Fort Warren (Massachusetts) facts for kids
|
Fort Warren
|
|
Fort Warren's sally port
|
|
 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| Built | 1834–1860 |
| Architect | Thayer, Lt. Col. Sylvanus; Army Corps of Engineers |
| Architectural style | Third System fort |
| Part of | American Civil War prison camps (1861–1865) Harbor Defenses of Boston (1899–1947) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000540 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | August 29, 1970 |
| Designated NHLD | August 29, 1970 |
Fort Warren is a historic fort located on Georges Island. This island is at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The fort is named after Dr. Joseph Warren, a hero from the American Revolution. He was the one who sent Paul Revere on his famous ride. Dr. Warren was later killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Fort Warren is shaped like a pentagon. It is a bastion fort, meaning it has pointy parts sticking out for defense. It was built using stone and granite between 1833 and 1861. The fort was finished just after the American Civil War began.
Fort Warren protected Boston Harbor from 1861 until the end of World War II. During the Civil War, it was used as a prison. Many Confederate officers and government officials were held there. This included Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens. The fort was also active during the Spanish–American War and World War I. It was used again during World War II.
Fort Warren was officially closed in 1947. Today, it is a popular place for tourists to visit. In 1970, it was named a National Historic Landmark. This was because it was a great example of coastal engineering from before the Civil War. It was also recognized for its important role in the Civil War.
Contents
Building Fort Warren
Construction on Fort Warren started in 1833 and finished in 1861. It was part of the "third system" of US forts. These forts were built to defend the coast.
The main engineer for the fort's construction was Colonel Sylvanus Thayer. He is famous for being the leader of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Fort Warren was the fifth largest of the 42 forts in this system. Its pentagon shape was a bit uneven to fit the island's land perfectly. The fort shows amazing work with granite stone. It also has a special "demilune" (half-moon) battery. This protected the north entrance, which is called a sally port. This feature is rare in US forts.
Fort Warren was first designed to hold over 200 guns. During the Civil War, it was armed with large 15-inch and 10-inch Rodman smoothbore guns.
Fort Warren as a Civil War Prison
During the Civil War, this island fort became a prison. It held captured soldiers and sailors from the Confederate States of America. It also held government officials from Maryland and some Northern political prisoners. Colonel Justin Dimick was in charge of the fort from 1861 to 1864. He was known for treating the Confederate prisoners kindly.
More than 1,000 Confederate prisoners were held at Fort Warren. Only 13 of them died there. This was a much lower death rate than any other prison camp during the Civil War.
Famous Confederate people held at the fort included diplomats James M. Mason and John Slidell. They were captured during the Trent affair. Other important prisoners were Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens and Postmaster General John Henninger Reagan. The prison was known for its humane treatment. When Colonel Dimick's son, Lieutenant Justin E. Dimick, left for active duty, Confederate officers at the fort wrote him a letter. They asked that he be treated well if he was captured. Sadly, he was later badly wounded in battle and died in 1863.
The famous Union marching song John Brown's Body was written at Fort Warren. It used an old Methodist camp song tune. It was first sung at a flag-raising ceremony there on May 12, 1861. Soldiers from the "Webster Regiment" (12th Massachusetts Infantry) took the song to the main Union army. Later, Julia Ward Howe heard this song. She was encouraged to write new words for it. This became The Battle Hymn of the Republic. It is one of the most famous songs from the Civil War.
Upgrades After the Civil War
In the 1870s, Fort Warren was improved. New gun batteries were added. These were armed with Rodman guns. A special part of the fort, the southeast bastion, was covered with a roof. This created a unique place for a 15-inch Rodman gun. The huge brick arches built to cover this area are very impressive.
