Fort Delaware
Encyclopedia
Fort Delaware is a harbor defense facility, designed by Chief Engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten
, and located on Pea Patch Island
in the Delaware River
. During the American Civil War
, the Union
used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate
prisoners of war
, political prisoner
s, federal convicts, and privateer officers. A three-gun concrete battery, later named Battery Torbert, was built inside the fort in the 1890s and designed by Maj. Charles W. Raymond. By 1900, the fort was part of the three point concept, working closely with Fort Mott
in Pennsville, N.J. and Fort DuPont
in Delaware City, Del. The fort and the island currently belong to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
(DNREC) and encompasses a living history
museum
, located in Fort Delaware State Park
.
military engineer
Pierre Charles L’Enfant was surveying for defensive sites. He identified an island that he called Pip Ash "as an ideal site for the defense of the prize of American commerce and culture".
The island that L'Enfant called Pip Ash was locally known as Pea Patch Island. This island was mostly unaffected by humanity with one exception. Dr. Henry Gale, a New Jersey
resident, used Pea Patch as a private hunting ground. Gale was offered $30,000 for the island by the US military, but he refused. The military was determined to get the island, so they appealed to the Delaware state legislature, which seized the island from Dr. Gale on May 27, 1813.
mentions a fort on the "Pea Patch in Delaware river" among forts that are progressing nicely.
Fort Mifflin's Replacement
The attack on Fort Mifflin
during the Revolutionary War proved that a fort was needed further away from Philadelphia in order to delay possible invaders. A fortification further down river would also provide protection for other vital port cities such as Chester, Marcus Hook, Wilmington and New Castle. On February 7, 1821, the Board of Engineers reported: "In the Delaware, the fort on the Pea Patch island, and one on the Delaware shore opposite, defend the water passage as far below Philadelphia as localities will permit: They force an enemy to land forty miles below the city to attack it by land, and thus afford time for the arrival of succors [...] The two projected forts will also have the advantages of covering the canal destined to connect the Chesapeake with the Delaware[.]"
Construction Issues
The star fort was designed by Joseph G. Totten and construction was supervised by Capt. Samuel Babcock. Babcock supervised the work from about August 1819 until August 20, 1824. Lt. Henry Brewerton
was also onsite, serving as an assistant engineer the during construction. Completion of the project was delayed years past the proposed date due to uneven settling, improper pile placement and the island's marshy nature. In once occurrence an entire section of 43,000 bricks had to be taken down, cleaned and reworked due massive cracking. In 1822, Colonel Totten and General Bernard were on the island to inspect the faulty works. In fact, Captain Babcock was severely criticized for altering Totten's plans without orders. Babcock subsequently appeared before a courts martial for his actions in late 1824. It was determined he was not guilty of neglect but rather error in judgement and he was acquitted. During the trial his council was George Read Jr. of New Castle, Del.
Commanders and Garrison
Fort Delaware's first documented commander was Maj. Alexander C.W. Fanning, who took command sometime before 1825. That year, a letter documenting a lost mail shipment was written by him as post commander. Army records the fort was manned by soldiers of the 2nd U.S. Artillery. Sometime around 1829, Maj. Benjamin Kendrick Pierce took command of Fort Delaware. During his tenure, the fort was garrisoned by Companies A and B, 4th U.S. Artillery. Major Pierce was a graduate of Dartmouth College
and the older brother to the 14th President of the United States, Franklin Pierce.
1831 Fire
In February 1831, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent Lt. Stephen Tuttle, West Point Class of 1820, to evaluate the foundation issue and offer possible solutions. On February 8, 1831, around 10:30 p.m, a fire originating in Lieutenant Tuttle's quarters, destroyed much of the work, burning until the next morning. Maj. Benjamin K. Pierce, post commander, was granted orders to use the federal arsenal in New Castle, Del. as barracks for his two companies until "Fort Delaware can be reoccupied." Captain Richard Delafield
, Babcock's replacement, asked for $10,000 to tear down the remaining structure the following year. In 1833, Fort Delaware was torn down to make room for a new fortification. According to official records, the rubble from the star fort served to re-enforce the seawall around the island. The sandstone remnants can still be seen today.
wall, slate pavement, and "hanging shutters and doors" were still ongoing. The fort was designed by Army chief engineer Joseph G. Totten, and construction was supervised by Major John Sanders. Engineers in supporting roles included Captain George B. McClellan
, Major John Newton, Lieutenant William Price Craighill
, Lieutenant Montgomery C. Meigs
and Edwin Muhlenbrach.
Foundation
Construction of a deep foundation
was necessary since the island's soils were of "a compressible mud often forty feet deep; the level where sand was finally reached." In 1849, Sander's crews began using steam-powered drivers to place long piles (similar to modern telephone poles) in excavated areas to provide adequate support. In 1850, pile driving was complete; crews had driven 4,911 piles, reusing 1,095 piles from the Delafield fort. Because of the star fort's failed foundation, Totten and Sanders decided to evaluate the weight resistance before moving forward with construction. The engineers proposed a singular test consisting of 30 blows from a 8-foot height using an 800 pound weight. A total of 5,754 piles were tested and 2,955 failed more than one fifth of an inch. Roughly 1,700 piles were subsequently spliced and re-driven an additional 10 to 20 feet. The pile driving was finally complete in 1851 and the wooden grillage was the next layer constructed.
Stonework
The fort is primarily composed of gneiss
, granite, brick and cement. Initially, the stone for the scarp wall was gneiss imported from Port Deposit, Md., which is roughly 36 miles from Delaware City. In 1852, Major Sanders reported the gneiss was too hard for his stone masons and cutters to shape, slowing the progress of construction. After that, purchase records show granite was bought from John Leiper's quarry in nearby Delaware County, Pa. Leiper's granite was also used throughout for various items such as the steps for the circular stairways. Stone from Vinal Haven, Maine was used for the stairways' large platforms. A huge storm damaged the island's dyke and seawall in 1854. Due to the threat high-tide waters, efforts were directed toward repairing the dyke and adjacent seawall, slowing progress on the stonework.
