USS Fulton-- Part 2: Just One Day of Service

On March 9, 1814, Congress authorized construction of a steam frigate to the design of Robert Fulton, a pioneer in the construction of steam ships.  Construction began in June at the civilian yard of famed shipbuilders Adam and Noah Brown in New York City and launched  October 29.

Delivered to the U.S. Navy in June 1816, but never formally named.  Fulton christened it the Demologos (or Demologus), but after his death, it was named the USS Fulton.

By the time of completion, the War of 1812 was over and she saw only one day of actual service when it carried President James Monroe on a tour of New York Harbor.

Its first commander, Captain David Porter (father of David Dixon Porter of Civil War and Fort Fisher fame and essentially a step father to David Glasgow Farragut) ordered a two-masted lateen rig built on the ship.  In 1821 its armament and machinery were removed and the remainder of its career spent in reserve.

After 1825, she became a floating barracks ship for the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  Its end came on June 4, 1829 in a gunpowder explosion while at anchor.  An officer and 47 men were killed.

--Brock-Perry

Col. James Gibson-- Part 5: The Campaign of 1814 and Defense of Fort Erie

In the Campaign of 1814 on the Niagara Frontier, he was engaged in the defense of Fort Erie, Upper Canada, from August 3 to September 17, 1814.  Actions there he was involved in included the Bombardment August 13-15, Repulse of the enemy's assault August 15, while in command of the 4th Rifles which he had commanded since February 21, 1814.

His death came during the Sortie from Fort Erie upon the British batteries and siege works, September 17, 1814.  He was 33 years old at the time.

The fort in New York Harbor on Ellis Island was named in his honor after his death.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gibson-- Part 9: Second Fort at Site

The second fort was  constructed of stone and brick between 1807 and 1811 and was finished just as war broke out between the United Stares and Britain.

The fort was armed with around thirteen cannons and garrisoned with 182 soldiers.

It was also used by Union soldiers fifty years later during the Civil War.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gibson-- Part 7: Part of Those Triangles of Fire

HMdb.

The man mostly responsible for the defenses of New York Harbor, Colonel Jonathan Williams, was so sure his defense was near impregnable that he had this to say:

"It would be difficult to go into either the North or East River. without passing within point blank  shot ... of some of them ... it is not a very bold assertion to say that no ship that sails on the Ocean would engage on such terms."

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gibson, NY-- Part 6: Two Triangles of Fire

From HMdb.

Fort Gibson, on Ellis Island in New York Harbor, was part  of two defensive triangles which made it virtually impossible for enemy ships (especially British) to approach New York City.

Any ship approaching would first have to pass through the crossfire between Fort Wood on today's Liberty Island, Fort Gibson on the west and from Castle Williams on Governors Island to the east.

In the unlikely event a ship or ships would get through that triangle it would face an even bigger challenge, passing through the second triangle formed by Ellis Island, Governors Island and the Battery of Lower Manhattan.

Within this second triangle, the farthest a ship could be at any time from the guns of one of these harbor defenses would be 1,000 yards.

No enemy ever attempted to penetrate this extraordinary  defense system.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gibson, NY-- Part 4: Worsening Tensions Between the U.S. and Britain

HMdb.

Fort Gibson:  Oyster Banks to Batteries

The earliest fort at this site was built in 1794.  Britain's navy had begun seizing American merchant vessels and forcing sailors to serve on their warships.  (Impressment)  Congress decided that America's most important harbors should be defended in case of war.

Charles Vincent, a French engineer, was hired to construct defenses in New York Harbor.  He chose tiny Oyster Island (as Ellis Island was then called), known only for its ouster banks and shad fishing as the location of an eight-gun battery.

Tensions between Britain and the United States continued to worsen and in 1807, a British frigate attacked the frigate USS Chesapeake.  This led President Jefferson to further improve the nation's defenses and many of the earlier forts were rebuilt.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gibson-- Part 3: One of 40 U.S. Forts Built 1794-1812

From the HMdb.

Fort Gibson was one of 40 forts constructed between 1794 and 1812 in the United States.  All were built  during threats of war resulting from attacks in American shipping by Great Britain and France.

Many of the forts in the New York area were constructed in this period, including Castle Williams on Governors Island, Castle Clinton in lower Manhattan, and the star-shaped Fort Wood, which now forms the base of the Statue of Liberty.

Together these forts and batteries of the lower and upper harbor deterred attacks on one of the new nation's largest cities and most important ports.  Most of these historic fortifications still exist; some, such as Fort Wadsworth and Staten Island, are preserved by the National Park Service.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gibson, N.Y. Harbor-- Part 2: Magazine to Immigration to Coast Guard

In 1861, Fort Gibson was dismantled and a naval magazine put in its place.  It was used as an ammunition depot during the Civil War.

In 1890, the Ellis Island and remains of Fort Gibson were selected for a new immigration station.  The munitions station was removed and the Immigration Station built.

A temporary Coast Guard training station was established there in 1939 and operated through 1946 in the Immigration Station part of the structure.  This was during World War II.

--Brock-Perry

New York City's Fort Wood-- Part 1: Now At the Base of the Statue of Liberty

Today I wrote about the removal of the torch of the Statue of Liberty to a museum on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.  The base of the statue is the old Fort Wood which gives the base the pedestal sits on the many pointed star shape.

