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Fort Washington (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Fort Washington is an historic site at 95 Waverly Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. It was built by the Continental Army
under the orders of George Washington
in November 1775. It is the oldest surviving fortification from the American Revolutionary War
, built by American soldiers, and the only surviving fortification from the Siege of Boston
. Fort Washington was placed on the List of Registered Historic Places in Massachusetts on April 3, 1973.
dated Cambridge, November 27, 1775, George Washington wrote, "I have caused two three gun half moon batteries to be thrown up for occasional use." The second three gun half moon battery
was obliterated along with all other extensive siege works constructed by the British and Continental armies during the siege of Boston.
These batteries and other minor works are shown on a map engraved by Henry Pelham
, made for the British in 1775 and 1776, and may well have been assumed by them to be of much greater importance than was actually the case.
At the time these little fortifications were constructed, Henry Knox
was on his way to Fort Ticonderoga
to get the best of the cannons which were there and at Fort Crown Point
. It was essential that the troops be trained in constructing works in which the guns could be mounted promptly when they were received
.
) were installed, and an elaborate granite and iron fence was designed by architect John R. Hall to protect the site.
The best statement about the transfer to the city of the Fort Washington property seems to be that contained in the "Historic Guide to Cambridge", compiled by members of Hannah Winthrop Chapter, DAR, in 1907, on pages 179-180. It is as follows:
The three gun battery at the foot of Allston Street retains the semblance of a fort, and is called Fort Washington. The land where this battery was thrown up had been held in common from the close of the Revolution till 1857, when it was deeded to the city by the following persons: Edmund T. and Elizabeth Hastings, Mary E. Dana, Joseph A. and Penelope Willard, John and Hannah B. Bartlett. A fund of $800 was also turned over to the city, by these people who cared for this plot of historic land. The conditions named include "that the above premises when suitably enclosed and adorned by said city, shall forever remain open for light, air, and adornment, for the convenience and accommodation of the owners of estates in said Pine Grove, and of the Public generally."
The city accepted this gift and with the assistance of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts proceeded to restore this battery to its original condition, to build a substantial fence around it and to erect a flag-staff. The Secretary of War gave three thirty-pounder guns (Actually, Eighteen Pound American guns), and the Secretary of the Navy gave the gun carriages. The Massachusetts State Legislature voted to appropriate the sum of $2000. The Cambridge city directory
1861 reported the Earthworks to be five years old in appearance and in excellent condition and the total cost of Fort Washington Park, was $9,504.05.
, that repulsed a British Invasion force on August 10, 1814. The two 18-pound Cannon at Stonington were cast in 1781 in Salisbury, Connecticut
(Stonington Historical Society, article- August 1982, by Henry R. Palmer, Jr), during the Revolution. There are also two 18-pound Cannon at Mount Defiance
in Ticonderoga, New York which are also from the Revolution and also of the similar cast.
The three 18-pounders were among those over-age cannon which were removed from the original Fort Warren, on Governor's Island, when a new Fort Warren
was built on George's Island. Mr. Marcus Morton, of Cambridge, learned by correspondence with the Historical Section of the Chief of Ordnance in Washington, in 1942, that the gun carriages were cast by the West Point Foundry
on the Hudson River, and he discovered in the city records that it cost the city the sum of $13.50 to bring these guns from Governor's Island to Cambridge.
Of course guns of this size would never have been placed by Washington at this insignificant earthwork, even if the Americans had had enough large cannon. These particular guns are, therefore, out of place in any such work as this little "half-moon battery”, but as they have now been there for some 150 years and as they were presumably given, to the city with the understanding that they were to be kept there, it would be inappropriate to remove them. Besides, smaller pieces would probably have been "borrowed" from such an open space long before this time. These American 18-pound cannon illustrate the progress of American industry from 1775 to 1783.
These cannon are identical, except for the numbers and weights marked upon them. They are numbered 45, 36, and 40; and their weighs are shown as 30-0-13, 30-0-17, and 30-0-16, respectively, (in cwt., qrs., and lbs.). Those figures correspond to 3375, 3377, and 3376 pounds. The bore is approximately 5 5/8 inches; the diameter of a 18-pound sphere of cast iron is 5.1 inches; the excess diameter of the bore (called windage) was usually about ¼ inch, or a little bit more, to allow for irregularities in the bore of the guns and the casting of the balls. The next larger standard size for cannon of that period was 24 lb., which would require a bore of at least 5.9 inches.
MARCH 1934:.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. It was built by the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
under the orders of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in November 1775. It is the oldest surviving fortification from 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...
, built by American soldiers, and the only surviving fortification from the Siege of Boston
Siege of Boston
The Siege of Boston was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War, in which New England militiamen—who later became part of the Continental Army—surrounded the town of Boston, Massachusetts, to prevent movement by the British Army garrisoned within...
. Fort Washington was placed on the List of Registered Historic Places in Massachusetts on April 3, 1973.
American Revolution
In a letter to Joseph ReedJoseph Reed (jurist)
Joseph Reed was a Pennsylvania lawyer, military officer, and statesman of the Revolutionary Era. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and, while in Congress, signed the Articles of Confederation...
dated Cambridge, November 27, 1775, George Washington wrote, "I have caused two three gun half moon batteries to be thrown up for occasional use." The second three gun half moon battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
was obliterated along with all other extensive siege works constructed by the British and Continental armies during the siege of Boston.
These batteries and other minor works are shown on a map engraved by Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham (engraver)
Henry Pelham , American painter, engraver, and cartographer, was born in Boston, where his father, Peter Pelham, limner, engraver, and schoolmaster, had married Mary Copley, widow of Richard Copley and mother of John Singleton Copley. His father died in 1751...
