| Fort Adams | |
|---|---|
| Newport, Rhode Island | |
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| Type | Coast Artillery Post |
| Built | 1799; 1841 |
| In use | 1799-1824; 1841-1953 |
| Controlled by | United States |
| Commanders | Captain John Henry |
| Fort Adams | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark District | |
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| Nearest city: | Newport, Rhode Island |
| Coordinates: | 41°28′30″N 71°20′28″W / 41.475°N 71.34111°W |
| Built/Founded: | 1824 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style(s): | No Style Listed |
| Governing body: | DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY |
| Added to NRHP: | July 28, 1970[1] |
| Designated NHLD: | December 8, 1976[2] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000014 |
Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island, was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification. Its first commander was Captain John Henry who was later instrumental in starting the War of 1812.
The first Fort Adams was designed by Major Louis de Tousard of the Army Corps of Engineers. This fort mounted 12 cannon and was garrisoned during the War of 1812 by Wood's State Corps of Rhode Island militiamen.
After the War of 1812, there was a thorough review of the nation's fortification needs and it was decided to replace the "old" Fort Adams with a newer and much larger fort. The new fort was designed by Brigadier General Simon Bernard, a Frenchman who had served as a military engineer under Napoleon. Bernard designed the new Fort Adams in the classic style of Vauban and it became the most complex fortification in the Western Hemisphere.
Construction of the new fort began in 1824 and continued at irregular intervals until 1857. From 1825 to 1838 , construction was overseen by Colonel Joseph Gilbert Totten, the foremost American military engineer of his day. In 1838, Totten became chief engineer of the Army and served until his death in 1864.[3]
The new Fort Adams was first garrisoned in August 1841 and was an active Army post until 1950. During this time, the fort was active in five major wars (Mexican-American War, American Civil War, Spanish-American, World War I and World War II) but never fired a shot in anger.
During the Mexican War Fort Adams was briefly under the command of Brigadier General Franklin Pierce who would be elected President of the United States in 1852.
During the Civil War, Fort Adams was used as the United States Naval Academy. In May 1861, the Academy was moved to Newport from Annapolis Maryland due to concerns about the political sympathies of the Marylanders. In September 1861, the Academy moved to the Atlantic House hotel in Newport and remained there for the rest of the war. Among the midshipmen assigned to the Naval Academy while it was at Fort Adams was Robley D. Evans who was wounded at Fort Fisher, North Carolina in 1865 and commanded the Great White Fleet in 1907 on the first leg of its epic around the world voyage.
In 1862 Fort Adams became the headquarters and recruit depot for the 15th Infantry Regiment. This regiment, along with several others had a organization in which the regiment had three eight company battalions. The 3rd Battalion of the 15th Infantry Regiment was organized at Fort Adams in March 1864.
As time went by, the Fort's armament was upgraded to keep up with technological innovations. Major kinds of ordnance used at the Fort included muzzle loading cannon in the 19th Century, breech loading rifled artillery pieces in the early 20th Century and anti-aircraft guns during and after the World War II.
Fort Adams also served as the headquarters for all fortifications in Narragansett Bay, as well as, a training center in both world wars. At peak strength in 1941 over 3,000 soldiers were assigned to the Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay.
In 1953, the Army gave Fort Adams to the Navy which still uses some of the fort's grounds for family housing. In 1965, the fort was given to the state of Rhode Island for use as Fort Adams State Park. In 1976, Fort Adams was declared a National Historic Landmark. In 1994, the Fort Adams trust was formed, which provides guided tours at the fort and oversees ongoing restoration work at the fort.
Among the notable persons connected to Fort Adams were Civil War generals John G. Barnard, George W. Cullum, William S. Rosecrans, Isaac Ingalls Stevens, John B. Magruder, Pierre G. T. Beauregard, Robert Anderson, Ambrose Burnside, John G. Foster, Thomas W. Sherman and Henry Jackson Hunt.
President Eisenhower lived at what is now called the Eisenhower House during his summer vacations in 1958 and 1960.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ "Fort Adams". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=880&ResourceType=District. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ Ann Johnson, "Material Experiments: Environment and Engineering Institutions in the Early American Republic," Osiris, NS 24 (2009), 53-74.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- ^ "Fort Adams". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=880&ResourceType=District. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ Ann Johnson, "Material Experiments: Environment and Engineering Institutions in the Early American Republic," Osiris, NS 24 (2009), 53-74.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fort Adams |
- Official site
- Fort Adams, Redoubt, Brenton Point, Newport, Newport County, RI: 15 photos, 9 drawings, and search here for separate photo and drawing sets for Battery Reilly, Battery Talbot, Battery Bankhead, stables, warehouse, other subsites at Historic American Building Survey
- view the History of Fort Adams in streaming video
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