Fort New Richmond
Encyclopedia
Fort New Richmond was built by the British
in 1779 on the east bank of the Mississippi River
in what was later to become Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. The Spanish
took control of the fort in 1779 and renamed it Fort San Carlos.
commander of the Baton Rouge area) after he discovered that Fort Bute (built in 1765) was indefensible against cannon. The fort at Baton Rouge was built on the Watt's and Flowers Plantation and was completed during the six weeks preceding hostilities in the area during the American Revolutionary War
. The fort consisted of a ditch eighteen feet wide and nine feet deep surrounding an earthen wall with pallisades in the shape of a Chevaux de frise. It was armed with thirteen cannon, four hundred regular British soldiers from the 16th and 60th Regiments of Foot, a company of grenadiers from Waldeck
and an estimated 150 Loyalist Militia
.
The fort was captured on September 21, 1779 when Bernardo de Gálvez, the colonial Governor of Spanish Louisiana, after capturing Fort Bute
led his force of 1,427 men against Baton Rouge. The surrender of Fort New Richmond cleared the British out of the Mississippi River
estuary area.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1779 on the east bank of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in what was later to become Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. The Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
took control of the fort in 1779 and renamed it Fort San Carlos.
History
The fort was built by Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Dickson (British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
commander of the Baton Rouge area) after he discovered that Fort Bute (built in 1765) was indefensible against cannon. The fort at Baton Rouge was built on the Watt's and Flowers Plantation and was completed during the six weeks preceding hostilities in the area during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The fort consisted of a ditch eighteen feet wide and nine feet deep surrounding an earthen wall with pallisades in the shape of a Chevaux de frise. It was armed with thirteen cannon, four hundred regular British soldiers from the 16th and 60th Regiments of Foot, a company of grenadiers from Waldeck
Waldeck (state)
Waldeck was a sovereign principality in the German Empire and German Confederation and, until 1929, a constituent state of the Weimar Republic. It comprised territories in present-day Hesse and Lower Saxony, ....
and an estimated 150 Loyalist Militia
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
.
The fort was captured on September 21, 1779 when Bernardo de Gálvez, the colonial Governor of Spanish Louisiana, after capturing Fort Bute
Capture of Fort Bute
The Capture of Fort Bute signalled the opening of Spanish intervention in the American Revolutionary War on the side of France and the United States. Mustering an ad hoc army of Spanish regulars, Acadian militia, and native levies under Gilbert Antoine de St...
led his force of 1,427 men against Baton Rouge. The surrender of Fort New Richmond cleared the British out of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
estuary area.