the British attacked even harder. They fired many cannonballs into the fort. Commodore John Hazelwood and his fleet of ships defended the river. They attacked British positions on shore and bothered British ships near the fort.
On November 15, 1777, the American troops left the fort. Their strong defense stopped the British Navy from using the Delaware River freely. This allowed the Continental Army to move safely for the Battle of White Marsh. Then, they moved to Valley Forge for the winter. Fort Mifflin faced the heaviest attack of the American Revolutionary War. About 250 of the 400 to 450 men at Fort Mifflin were killed or wounded. Their comrades moved them to the mainland before leaving the fort. Fort Mifflin never saw military action again.
Today, only the white stone walls of the original Fort Mifflin remain. The marks on these walls show how intense the British attack was in 1777. Local people call this siege the Battle of Mud Island.
Rebuilding and the War of 1812
Fort Mifflin was left in ruins until 1793. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who also planned Washington, D.C., oversaw its rebuilding in 1794. This work happened under President John Adams. Reconstruction began in 1795 with Louis de Tousard in charge. He worked on coastal defenses from 1795 to 1800.
The army likely built the outer room of "Casemate #11" during this time (1794–1798). They used it as a "proof room" for testing cannon charges. Buildings at Fort Mifflin in the 1790s included barracks for soldiers. These barracks were two stories tall and had seven rooms. Five of these rooms were designed to hold 25 men each. The army officially named the fort after Thomas Mifflin in 1795.
In 1796, the army built the commandant's house in the center of the fort. Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Rochefontaine took over from Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1798. He finished the commandant's house, improving L'Enfant's original plans. The Commandant's House is a good example of Greek Revival architecture.
The army also built six cave-like casemates between 1798 and 1801. These were defensive structures to protect soldiers during an enemy siege. Soldiers used a "bake oven" near the main gate for baking bread. It also served as a chapel and a mess hall. The largest casemate (#1) was designed as a barracks. The three smaller casemates were used for storage. Casemate #5 was meant to be the fort's headquarters during an attack.
The blacksmith shop was built before 1802. It is probably the oldest complete building still standing at Fort Mifflin. In 1814, a two-story officers' quarters was also built.
Before the Civil War
Between 1815 and 1816, the army built a brick building for a guardhouse and prison. Around 1819, a building north of the fort walls was built. Its second floor was a hospital, and the ground floor was a mess hall.
After Fort Delaware was built in 1820, Fort Mifflin became less important. During the 1800s, the land around the fort was drained and filled. This connected Mud Island to the western bank of the Delaware River. Still, building and having soldiers at Fort Mifflin continued. In the early 1820s, the army started observing the weather at the fort.
The soldiers' barracks were greatly updated in 1836, along with the officers' quarters. Later, the soldiers' barracks were renovated again, and a second floor was added. In 1837, the hospital and mess hall became a meetinghouse. An artillery shed was built to store and protect cannons.
By 1839, the one-story brick guardhouse-prison was used as an arsenal. In 1842, a brick storehouse was completed. In the 1840s, a two-story kitchen was added to the officers' quarters.
Fort Mifflin During the American Civil War
During the American Civil War, the Union Army used Fort Mifflin to hold prisoners. These included Confederate soldiers, Union soldiers, and civilians. Many Confederate prisoners were kept in Casemate #1 from 1863 to 1865. The Union Army used three smaller casemates for political prisoners during this time. People wrote messages on the cell doors and walls of "Casemate #11" in the 1860s. They also left a wine token and a penny from 1864.
William H Howe, a Union soldier, was found guilty of murder and imprisoned at Fort Mifflin in January 1864. Howe tried to escape with 200 prisoners from Casemate #5 in February 1864. After this, Howe was held alone in Casemate #11, where he left his signature. He wrote letters to President Abraham Lincoln asking for mercy. In April 1864, Howe was moved to Eastern State Penitentiary. On August 26, he was sent back to Fort Mifflin. He was held in the fort's wooden guardhouse before his execution. Howe's hanging was watched by people who paid for tickets. The three other men executed at Fort Mifflin did not have a public audience.
In 1864, the army suggested adding a new entrance, called a sallyport, on the west side. On November 24, 1864, Lieutenant Colonel Seth Eastman was sent to Fort Mifflin. He was a painter of the American Western frontier. His job was to oversee the release of all civilian and military prisoners, which were over 200. By January 2, 1865, Eastman reported that his group included soldiers from the 186th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment and hospital staff.
After the Civil War
On August 20, 1865, Captain Thomas E. Merritt and his company took over from Lieutenant Colonel Eastman. The West Sallyport was finished by 1866. In 1866, the company left the fort, and the Corps of Engineers took over. The army stopped using the fort as an active post.
Between 1866 and 1876, the Corps of Engineers repaired and updated Fort Mifflin. They also improved its weapons. A new battery south of the fort was built from 1870 to 1875, but it was never finished.
The army built a torpedo casemate in 1874-1875. Its entrance sealed off an unused magazine, "Casemate #11." This preserved many old items inside, like pottery, a tin cup, buttons, and animal bones. The East Magazine (torpedo casemate) first appeared on a map in 1886.
From 1876 to 1884, the Corps of Engineers office in Philadelphia was in charge of Fort Mifflin. The two-story kitchen wings of the officers' quarters were removed before the 1920s. They were put back during a major restoration in the early 1990s. In 1923, the Marine Barracks held the first recorded USMC Birthday dance.
Fort Mifflin During World War II
During the Second World War, the Army placed anti-aircraft guns at Fort Mifflin. These guns protected the nearby Fort Mifflin Naval Ammunition Storage Depot and the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Marine Corps units guarded the Naval Ammunition Storage Depot. The Army assigned troops to the historic fort itself.
By April 24, 1942, Battery "H" of the 76th Coast Artillery Regiment was stationed at the fort. This was the first African American Coast Artillery unit in U.S. history. By summer 1942, the 601st Coast Artillery Regiment was also at Fort Mifflin.
In 1954, the fort was no longer used as a military post. Fort Mifflin closed, but it remains one of the oldest forts continuously used in the country. The interior of the storehouse was renovated in 1960. In the 1980s, Harold Finigan, the fort's director, renovated its exterior.
Decommissioning and Restoration of Fort Mifflin
In 1962, the U.S. government gave Fort Mifflin to the City of Philadelphia. In 1969, architect John Dickey restored the Blacksmith Shop's bellows and forge.
Fort Mifflin is still used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is the oldest active U.S. military base and the only one that existed before the Declaration of Independence.
In the late 1970s, the Commandant's House at the Fort was destroyed by an accidental fire. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Harold Finigan worked with architects John Dickey and John Milner. They restored many parts of the fort. These included the artillery shed, hospital, mess hall, officers' quarters, kitchen wings, arsenal, soldiers' barracks, and the north and west sally ports and seawall. They also built a bridge over the moat at the main gate. During the restoration, they found that the outside of the buildings had been painted yellow during the American Civil War.
In 2006, Wayne Irby found and uncovered the recently named Casemate #11 at Fort Mifflin. In August 2006, Dr. Don Johnson and volunteers uncovered the fort's inner rooms. They found many historical items inside Casemate #11.
Standing Buildings at Fort Mifflin
- Arsenal
- Artillery Shed
- Blacksmith Shop
- Sutler Building/Storehouse
- Soldiers' Barracks
- Officers Quarters
- Commandant's House
- Hospital/Messhall
- West Sallyport
- Casemates
- East Magazine
- Casemate #11
