Battle of New Orleans.
Showing posts with label Fort Winthrop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fort Winthrop. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Sylvanus Thayer-- Part 1: "The Father of West Point"


From Wikipedia.

June 9, 1785-September 7, 1872

Known as "The Father of West Point" for his work at the military academy in its early years.

Born in Braintree, Massachusetts.  Graduated from Dartmouth College in 1807 and then went to West Point and graduated with the Class of 1808, after just one year.  He superintended the construction of Fort Warren (later renamed Fort Winthrop) in Boston Harbor.

During the War of 1812 he directed the defense of Norfolk, Virginia and was promoted to major.  In 1815, he went to France to study their military and engineering.

--Brock-Perry

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Fort Winthrop, Boston Harbor-- Part 2: Originally Fort Warren

U.S. Secretary of War described the fort in December 1811 as masonry, 12 guns and brick barracks for 40 men.  On the western edge of the island was a circular battery mounting ten guns.

Fort Winthrop was originally named Fort Warren after Revolutionary War hero Dr. Joseph Warren, but that name was transferred to the new  fortification constructed on George's Island.

In 1846, the United States government got the rest of the island then began construction of a Third System Fortification.  It was a three-story citadel, 16 gun battery star fort.

Today it is part of Boston's Logan Airport.

--Brock-Perry

Friday, June 2, 2017

Fort Winthrop, Boston Harbor-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Fort Winthrop was started in 1808 and named Fort Warren originally until 1834 when it was renamed Fort Winthrop for John Winthrop, an early governor and leader of the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony.

It was built on Governors Island which the Winthrop family owned from 1632 to 1808.  In 1808, as relations with England worsened, the U.S. government acquired land in the center of it to build a fort.

Construction on the fort took place between 1808 to 1812.  It was an earthen fort in the form of an eight-pointed star.  Sylvanus Thayer, later a famous West Point (USMA) superintendent, was in charge of the fort's construction.

--Brock-Perry

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Fortifying Governor's Island, Boston-- Part 2: Fort Warren became Fort Winthrop

In the War of 1812, the Sea-Fencibles were stationed at Fort Warren.  Mortars were added to the fort's armament and furnaces built to heat the shot (not a goof thing for a wooden ship).

The last fort to be built on Governors Island was constructed some years before the Civil War, under the direction of General Sylvanus Thayer.

The name Fort Warren was transferred to the modern fort built on George's Island in Boston Harbor and the one on Governors Island became Fort Winthrop, named for a Puritan leader.

By 1861, the new fort had received no armament, but by 1863 mounted 25 large Rodman cannons and 11 other cannons of varying calibers.

Various companies of state militia and volunteers manned the fort during the Civil War.

--Brock-Perry

Friday, May 19, 2017

Governors Island, Boston

From Wikipedia

I came across Joseph Swift being superintending engineer at the Governors Island batteries at Boston Harbor.  I had never heard of a Governors Island in Boston, but knew of the one in New York Harbor.  I found out there was a Governors Island in Boston Harbor, but it essentially is no longer there.

According to Wikipedia, Governors Island was subsumed for the construction and extension of Boston's Logan International Airport.  The island was the site of Fort Warren from 1808 to 1834 when the fort was renamed  Fort Winthrop.

The island is buried in the area north and south of the airport's Runway 14/32.

--Brock-Perry