Fort Warren (Massachusetts)

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Fort Warren's sally port

Fort Warren is a historic fort on the 28-acre Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The fort is pentagonal, made with stone and granite, and was constructed from 1833-1861, completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War. Fort Warren defended the harbor in Boston, Massachusetts, for over 100 years, and during the Civil War served as a prisoner-of-war camp and a jail for political prisoners. The fort remained active through the Spanish-American War and World War I, and was re-activated during World War II. It was permanently decommissioned in 1947 and is now a National Historic Landmark and a tourism site. It was named for Revolutionary war hero Dr. Joseph Warren who sent Paul Revere on his famous ride. Dr. Warren was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

1 History
2 After the Civil War
3 Decommissioning and opening to the public
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Guardhouse (left) and sentry box (right) about 1861

Fort Warren was built from 1833-1861 and was completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War. During the war, the island fort served as a prisoner-of-war camp for captured Confederate military and civilian officials, as well as Northern political prisoners.

James M. Mason and John Slidell, the Confederate diplomats involved in the Trent affair, were among those held at the fort. Military officers held at Fort Warren include Richard S. Ewell, Isaac R. Trimble, John Gregg, Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson, Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr., and Lloyd Tilghman. High ranking civilians held at Fort Warren include Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens, and Confederate Postmaster General John Henninger Reagan. The prison camp had a reputation for humane treatment of its detainees. When the camp commander's son entered the Union Army, he was given a letter from Confederate officers in the camp urging good care should he be captured. (He was later killed in combat).

[edit] After the Civil War

The fort remained active through the Spanish-American War and World War I. It was re-activated during World War II, when it served as a control center for the harbor mine operations, a precaution in case of anticipated attacks by Kriegsmarine U-boats. It was permanently decommissioned in 1947.

[edit] Decommissioning and opening to the public

Fort Warren was owned by the U.S. federal government until 1958, when the state obtained possession from the General Services Administration. In 1961, the fort was reopened to the public after initial restoration efforts. Today, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation maintains and administers the fort, which is the centerpiece of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. An estimated 100,000 tourists visit the fort each year, which is accessible by ferry to Georges Island.

The island's name is usually spelled as George's Island—with an apostrophe. This is the more common spelling. Either is correct.

The parade ground of Fort Warren. Rodman cannons once were mounted on the granite bases in the foreground.

[edit] References

Howard, Frank Key, "Fourteen Months in American Bastiles," Baltimore: Kelly, Hedian & Piet, 1863.
Schmidt, Jay, Fort Warren: New England's Most Historic Civil War Site, Boston: Unified Business Technologies Press, 2003. ISBN 0-9721489-4-9.