Brickwork
More than two million bricks were purchased from Wilmington, Del. and Philadelphia, Pa. for the scarp wall's interior. These bricks were used in construction of underground cisterns, casemates, powder magazines, soldier barracks, officer quarters, bread ovens and the fort's breast high wall. Masonry arches and vaults were used throughout the entire fort to equally distribute weight and to provide stability. Poured concrete was used as a layer above the vaults to offer counter resistance and to "create a strong floor system."
Major Sanders Dies
On July 29, 1858, Major Sanders died on the island due to "complications of carbunculous boils;" Lt. William Craighill replaced him until Maj. John Newton was able to assume the role of supervising engineer. In 1859, in official correspondence, Major Newton reported that the fort would be ready to armament and garrison by 1860. In 1861, before the war started, Capt. Augustus A. Gibson took command of the fort and a small garrison of only 20 regular army soldiers. Construction languished until the end of the Civil War; redirected focus was centered on mounting cannon inside the fort. In 1861, 20 columbiad guns were received and work to mount these guns quickly began. By 1862, another 17 guns were delivered here. By 1866, approximately 156 guns, were mounted in total, filling the fort's casemates and ramparts to capacity.
Barracks & Hospital
In 1862 and 1863, two separate phases of construction took place, building "barracks for enlisted prisoners of war" that was known as the "bull pen," said Pvt. Henry Robinson Berkeley a Confederate prisoner. Most of the Confederates captured at Gettysburg
were imprisoned here. An L-shaped barracks building, using similar plans, was constructed for Union regiments assigned as guards. A 600-bed hospital was also built around the same time and was designed by noted architect John McArthur Jr. of Philadelphia. "These Barracks [sic] were common wooden sheds, affording accommodation for about ten thousand persons," wrote Lt. Francis W. Dawson, a confederate POW captured in August 1862. "The bunks were arranged in tiers of three, and into one of these I crawled. The next morning I was told that these Barracks were the quarters for the privates and non-commisioned officers, and that, by requesting it, I could be removed to the quarters for the officers, which were inside the Fort."
Mortality Rate
The first Confederate prisoner to die at Fort Delaware was Capt. L. P. Halloway of the 27th Virginia Infantry. He was captured at Winchester, Va. on March 23, 1862, dying on April 9. Captain Halloway, a Freemason, was given a full masonic funeral courtesy of the Jackson Lodge in Delaware City. The funeral procession was led by fort commander Capt. Augustus A. Gibson from the town's lock on Clinton Street, and ending in the cemetery on Jefferson Street. According to church records, Halloway's body was reclaimed by family after the war.
By August 1863, there were more than 11,000 prisoners on the island; by war’s end, it had held almost 33,000 men. The conditions were decent, but about 2,500 prisoners died on Pea Patch Island. Statistically, the overall death rate for prisoners was about 7.6 percent. Half of the total number of deaths occurred during a smallpox
epidemic in 1863. Inflammation of the lungs (243 deaths), various forms of diarrhea (315 deaths) and smallpox (272 deaths) were the leading killer amongst the prison population. About 215 prisoners died as a result of Typhoid and/or Malaria, according to records in the National Archives. Other causes of death include scurvy
(70 deaths), pneumonia
(61 deaths) and erysipelas
(47 deaths). Five prisoners drowned, and seven died from gunshot wounds. During the war, 109 Union soldiers and about 40 civilians died on the island as well.
Prisoner Rations and Living Conditions (outside the fort)
By 1863, enlisted men and junior officers (mostly lieutenants and captains) of the prison population were living in the wooden barracks on the northwest side of the island. These two classes of prisoners were separated by a tall fence complete with a catwalk for the guards. In 1864, the War Department ordered the rations to be cut in retaliation for the treatment of Northern soldiers in southern POW camps. Although prisoners were only receiving two small meals, they were allowed to purchase extra food from the sutler, and allowed to fish in the waterways on the island and in the Delaware River. Official records also show that prisoners at Fort Delaware received more care packages than any other POW camp in the country.
"Things here are not quite as bad as I expected to find them. They are, however, bad, hopeless and gloomy enough without any exaggeration," said Pvt. Henry Berkeley. "We went into dinner about three o'clock, which consisted of three hardtack, a small piece of meat (about three bites) and a pint tin cup of bean soup. We only get two light meals a day."
"The mess-room is next to [Division] 22 and near the rear. It is a long, dark room, having a long pine table, on which the food is placed in separate piles, either on a tin plate or on the uncovered greasy table, at meal hours, twice a day," said Capt. Robert E. Park, 12th Alabama Infantry Regiment. "The fare consists of a slice of baker's bread, very often stale, with weak coffee, for breakfast, and a slice of bread and a piece of salt pork or salt beef, sometimes, alternating with boiled fresh beef and bean soup, for dinner. The beef is often tough and hard to masticate."
Prisoner Rations and Living Conditions (inside the fort)
High-ranking Confederate officers and some political prisoners were housed in former laundress quarters and open-bay barrack rooms inside the fort. These prisoners were often afforded paroles of the island, access to more food, and allowed more freedoms than the outside prison population.
"By the kindness of Gen. Albin Francisco Schoepf
, Cols. Morgan, Tucker, Coleman and myself were paroled to the Island", said Col. William W. Ward, on March 24, 1864. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson
, Gen. Robert B. Vance
and the Cols of our command form a mess, and live very well. We give a negro woman $7.00 per week for cooking, $10.00 for washing."
Also living in the former laundress quarters was Reverend Isaac W. K. Handy of Portsmouth, Va., a political prisoner. "Our supplies have, recently, been so abundant, that 'Commissary' Tibbetts has appropriated [Room] No. 3 as a larder
and pantry. We have been living upon hams, turkeys, chickens, tongues, jellies, pickles, butter, cheese, canned fruits, and jellies of various kinds, with all else that could be desired for comfortable and healthy diet," said Reverend Handy on March 24, 1864. He further notes, "The only article regularly furnished by the Government commissary is bread. Each man gets a well baked loaf, every other day, which is quite sufficient in quantity."
"We were installed in a large barrack-room, which then contained seventy or eighty officers. The highest in rank was a Major Holliday," wrote Lt. Francis W. Dawson. "Our room was dry, warn and well lighted, while the Barracks [outside of the fort] were cold, damp and dark. Our room had conveniences for washing [...], and there was plenty of water of a poor quality," said Dawson. "We only left the room to march down into the mess-hall."