, made for the British in 1775 and 1776, and may well have been assumed by them to be of much greater importance than was actually the case.
At the time these little fortifications were constructed, Henry Knox
Henry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
was on his way to Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
to get the best of the cannons which were there and at Fort Crown Point
Fort Crown Point
Crown Point, was a British fort built by the combined efforts of both British and Provincial troops in North America in 1759 at narrows on Lake Champlain on the border between modern New York State and Vermont...
. It was essential that the troops be trained in constructing works in which the guns could be mounted promptly when they were received
Noble train of artillery
The noble train of artillery, also known as the Knox Expedition, was an expedition led by Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox to transport heavy weaponry that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army camps outside Boston, Massachusetts during the winter of 1775–1776.Knox went...
.
Post war
The property was acquired by the City of Cambridge and restored in 1857, at which time three 18 pound cannons from the old Fort Warren (located on Governor's IslandGovernors Island (Massachusetts)
Governors Island was an island in Boston Harbor in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The island was subsumed by land reclamation for the construction and extension of Logan International Airport....
) were installed, and an elaborate granite and iron fence was designed by architect John R. Hall to protect the site.
The best statement about the transfer to the city of the Fort Washington property seems to be that contained in the "Historic Guide to Cambridge", compiled by members of Hannah Winthrop Chapter, DAR, in 1907, on pages 179-180. It is as follows:
The three gun battery at the foot of Allston Street retains the semblance of a fort, and is called Fort Washington. The land where this battery was thrown up had been held in common from the close of the Revolution till 1857, when it was deeded to the city by the following persons: Edmund T. and Elizabeth Hastings, Mary E. Dana, Joseph A. and Penelope Willard, John and Hannah B. Bartlett. A fund of $800 was also turned over to the city, by these people who cared for this plot of historic land. The conditions named include "that the above premises when suitably enclosed and adorned by said city, shall forever remain open for light, air, and adornment, for the convenience and accommodation of the owners of estates in said Pine Grove, and of the Public generally."
The city accepted this gift and with the assistance of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts proceeded to restore this battery to its original condition, to build a substantial fence around it and to erect a flag-staff. The Secretary of War gave three thirty-pounder guns (Actually, Eighteen Pound American guns), and the Secretary of the Navy gave the gun carriages. The Massachusetts State Legislature voted to appropriate the sum of $2000. The Cambridge city directory
City directory
A city directory is a listing of residents, streets, businesses, organizations or institutions, giving their location in a city. Antedating telephone directories, they have been in use for centuries....
1861 reported the Earthworks to be five years old in appearance and in excellent condition and the total cost of Fort Washington Park, was $9,504.05.
Cannons
The guns standing in the embrasures are 18-pounders and were cast during or shortly after the revolution. They are of very similar, if not the same cast as the two 18-pounders at Stonington, ConnecticutStonington, Connecticut
The Town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut, in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, Wequetequock, the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic...
, that repulsed a British Invasion force on August 10, 1814. The two 18-pound Cannon at Stonington were cast in 1781 in Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwest-most in the State of Connecticut. The MA-NY-CT Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Salisbury...
(Stonington Historical Society, article- August 1982, by Henry R. Palmer, Jr), during the Revolution. There are also two 18-pound Cannon at Mount Defiance
Mount Defiance
Mount Defiance is an high hill on the New York side of Lake Champlain, in the northeastern United States. It is notable in that the hill militarily dominates both Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Independence, but it was deemed inaccessible so never fortified. Mount Defiance was previously known as...
in Ticonderoga, New York which are also from the Revolution and also of the similar cast.
The three 18-pounders were among those over-age cannon which were removed from the original Fort Warren, on Governor's Island, when a new Fort Warren
Fort Warren (Massachusetts)
Fort Warren is a historic fort on the 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...
was built on George's Island. Mr. Marcus Morton, of Cambridge, learned by correspondence with the Historical Section of the Chief of Ordnance in Washington, in 1942, that the gun carriages were cast by the West Point Foundry
West Point Foundry
The West Point Foundry was an early ironworks in Cold Spring, New York that operated from 1817 to 1911. Set up to remedy deficiencies in national armaments production after the War of 1812, it became most famous for its production of Parrott rifles and other munitions during the Civil War, although...
on the Hudson River, and he discovered in the city records that it cost the city the sum of $13.50 to bring these guns from Governor's Island to Cambridge.
Of course guns of this size would never have been placed by Washington at this insignificant earthwork, even if the Americans had had enough large cannon. These particular guns are, therefore, out of place in any such work as this little "half-moon battery”, but as they have now been there for some 150 years and as they were presumably given, to the city with the understanding that they were to be kept there, it would be inappropriate to remove them. Besides, smaller pieces would probably have been "borrowed" from such an open space long before this time. These American 18-pound cannon illustrate the progress of American industry from 1775 to 1783.
These cannon are identical, except for the numbers and weights marked upon them. They are numbered 45, 36, and 40; and their weighs are shown as 30-0-13, 30-0-17, and 30-0-16, respectively, (in cwt., qrs., and lbs.). Those figures correspond to 3375, 3377, and 3376 pounds. The bore is approximately 5 5/8 inches; the diameter of a 18-pound sphere of cast iron is 5.1 inches; the excess diameter of the bore (called windage) was usually about ¼ inch, or a little bit more, to allow for irregularities in the bore of the guns and the casting of the balls. The next larger standard size for cannon of that period was 24 lb., which would require a bore of at least 5.9 inches.
Massachusetts State Legislature Legislative ACT Chap. 460
The Massachusetts State Legislature, in 1965, approved the following Legislative ACT Chap. 460, so that Fort Washington would be protected as a National Historic Monument.Image gallery
The following images are from the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Survey number HABS MA-2-48,MARCH 1934:.