This is a fort dating to the War of 1812.

You can read about the torches removal in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  Just click on that site on the My Blogs area to the right of this.

--Brock-Perry

Thomas Chambers-- Part 3: Marine Paintings

One of his paintings was "New York Harbor With Pilot Boat 'George Washington"  circa mid-nineteenth century.

Chambers was somewhat obscure in his lifetime, but became famous in the 20th century with the discovery of a rare signed painting of the battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere, ca. 1845.

His War of 1812 naval paintings are described as "singularly flamboyant" and he had an "expressive style and bold decoration sensibility."

--Brock-Perry

Samuel Babcock, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-- Part 1

From Cullum's Register.

Samuel Babcock was the 36th graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point and attended from April 28, 1806 to February 23, 1808.  He was promoted then to second lieutenant and served as Assistant Engineer in the fortifications in New York Harbor from 1808-1814.

He was made Assistant Engineer of Military Department No. 5, consisting of Virginia and Maryland.

Promotion to first lieutenant Corps of Engineers came July 1, 1812.

--Brock-Perry

West Point Class of 1806: Prentiss Willard

From Cullom's Register.

Cadet USMA Nov. 23, 1803 to Oct. 30, 1806, when graduated and entered U.S. Army as 2nd Lt. in Corps of Engineers Oct. 30, 1806.

Served at West Point 1806-1807 as Assistant Engineer in construction of works on New England coast.  In 1808 as superintendent.

1st Lt. Corps of Engineers Feb. 28, 1808.

Engineer of fortifications at Beaufort, S.C. 1809-1810 as assistant engineer in construction of defenses of New York harbor, 1811.

Captain Corps of Engineers July 6, 1812.

Engineer defenses of Beaufort, S.C.

Died Oct. 12, 1813, at Beaufort at age 23.

--Brock-Perry

Castle Williams in New York City

From Wikipedia.

While on New York City's defenses during the War of 1812, I am going to write about other fortifications designed to protect the city from seaward attack.

Castle Williams was a red sandstone circular fortification on Governors Island, opposite Castle Clinton.  Together with Fort Jay (formerly Fort Columbus), they make up Governors Island National Monument.

It was built from 1807 to 1811 under the direction of Lt.Col. Jonathan Williams (for whom it is named) and part of a defensive system including Castle Clinton on Manhattan Island, Fort Wood on Liberty Island and Fort Gibson on Ellis Island.

The fort stood 40 feet high and had a 210-foot diameter with 7-8-foot-thick walls.  There were four levels, each containing 14 casemates capable of mounting 28 cannons.

It saw no action during the War of 1812.  During the Civil War, it was used to house new recruits, garrisoned for defense and later was a prison for Confederate enlisted men.

--Brock-Perry

Launched of the Steam Frigate USS Fulton (Demologos)

OCTOBER 16, 1814,  Launch of the frigate USS Fulton the First, in New York.  Originally named Demologos, but renamed the Fulton after Robert Fulton's death on February 24, 1815.

Robert Fulton was commissioned to apply his engineering skills and expertise to the defense of that place an New Yorkers believed their harbor was inadequately protected.  He designed a 150-foot long steam frigate/floating fort and Congress authorized its construction in March 1814 at a cost of $320,000.

--Brock-Perry

Col. Eleazor Wood Killed Sept. 17, 1814, at Fort Erie-- Part 2

Eleazor Wood was appointed adjutant-general to Gen. William Henry Harrison in October 1813 and transferred to the northern army in 1814 where he participated in all its battles including the capture of Fort Erie on July 3rd and the battles of Chippawa and Niagara Falls.  After the last battle, the Americans fell back to Fort Erie where Col. Wood, then commanding the 21st U.S. Infantry Regiment took an active part in the fort's defense on August 15th and its subsequent siege.

He was killed in the September 17th sortie.

Wood was greatly admired by his commander, Gen. Jacob Brown, who commissioned a monument to be built in his honor at West Point and also had the fortification on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor named after him.  This is the fort at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

Wood County, Ohio, named for him as well.

--Brock-Perry

USS United States vs. HMS Macedonian-- Part 2

October 25, 1812, the two ships cleared decks for action and commenced battle maneuvers at 0900.  The Macedonian pulled parallel to the United States and Decatur intended to stay at a distance to allow his longer-range and heavier guns to blast the British ship..  At 0920, the United States fired an inaccurate broadside and the Macedonian returned the favor and brought down a small spar.

Decatur's next broadside destroyed the British ship's mizzen topmast and with it, much of the steering.  The United States took position on the Macedonian's quarter and riddled her.  By noon, the Macedonian was a dismasted hulk and forced to surrender with 104 casualties compared with 12 on the American ship, which, for the most part was undamaged.

The two ships lay alongside each other for two weeks as repairs were made and in December they entered New York Harbor.

The Macedonian was purchased by the US Navy, repaired and placed in service.

On June 1, 1813, the Macedonian, United States and sloop Hornet were driven into New London, Ct., by a powerful fleet and remained there until the end of the war.

Big Naval Victory.  --Brock-Perry