In late 1862, prisoners inside the fort were fed three meals a day. "For breakfast we had a cup of poor coffee without milk or sugar, and two small pieces of bad bread. For dinner we had a cup of greasy water misnamed soup, a piece of beef two inches square and a half inch thick, and two slices of bread. At supper the fare was the same as at breakfast. This was exceedingly light diet," wrote Lt. Francis Dawson. "We contrived to make some additions to our diet by purchases at the Sutler's store."
Immortal 600
On August 20, 1864, six-hundred Confederate officers boared the Crescent bound for Morris Island, S.C., "for the purpose I believe of being placed under the fire of the Confederate batteries in retaliation for an equal number of Federal officers who have been placed in the city of Charleston, and are said to be exposed to the shelling of their own guns. I am glad of this move as it will be a diversion to the monotonous life led in prison," said Capt. Leon Jastremski of the 10th Louisiana Infantry. This group of prisoners was later known as the Immortal Six Hundred
.
"Aug. 20- Am detailed to go to Charleston with the Rebel Officers. Was very busy in the forenoon hunting up shoes and packing up things," said Pvt. Alexander J. Hamilton, Pittsburgh Heavy Artillery. "At 3 p.m. we fell in and marched up to the barracks and by 5 were on board the Crescent and under way. There are 35 of our boys and about 90 of the other two batteries and of Company C, 157th Ohio [Infantry]."
"After long delay-all being ready- the guards took their places, and the command was given to march through the sally-port, to the west end of the bull-pen," according to Reverend Isaac Handy. "As the noble fellows marched out, I stood at the opening of the sally-port, as near by as the guards would allow, and until the very last man disappeared from the enclosure. 'Good-bye! Good-bye!' was uttered, time and again, as the files moved on; and I could do nothing but return farewells, as some one or more in every rank would wave the parting salutation."
Garrison Units
Starting in 1861, volunteer troops were sent to garrison Fort Delaware that included, Collis' Zouaves de Afrique, 19th New York Volunteers, Mlotkowski's Independent Battery A, Young's Independent Battery G (Pittsburgh Heavy Artillery), 5th Delaware Infantry, 6th Delaware Infantry, 9th Delaware Infantry, 5th Maryland Infantry, 11th Maryland Infantry, 6th Massachusetts Infantry (100 Days), 157th Pennsylvania Infantry (Battalion), 201st Pennsylvania Infantry, 215th Pennsylvania, 157th Ohio Infantry
, 196th Ohio Infantry, and zouaves of the 165th New York Infantry. The fort was also used to organize and muster troops from the first state. Ahl's Independent Battery of Heavy Artillery was organized here for garrison duty. Although listed as a Delaware unit, Ahl's Battery was composed of Confederate prisoners that took the oath of allegiance.
The fort's artillery soldiers were responsible for manning the guard posts within the fort as well as serving on various duty positions on the island. Infantry troops were mainly responsible for manning guard posts along the seawall, which ran around the island. In August 1864, there were approximately 85 guard posts on the island that required about 255 men on each shift.
Modernization Efforts
In 1896, half of the soldier barracks and a set of officer quarters were demolished inside the fort. The parade ground was excavated and thousands of piles were steam driven to support a foundation for a concrete three-gun battery as a way to modernize the defenses protecting ports along the Delaware River. Construction halted for a brief period until resuming in August 1897. This main battery was designed by Army engineer Lt. Col. Charles W. Raymond assisted by Lt. Spencer Cosby.
The new Endicott section was a three-story re-enforced concrete structure, which was built to support three 12-inch breech-loading rifled guns on disappearing carriages. These guns, mounted in 1900, had a range approximately 8.5 miles. The three-gun battery, later named Battery Torbert after Maj. Gen. Alfred Torbett, is the only three-story endicott section in the United States. On top of the fort, flanking the 12-inch battery were two smaller rapid-fire batteries, which protected the short-range sectors around the island and the mine field. These positions were later named Battery Allen and Battery Alburtis, according to Army general orders. Outside of the fort, engineers built additional rapid-fire batteries, which were later honored as Battery Dodd and Battery Hentig.
Garrison Units
During the Spanish-American War, the fort was garrisoned by artillery soldiers of the 4th U.S. Artillery and volunteers from Company I of the 14th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Names of soldiers from the 14th P.V.I. appear today, carved on the brick walls inside the fort. These soldiers were stationed on the island during the Summer of 1898.
in Lewes, Del. Fort Delaware was declared as a surplus site by the end of the war.
declared it a "surplus site". Today, Fort Delaware State Park
encompasses all of Pea Patch Island, including the Fort. Transportation to the island is provided via ferry
. Once at the island, visitors are brought to the fort on a jitney
. Tours and special programs are available to visitors. For example, visitors may see, daily, the 8 inch Columbiad gun fired which is located on the northwest bastion. Park staff, AmeriCorps members, and Fort Delaware Society volunteers interpret the roles of people who were at the fort during the Civil War.
Beach erosion
affecting Pea Patch Island was recognized as a potential threat to the Fort in 1999. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
erected a 3,500-foot-long seawall
during the Winter of 2005-2006 which now protects the historical fort site and a migratory bird
rookery
, considered to be the largest such habitat north of Florida
.
Popular Events
Each year in the second week of June, there is an "Escape from Fort Delaware" triathlon, where entrants follow in the footsteps of the 52 escapees from the Civil War prison. A boat shuttles the athletes out to Fort Delaware, a Civil War historical interpreter fires a musket to start the race, the swimmers jump into the Delaware River, and swim back to land and then do the bike and run events, finishing on the town green in Delaware City, Delaware
.
Starting in 2009, the non-profit Delaware Ghost Hunters and park staff lead walking tours / paranormal investigations on Friday and Saturday nights in September and October. There are usually two tours each night starting at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectfully. Tickets can be purchased online from the Delaware State Parks' website.
Television & Pop Culture
The A&E Network's Civil War Journal recorded portions of an episode at the fort entitled "War Crimes: The Death Camps" that originally aired Oct. 9, 1994.
