Fort Gansevoort
40°44′23″N 74°00′32″W / 40.73972°N 74.00889°W
| Fort Gansevoort | |
|---|---|
Gansevoort Street and West 12th Street | |
.jpg) Fort Gansevoort | |
  Fort Gansevoort  Fort Gansevoort  Fort Gansevoort | |
| Coordinates | 40°44′23″N 74°00′32″W / 40.73972°N 74.00889°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1812 |
| Built by | United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| In use | 1812–1849 |
| Materials | red sandstone |
| Fate | demolished 1854 |
| Battles/wars | War of 1812 |
Fort Gansevoort is a former United States Army fort in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was also known as the White Fort due to its whitewashed exterior.[1]
History
The fort was named for
shot furnace, magazine, arsenal, and barracks.[2] Some sources state that construction began in 1808; however, the fort does not appear in the Secretary of War's report on fortifications for December 1811.[3] Forts built with state or local resources did not appear in these reports. The fort was part of what was later called the second system of US fortifications
.
In support of the fort, North Battery, constructed similarly to Castle Clinton, was built on landfill in the Hudson River, and connected to Manhattan by a bridge at Canal Street.[4]
Samuel Akerly served as Post Surgeon for the fort.[5]
Fort Gansevoort did not see action, as New York City was not attacked in that war. It was demolished in either 1849 or 1854 (references vary).[6] It was on the site of a previous weapons development center, where George Bomford developed the first columbiad cannon.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Fort Gansevoort at American Forts Network
- ^ Fort Gansevoort at FortWiki.com
- ^ Wade, pp. 241-246
- ^ Klawonn, Marion J. (1977). Cradle of the Corps: A History of the New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1775-1975. Department of Defense, Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, New York District.
- ^ Greene, Richard Henry; Stiles, Henry Reed; Dwight, Melatiah Everett; Morrison, George Austin; Mott, Hopper Striker; Totten, John Reynolds; Pitman, Harold Minot; Ditmas, Charles Andrew; Forest, Louis Effingham De (1896). The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
- ^ Roberts, p. 554
- ^ Wade, p. 177
- Roberts, Robert B. (1988). Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-926880-X.
- Wade, Arthur P. (2011). Artillerists and Engineers: The Beginnings of American Seacoast Fortifications, 1794-1815. CDSG Press. ISBN 978-0-9748167-2-2.