From 1892 to 1903, Fort Warren was rebuilt again. This was to hold more modern guns that loaded from the back. This project was part of the Endicott program. Five new gun batteries were added to the fort. They replaced some of the older gun positions.
| Name | Number of Guns | Gun Type | Carriage Type | Years Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 1 | 10-inch gun M1888 | disappearing | 1899–1914 |
| Bartlett | 4 | 10-inch gun M1888 | disappearing | 1899–1942 |
| Lowell | 3 | 3-inch gun M1898 | masking parapet | 1900–1920 |
| Plunkett | 2 | 4-inch gun M1896 | pedestal | 1899–1920 |
| Stevenson | 2 | 12-inch gun M1895 | disappearing | 1903–1944 |
The two 12-inch and five 10-inch guns were the fort's main defense. They were meant to stop enemy battleships. To protect against smaller ships, especially those trying to clear nearby mine fields, two 4-inch and three 3-inch guns were also included. Battery Adams was made with poor concrete. It was taken apart and left unused in 1914 because it was falling apart.
Fort Warren in the World Wars
Fort Warren was the main base for the Coast Defenses of Boston during World War I. In 1917–1918, the four 10-inch guns from Battery Bartlett were removed. They were planned to be used as railway artillery on the Western Front in France. However, it seems none of these specific guns were actually used in battle. Different 10-inch guns replaced them in 1919.
In 1920, after World War I ended, several types of guns were removed from coastal defense service. This included the 4-inch guns of Battery Plunkett and the 3-inch guns of Battery Lowell. They were not replaced. The 4-inch guns at Fort Warren stayed there as display pieces until at least 1941.
During World War II, the fort became a control center. It managed the south mine field in Boston Harbor. This was a safety step in case German Kriegsmarine U-boats attacked. At that time, the 241st Coast Artillery Regiment was stationed at Fort Warren. This was a Massachusetts National Guard unit. As new, larger 16-inch gun batteries were built elsewhere, Fort Warren's remaining guns were taken apart for scrap metal between 1942 and 1944. Fort Warren was officially closed for good after 1950.
Visiting Fort Warren Today
The U.S. federal government owned Fort Warren until 1958. Then, the state of Massachusetts took ownership. In 1961, the fort was opened to the public after some initial repairs.
Today, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation takes care of the fort. It is a main part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. You can reach the fort by ferry from downtown Boston, Hingham, or Hull. The ferry takes you to Georges Island. From there, you can transfer to visit other Harbor Islands.
The fort is usually open from early May until Columbus Day weekend. Park Rangers offer guided tours, or you can explore on your own. An information booth is located just outside the main entrance to the fort. It shares details about activities. The island has a snack bar, water fountains, and many restrooms. There is also a museum in the old mine storehouse. You can find picnic tables and a playground for kids.
You can walk on top of several walls and explore the rooms and storage areas beneath them. Near the ferry dock, you can see two Civil War 3-inch rifled guns. These were changed to load from the back. You can also see 10-inch Rodman guns, old projectiles, and two World War II 40 mm Bofors guns. The museum has a model of a disappearing gun and a Nike-Ajax missile.
Confederate Memorial
A headstone was once located on the island. It honored 13 Southern soldiers who died as prisoners at the fort during the Civil War. This was the only Confederate memorial in Massachusetts. The Boston Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy placed the headstone in 1963. In June 2017, Governor Charlie Baker asked for the memorial to be removed. The state then covered and removed the monument in October 2017. It is now stored at the Massachusetts Archives.
Images for kids
-
Map of Georges Island and Fort Warren
-
3-inch Ordnance rifles converted to breechloading saluting guns
-
Inside the casemated, roofed-over southeast bastion
-
Two-gun casemate, southeast bastion
-
One of the large arches that encloses the southeast bastion
-
A line of arches connecting casemates
-
Memorial to 13 Confederates who died as prisoners at Fort Warren
-
Memorial to Edward Rowe Snow, who fought to preserve Fort Warren
-
Demilune (half-moon) battery defending the sally port
-
A flank defense
-
Battery Jack Adams, one 10-inch M1888 disappearing gun. Completed 1899, abandoned 1914 due to low-quality concrete.
-
A 1945 map of the mine fields protecting Boston Harbor during World War II, showing mine groups controlled from Fort Warren on Georges Island