Fort Delaware has its share of ghost stories and has recently been under investigation for paranormal activity. The Sci-Fi Channel
investigation series Ghost Hunters
conducted two cases there including a live televised investigation on Halloween in 2008.
The Sci Fi Channel investigation series Ghost Hunters Academy
recorded an episode, which aired June 23, 2010.
The British series Most Haunted
also did an investigation of the fort in their 11th series of the show.
Joseph Gilbert Totten
Joseph Gilbert Totten fought in the War of 1812, served as Chief Engineer and was regent of the Smithsonian Institution and cofounder of the National Academy of Sciences.-Early life and education:...
, and located on Pea Patch Island
Pea Patch Island
Pea Patch Island is a small island, approximately 1 mi long, in the U.S. state of Delaware, located in the mid channel of the Delaware River near its entrance into Delaware Bay. It is a low, marshy island, located in New Castle County, facing Delaware City on the Delaware shore, and Finns Point on...
in the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Union
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s, federal convicts, and privateer officers. A three-gun concrete battery, later named Battery Torbert, was built inside the fort in the 1890s and designed by Maj. Charles W. Raymond. By 1900, the fort was part of the three point concept, working closely with Fort Mott
Fort Mott (New Jersey)
Fort Mott was part of a three-fort defense system designed for the Delaware River during the postbellum modernization period following the American Civil War. The other two forts in the system were Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island and Fort DuPont in Delaware City, Delaware...
in Pennsville, N.J. and Fort DuPont
Fort DuPont
Fort DuPont, named in honor of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, is located between Delaware City and the modern Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the original Reeden Point tract, which was granted to Henry Ward in 1675. The first fortification built was the Ten Gun Battery, an auxiliary to...
in Delaware City, Del. The fort and the island currently belong to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control of the state of Delaware is the primary body concerned with the governance of public land, natural resources, and environmental regulations for the state. DNREC is composed of several Divisions that have correlates in other U.S...
(DNREC) and encompasses a living history
Living history
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is...
museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, located in Fort Delaware State Park
Fort Delaware State Park
Fort Delaware State Park is a Delaware state park on Pea Patch Island in New Castle County, Delaware, in the United States. A fortress was built on Pea Patch Island by the United States Army in 1815, near the conclusion of the War of 1812, to protect the harbors of Wilmington, Delaware and...
.
Background
In 1794, the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
Pierre Charles L’Enfant was surveying for defensive sites. He identified an island that he called Pip Ash "as an ideal site for the defense of the prize of American commerce and culture".
The island that L'Enfant called Pip Ash was locally known as Pea Patch Island. This island was mostly unaffected by humanity with one exception. Dr. Henry Gale, a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
resident, used Pea Patch as a private hunting ground. Gale was offered $30,000 for the island by the US military, but he refused. The military was determined to get the island, so they appealed to the Delaware state legislature, which seized the island from Dr. Gale on May 27, 1813.
War of 1812
During the War of 1812, efforts were made to fortify Pea Patch Island. This plan of defense was largely coordinated by Capt. Samuel Babcock who was working nearby on similar defenses in Philadelphia. Scare documentation reveals that a seawall and dykes were built around the island. There is no known evidence that any progress was made on the actual structure by war's end. The original plan was to build a Martello tower on the island.Star Fort
Construction of a star fort on Pea Patch island began sometime before Dec 8, 1817. Chief Engineer Joseph Gardner SwiftJoseph Gardner Swift
Joseph Gardner Swift, the first graduate of the United States Military Academy, was born on 31 December 1783 on Nantucket Island, the son of Foster Swift and his wife, Deborah...
mentions a fort on the "Pea Patch in Delaware river" among forts that are progressing nicely.
Fort Mifflin's Replacement
The attack on Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International Airport...
during the Revolutionary War proved that a fort was needed further away from Philadelphia in order to delay possible invaders. A fortification further down river would also provide protection for other vital port cities such as Chester, Marcus Hook, Wilmington and New Castle. On February 7, 1821, the Board of Engineers reported: "In the Delaware, the fort on the Pea Patch island, and one on the Delaware shore opposite, defend the water passage as far below Philadelphia as localities will permit: They force an enemy to land forty miles below the city to attack it by land, and thus afford time for the arrival of succors [...] The two projected forts will also have the advantages of covering the canal destined to connect the Chesapeake with the Delaware[.]"
Construction Issues
The star fort was designed by Joseph G. Totten and construction was supervised by Capt. Samuel Babcock. Babcock supervised the work from about August 1819 until August 20, 1824. Lt. Henry Brewerton
Henry Brewerton
Henry Brewerton was a career engineering officer in the United States Army, serving as the Superintendent of the United States Military Academy and then as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
was also onsite, serving as an assistant engineer the during construction. Completion of the project was delayed years past the proposed date due to uneven settling, improper pile placement and the island's marshy nature. In once occurrence an entire section of 43,000 bricks had to be taken down, cleaned and reworked due massive cracking. In 1822, Colonel Totten and General Bernard were on the island to inspect the faulty works. In fact, Captain Babcock was severely criticized for altering Totten's plans without orders. Babcock subsequently appeared before a courts martial for his actions in late 1824. It was determined he was not guilty of neglect but rather error in judgement and he was acquitted. During the trial his council was George Read Jr. of New Castle, Del.
Commanders and Garrison
Fort Delaware's first documented commander was Maj. Alexander C.W. Fanning, who took command sometime before 1825. That year, a letter documenting a lost mail shipment was written by him as post commander. Army records the fort was manned by soldiers of the 2nd U.S. Artillery. Sometime around 1829, Maj. Benjamin Kendrick Pierce took command of Fort Delaware. During his tenure, the fort was garrisoned by Companies A and B, 4th U.S. Artillery. Major Pierce was a graduate of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and the older brother to the 14th President of the United States, Franklin Pierce.
1831 Fire
In February 1831, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent Lt. Stephen Tuttle, West Point Class of 1820, to evaluate the foundation issue and offer possible solutions. On February 8, 1831, around 10:30 p.m, a fire originating in Lieutenant Tuttle's quarters, destroyed much of the work, burning until the next morning. Maj. Benjamin K. Pierce, post commander, was granted orders to use the federal arsenal in New Castle, Del. as barracks for his two companies until "Fort Delaware can be reoccupied." Captain Richard Delafield
Richard Delafield
Richard Delafield served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy, was Chief of Engineers, and was a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, Babcock's replacement, asked for $10,000 to tear down the remaining structure the following year. In 1833, Fort Delaware was torn down to make room for a new fortification. According to official records, the rubble from the star fort served to re-enforce the seawall around the island. The sandstone remnants can still be seen today.
Polygonal Fort
Captain Delafield designed the second version of Fort Delaware "as a huge bastioned polygonal form to be built in masonry." Delafield desired his fort to be "a marvel of military architecture on Pea Patch." In 1836, excavation work progressed on the north side of the island. Grillage timbers were driven into the island's soft mud to serve as a base for the foundation of Delafield's fort. In 1838, Joseph T. Hudson of New Jersey (descendent of Dr. Henry Gale) sent legal representation to the island, claiming he had legal rights to the island. Delafield's fort was never built due to this decade long legal battle over island ownership. The suit was eventually decided in Hudson's favor; the government was obligated to pay him $1,005.00 for the island.Pentagonal Fort
The present Fort Delaware was erected between 1848 and 1859, becoming the largest third-system fortification completed in the United States at the time. Although major construction was wrapped up before the Civil War, the post engineer did not declare the fort finished until 1868. Construction of the counterscarpCounterscarp
A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides of a ditch used in fortifications. In permanent fortifications the scarp and counterscarp may be encased in stone...
wall, slate pavement, and "hanging shutters and doors" were still ongoing. The fort was designed by Army chief engineer Joseph G. Totten, and construction was supervised by Major John Sanders. Engineers in supporting roles included Captain George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
, Major John Newton, Lieutenant William Price Craighill
William Price Craighill
William Price Craighill was born in Charles Town, Virginia . He was an author, Union Army engineer in the American Civil War, and later served as Chief of Engineers....
, Lieutenant Montgomery C. Meigs
Montgomery C. Meigs
Montgomery Cunningham Meigs was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, construction engineer for a number of facilities in Washington, D.C., and Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War....
and Edwin Muhlenbrach.
Foundation
Construction of a deep foundation
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
was necessary since the island's soils were of "a compressible mud often forty feet deep; the level where sand was finally reached." In 1849, Sander's crews began using steam-powered drivers to place long piles (similar to modern telephone poles) in excavated areas to provide adequate support. In 1850, pile driving was complete; crews had driven 4,911 piles, reusing 1,095 piles from the Delafield fort. Because of the star fort's failed foundation, Totten and Sanders decided to evaluate the weight resistance before moving forward with construction. The engineers proposed a singular test consisting of 30 blows from a 8-foot height using an 800 pound weight. A total of 5,754 piles were tested and 2,955 failed more than one fifth of an inch. Roughly 1,700 piles were subsequently spliced and re-driven an additional 10 to 20 feet. The pile driving was finally complete in 1851 and the wooden grillage was the next layer constructed.
Stonework
The fort is primarily composed of gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
, granite, brick and cement. Initially, the stone for the scarp wall was gneiss imported from Port Deposit, Md., which is roughly 36 miles from Delaware City. In 1852, Major Sanders reported the gneiss was too hard for his stone masons and cutters to shape, slowing the progress of construction. After that, purchase records show granite was bought from John Leiper's quarry in nearby Delaware County, Pa. Leiper's granite was also used throughout for various items such as the steps for the circular stairways. Stone from Vinal Haven, Maine was used for the stairways' large platforms. A huge storm damaged the island's dyke and seawall in 1854. Due to the threat high-tide waters, efforts were directed toward repairing the dyke and adjacent seawall, slowing progress on the stonework.
Brickwork
More than two million bricks were purchased from Wilmington, Del. and Philadelphia, Pa. for the scarp wall's interior. These bricks were used in construction of underground cisterns, casemates, powder magazines, soldier barracks, officer quarters, bread ovens and the fort's breast high wall. Masonry arches and vaults were used throughout the entire fort to equally distribute weight and to provide stability. Poured concrete was used as a layer above the vaults to offer counter resistance and to "create a strong floor system."
Major Sanders Dies
On July 29, 1858, Major Sanders died on the island due to "complications of carbunculous boils;" Lt. William Craighill replaced him until Maj. John Newton was able to assume the role of supervising engineer. In 1859, in official correspondence, Major Newton reported that the fort would be ready to armament and garrison by 1860. In 1861, before the war started, Capt. Augustus A. Gibson took command of the fort and a small garrison of only 20 regular army soldiers. Construction languished until the end of the Civil War; redirected focus was centered on mounting cannon inside the fort. In 1861, 20 columbiad guns were received and work to mount these guns quickly began. By 1862, another 17 guns were delivered here. By 1866, approximately 156 guns, were mounted in total, filling the fort's casemates and ramparts to capacity.
Civil War
During the Civil War, Fort Delaware went from protector to prison; a prisoner-of-war camp was established to house captured Confederates, convicted federal soldiers, local political prisoners as well as privateers. The first prisoners were housed inside the fort in sealed off casemates, empty powder magazines, as well as two small rooms inside the sally port. In those small rooms, names of confederates can still be seen carved into the brick. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the island "contained an average population of southern tourists, who came at the urgent invitation of Mr. Lincoln." The first Confederate general to be housed at the fort was Brig. Gen. Johnston Pettigrew. During the war, a total of about a dozen generals were held within the fort as prisoners-of-war.Barracks & Hospital
In 1862 and 1863, two separate phases of construction took place, building "barracks for enlisted prisoners of war" that was known as the "bull pen," said Pvt. Henry Robinson Berkeley a Confederate prisoner. Most of the Confederates captured at Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
were imprisoned here. An L-shaped barracks building, using similar plans, was constructed for Union regiments assigned as guards. A 600-bed hospital was also built around the same time and was designed by noted architect John McArthur Jr. of Philadelphia. "These Barracks [sic] were common wooden sheds, affording accommodation for about ten thousand persons," wrote Lt. Francis W. Dawson, a confederate POW captured in August 1862. "The bunks were arranged in tiers of three, and into one of these I crawled. The next morning I was told that these Barracks were the quarters for the privates and non-commisioned officers, and that, by requesting it, I could be removed to the quarters for the officers, which were inside the Fort."
Mortality Rate
The first Confederate prisoner to die at Fort Delaware was Capt. L. P. Halloway of the 27th Virginia Infantry. He was captured at Winchester, Va. on March 23, 1862, dying on April 9. Captain Halloway, a Freemason, was given a full masonic funeral courtesy of the Jackson Lodge in Delaware City. The funeral procession was led by fort commander Capt. Augustus A. Gibson from the town's lock on Clinton Street, and ending in the cemetery on Jefferson Street. According to church records, Halloway's body was reclaimed by family after the war.
By August 1863, there were more than 11,000 prisoners on the island; by war’s end, it had held almost 33,000 men. The conditions were decent, but about 2,500 prisoners died on Pea Patch Island. Statistically, the overall death rate for prisoners was about 7.6 percent. Half of the total number of deaths occurred during a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic in 1863. Inflammation of the lungs (243 deaths), various forms of diarrhea (315 deaths) and smallpox (272 deaths) were the leading killer amongst the prison population. About 215 prisoners died as a result of Typhoid and/or Malaria, according to records in the National Archives. Other causes of death include scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
(70 deaths), pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
(61 deaths) and erysipelas
Erysipelas
Erysipelas is an acute streptococcus bacterial infection of the deep epidermis with lymphatic spread.-Risk factors:...
(47 deaths). Five prisoners drowned, and seven died from gunshot wounds. During the war, 109 Union soldiers and about 40 civilians died on the island as well.
Prisoner Rations and Living Conditions (outside the fort)
By 1863, enlisted men and junior officers (mostly lieutenants and captains) of the prison population were living in the wooden barracks on the northwest side of the island. These two classes of prisoners were separated by a tall fence complete with a catwalk for the guards. In 1864, the War Department ordered the rations to be cut in retaliation for the treatment of Northern soldiers in southern POW camps. Although prisoners were only receiving two small meals, they were allowed to purchase extra food from the sutler, and allowed to fish in the waterways on the island and in the Delaware River. Official records also show that prisoners at Fort Delaware received more care packages than any other POW camp in the country.
"Things here are not quite as bad as I expected to find them. They are, however, bad, hopeless and gloomy enough without any exaggeration," said Pvt. Henry Berkeley. "We went into dinner about three o'clock, which consisted of three hardtack, a small piece of meat (about three bites) and a pint tin cup of bean soup. We only get two light meals a day."
"The mess-room is next to [Division] 22 and near the rear. It is a long, dark room, having a long pine table, on which the food is placed in separate piles, either on a tin plate or on the uncovered greasy table, at meal hours, twice a day," said Capt. Robert E. Park, 12th Alabama Infantry Regiment. "The fare consists of a slice of baker's bread, very often stale, with weak coffee, for breakfast, and a slice of bread and a piece of salt pork or salt beef, sometimes, alternating with boiled fresh beef and bean soup, for dinner. The beef is often tough and hard to masticate."
Prisoner Rations and Living Conditions (inside the fort)
"By the kindness of Gen. Albin Francisco Schoepf
Albin Francisco Schoepf
Albin Francisco Schoepf was an European-born military officer who became a Union brigadier general during the American Civil War, best known as the commanding officer of Fort Delaware, a wartime camp for Confederate prisoners of war.-Early life:Schoepf was born in Podgórze, Poland...
, Cols. Morgan, Tucker, Coleman and myself were paroled to the Island", said Col. William W. Ward, on March 24, 1864. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson
M. Jeff Thompson
Meriwether Jeff Thompson was a brigadier general in the Missouri State Guard during the American Civil War. He served the Confederate Army as a cavalry commander, and had the unusual distinction of having a ship in the Confederate Navy named for him.-Early life:*Father: Meriwether Thompson b....
, Gen. Robert B. Vance
Robert B. Vance
Robert Brank Vance , nephew of the earlier Congressman Robert Brank Vance and brother of Zebulon Baird Vance, was a North Carolina Democratic politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms . He was chairman of the United States House Committee on Patents...
and the Cols of our command form a mess, and live very well. We give a negro woman $7.00 per week for cooking, $10.00 for washing."
Also living in the former laundress quarters was Reverend Isaac W. K. Handy of Portsmouth, Va., a political prisoner. "Our supplies have, recently, been so abundant, that 'Commissary' Tibbetts has appropriated [Room] No. 3 as a larder
Larder
A larder is a cool area for storing food prior to use.Larders were commonplace in houses before the widespread use of the refrigerator.Essential qualities of a larder are that it should be:*as cool as possible*close to food preparation areas...
and pantry. We have been living upon hams, turkeys, chickens, tongues, jellies, pickles, butter, cheese, canned fruits, and jellies of various kinds, with all else that could be desired for comfortable and healthy diet," said Reverend Handy on March 24, 1864. He further notes, "The only article regularly furnished by the Government commissary is bread. Each man gets a well baked loaf, every other day, which is quite sufficient in quantity."
"We were installed in a large barrack-room, which then contained seventy or eighty officers. The highest in rank was a Major Holliday," wrote Lt. Francis W. Dawson. "Our room was dry, warn and well lighted, while the Barracks [outside of the fort] were cold, damp and dark. Our room had conveniences for washing [...], and there was plenty of water of a poor quality," said Dawson. "We only left the room to march down into the mess-hall."
In late 1862, prisoners inside the fort were fed three meals a day. "For breakfast we had a cup of poor coffee without milk or sugar, and two small pieces of bad bread. For dinner we had a cup of greasy water misnamed soup, a piece of beef two inches square and a half inch thick, and two slices of bread. At supper the fare was the same as at breakfast. This was exceedingly light diet," wrote Lt. Francis Dawson. "We contrived to make some additions to our diet by purchases at the Sutler's store."
Immortal 600
On August 20, 1864, six-hundred Confederate officers boared the Crescent bound for Morris Island, S.C., "for the purpose I believe of being placed under the fire of the Confederate batteries in retaliation for an equal number of Federal officers who have been placed in the city of Charleston, and are said to be exposed to the shelling of their own guns. I am glad of this move as it will be a diversion to the monotonous life led in prison," said Capt. Leon Jastremski of the 10th Louisiana Infantry. This group of prisoners was later known as the Immortal Six Hundred
Immortal Six Hundred
In 1864, the Confederate Army imprisoned 50 Union Army officers as human shields against federal artillery in the city of Charleston in an attempt to stop Union artillery from firing upon civilians in the city. In retaliation, United States Secretary of War Edwin M...
.
"Aug. 20- Am detailed to go to Charleston with the Rebel Officers. Was very busy in the forenoon hunting up shoes and packing up things," said Pvt. Alexander J. Hamilton, Pittsburgh Heavy Artillery. "At 3 p.m. we fell in and marched up to the barracks and by 5 were on board the Crescent and under way. There are 35 of our boys and about 90 of the other two batteries and of Company C, 157th Ohio [Infantry]."
"After long delay-all being ready- the guards took their places, and the command was given to march through the sally-port, to the west end of the bull-pen," according to Reverend Isaac Handy. "As the noble fellows marched out, I stood at the opening of the sally-port, as near by as the guards would allow, and until the very last man disappeared from the enclosure. 'Good-bye! Good-bye!' was uttered, time and again, as the files moved on; and I could do nothing but return farewells, as some one or more in every rank would wave the parting salutation."
Garrison Units
Starting in 1861, volunteer troops were sent to garrison Fort Delaware that included, Collis' Zouaves de Afrique, 19th New York Volunteers, Mlotkowski's Independent Battery A, Young's Independent Battery G (Pittsburgh Heavy Artillery), 5th Delaware Infantry, 6th Delaware Infantry, 9th Delaware Infantry, 5th Maryland Infantry, 11th Maryland Infantry, 6th Massachusetts Infantry (100 Days), 157th Pennsylvania Infantry (Battalion), 201st Pennsylvania Infantry, 215th Pennsylvania, 157th Ohio Infantry
157th Ohio Infantry
The 157th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 157th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio and mustered in May 15, 1864 for 100 days service under the command of Colonel George Wythe McCook.The regiment...
, 196th Ohio Infantry, and zouaves of the 165th New York Infantry. The fort was also used to organize and muster troops from the first state. Ahl's Independent Battery of Heavy Artillery was organized here for garrison duty. Although listed as a Delaware unit, Ahl's Battery was composed of Confederate prisoners that took the oath of allegiance.
The fort's artillery soldiers were responsible for manning the guard posts within the fort as well as serving on various duty positions on the island. Infantry troops were mainly responsible for manning guard posts along the seawall, which ran around the island. In August 1864, there were approximately 85 guard posts on the island that required about 255 men on each shift.
1870s and 1880s
After the Civil War, the fort was operated by a small garrison of the 4th U.S. Artillery. In the early 1870s, plans were made to modify the five bastions to support 15-inch Rodmans. In October 1878, a massive hurricane struck the area causing considerable damage to structures outside the fort. The majority of buildings on the south side of the island were destroyed. The Trinity Chapel, built in 1863 by Confederate POWs, was partially destroyed in the storm. The chapel was subsequently used to store hay until totally demolished sometime after 1901. On August 3, 1885, a tornado struct the island destroying the post-war hospital and caused considerable damage to other structures. "A storm took place here. We have had nothing like it since [October 1878] and a strong whirlwind with it, sweeping every thing before it, pulling trees out of the ground and carrying parts of the hospital all over the island and out on the river," wrote Ordnance Sergeant James Maxwell.Spanish-American War
Before the start of the war, in 1892, a mine control casemate was built on the northern tip of the island. This casemate was built semi-underground and then covered with dirt for concealment. This mining casemate served in conjunction with a one-story torpedo shed and a narrow-gauge railroad, which all supported water-tight mines that could be placed in the Delaware River as a defensive measure against a possible enemy attack. A similar mine casemate here was planned in 1870s but never materialized due to lack of funding.Modernization Efforts
In 1896, half of the soldier barracks and a set of officer quarters were demolished inside the fort. The parade ground was excavated and thousands of piles were steam driven to support a foundation for a concrete three-gun battery as a way to modernize the defenses protecting ports along the Delaware River. Construction halted for a brief period until resuming in August 1897. This main battery was designed by Army engineer Lt. Col. Charles W. Raymond assisted by Lt. Spencer Cosby.
The new Endicott section was a three-story re-enforced concrete structure, which was built to support three 12-inch breech-loading rifled guns on disappearing carriages. These guns, mounted in 1900, had a range approximately 8.5 miles. The three-gun battery, later named Battery Torbert after Maj. Gen. Alfred Torbett, is the only three-story endicott section in the United States. On top of the fort, flanking the 12-inch battery were two smaller rapid-fire batteries, which protected the short-range sectors around the island and the mine field. These positions were later named Battery Allen and Battery Alburtis, according to Army general orders. Outside of the fort, engineers built additional rapid-fire batteries, which were later honored as Battery Dodd and Battery Hentig.
Garrison Units
During the Spanish-American War, the fort was garrisoned by artillery soldiers of the 4th U.S. Artillery and volunteers from Company I of the 14th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Names of soldiers from the 14th P.V.I. appear today, carved on the brick walls inside the fort. These soldiers were stationed on the island during the Summer of 1898.
World War I
Following a period of care-taking status, the fort was garrisoned for a brief time during the Great War. Nearby Fort DuPont was the main defense site with Fort Delaware and Fort Mott serving as a sub-posts, according to army records. In March 1919, soldiers began the process of mothballing the old fort, removing everything except items pertaining to the three 12-inch guns of Battery Torbert, according to Pvt. James C. Davis, a Fort DuPont soldier working on the detail. In a post-war Newark Post article, he recalls his orders were to burry everything with explicit orders not to throw anything in the river or remove articles from the island. According to Davis, they buried three pieces of artillery on the island. Only one gun has since been recovered; the 15-inch Rodman gun exhumed from the northwest bastion was sold for scrap during World War II. By the end of the Great War, Fort Saulsbury in Milford, Del. was near completion, and with longer range guns rendered the three forts as secondary lines of defense.World War II
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the island was garrisoned by a detachment of soldiers from Battery C, 261st Coast Artillery Battalion, a unit from the Delaware Army National Guard. Battery C manned the two rapid-fire guns of Battery Hentig, located outside of the fort. The fort was eventually striped of the most of the electrical wiring, which was re-used at Fort MilesFort Miles
Fort Miles was an American military installation located on Cape Henlopen near Lewes, Delaware. Although funds to build the fort were approved in 1934, it was 1941 before the fort was constructed. It was built to defend Delaware Bay and River and to protect domestic shipping from enemy fire within...
in Lewes, Del. Fort Delaware was declared as a surplus site by the end of the war.
The Fort Today
Delaware acquired the fort from the United States government in 1947 after the PentagonThe Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
declared it a "surplus site". Today, Fort Delaware State Park
Fort Delaware State Park
Fort Delaware State Park is a Delaware state park on Pea Patch Island in New Castle County, Delaware, in the United States. A fortress was built on Pea Patch Island by the United States Army in 1815, near the conclusion of the War of 1812, to protect the harbors of Wilmington, Delaware and...
encompasses all of Pea Patch Island, including the Fort. Transportation to the island is provided via ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. Once at the island, visitors are brought to the fort on a jitney
Share taxi
A share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between taxis and conventional buses. These informal vehicles for hire are found throughout the world. They are smaller than buses, and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, usually leaving when all seats are filled...
. Tours and special programs are available to visitors. For example, visitors may see, daily, the 8 inch Columbiad gun fired which is located on the northwest bastion. Park staff, AmeriCorps members, and Fort Delaware Society volunteers interpret the roles of people who were at the fort during the Civil War.
Beach erosion
Coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune sediments by wave action, tidal currents, wave currents, or drainage...
affecting Pea Patch Island was recognized as a potential threat to the Fort in 1999. The United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
erected a 3,500-foot-long seawall
Seawall
A seawall is a form of coastal defence constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation and leisure activities from the action of tides and waves...
during the Winter of 2005-2006 which now protects the historical fort site and a migratory bird
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
rookery
Rookery
A rookery is a colony of breeding animals, generally birds. A rook is a Northern European and Central Asian member of the crow family, which nest in prominent colonies at the tops of trees. The term is applied to the nesting place of birds, such as crows and rooks, the source of the term...
, considered to be the largest such habitat north of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Popular Events
Each year in the second week of June, there is an "Escape from Fort Delaware" triathlon, where entrants follow in the footsteps of the 52 escapees from the Civil War prison. A boat shuttles the athletes out to Fort Delaware, a Civil War historical interpreter fires a musket to start the race, the swimmers jump into the Delaware River, and swim back to land and then do the bike and run events, finishing on the town green in Delaware City, Delaware
Delaware City, Delaware
Delaware City is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2010 census. It is a small port town on the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and is the location of the ferry to Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island.-Geography:Delaware City is...
.
Starting in 2009, the non-profit Delaware Ghost Hunters and park staff lead walking tours / paranormal investigations on Friday and Saturday nights in September and October. There are usually two tours each night starting at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectfully. Tickets can be purchased online from the Delaware State Parks' website.
Television & Pop Culture
The A&E Network's Civil War Journal recorded portions of an episode at the fort entitled "War Crimes: The Death Camps" that originally aired Oct. 9, 1994.
Fort Delaware has its share of ghost stories and has recently been under investigation for paranormal activity. The Sci-Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
investigation series Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
conducted two cases there including a live televised investigation on Halloween in 2008.
The Sci Fi Channel investigation series Ghost Hunters Academy
Ghost Hunters Academy
Ghost Hunters Academy is a paranormal reality television series that premiered on November 11, 2009 on the Syfy channel. The program is the third spin-off series based on Ghost Hunters...
recorded an episode, which aired June 23, 2010.
The British series Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
also did an investigation of the fort in their 11th series of the show.
Books
- Burbey, Louis H. Our Worthy Commander: The Life and Times of Benjamin K. Pierce, in Whose Honor Fort Piece Was Named. Fort Piece, FL: Indian River Community College Press, 1976.
- Duke, Basil W. The Civil War Reminiscences of General Basil W. DukeBasil W. DukeBasil Wilson Duke was a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War. His most noted service in the war was as second-in-command for his brother-in-law John Hunt Morgan; Duke would later write a popular account of Morgan's most famous raid: 1863's Morgan's Raid...
, C.S.A. Garden City, NY: Doubleday Press, 1976. - Nugent, Washington G. My Darling Wife: The Letters of Washington George Nugent, Surgeon, Army of the Potomac. Maria Randall Allen, ed. Cheshire, CT: Ye Olde Book Bindery, 1994.
- Fletcher, William J., 6th Massachusetts Infantry, A Soldier for One-Hundred Days, 1955.
- W. Emerson Wilson, edited A Fort Delaware Journal: The Diary of a Yankee Private, A.J. Hamilton, 1862-65, Wilmington, DE: Fort Delaware Society, 1981.
- Isaac W.K. Handy, former political prisoner, United States Bonds Or Duress By Federal Authority: A Journal Of Current Events During An Imprisonment Of Fifteen Months, At Fort Delaware, Turnbull Brothers, 1874.
- Basil W. Duke, former prisoner, wrote Morgan's Cavalry, Neale Publishing Company, New York and Washington: 1906.
- Harold Bell Hancock, Delaware During the Civil War: A Political History, Wilmington, DE: Delaware Historical Society, 1961.
- Bruce MowdayBruce MowdayBruce E. Mowday is an author and Republican political activist who lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He specializes in books about local history.- Books :...
and Dale Fetzer, Unlikely Allies: Fort Delaware's Prison Community in the Civil War Stackpole Books, 2000. - Laura M. Lee and Brendan Mackie wrote Images of America: Fort Delaware, Arcadia Publishers: 2010.
External links
- Fort Delaware Society
- Listing and aerial photograph at the Historic American Engineering Record
- Listing and photographs at the Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
- Escape from Fort Delaware triathlon