Castle Island - Fort William - Fort Independence (2)

2010 William J Day Blvd, Boston, MA 02127

This used to be an Island and a British Fortress knows as ‘the Castle’, Then Castle William or Fort William, then Fort Adams in 1778, then Fort Independence (This is the second Fort Independence as the first was in Hull MA from 1776-1782). Whatever it’s name, it's considered the "oldest fortified military site in British North America" It was rebuilt and expanded 6 times prior to the American Revolution, once during it, and twice afterwards. During the Revolutionary War this Fort became a refuge for British soldiers facing colonial upheaval in Boston. In March 1776 the Continental Army fortified nearby Dorchester Heights in the dead of night. General William Howe ordered an attack but due to poor weather had to return to the safety of the fort. By that time there were over 200 guns here with multiple heavily fortified bastions. With the Colonial armies surrounding Boston, General Howe announced the evacuation (See “Dorchester Heights” for more) In evacuating they set the fort on fire and placed land mines to destroy it. After being rebuilt it was used as a state prison for a short time.

During the war of 1812 the fort was again repaired and expanded. This was commonly called America’s Second War of Independence as it bitted the fledgling United States, barely 20 years old, against Great Britain in a conflict that centered on the recognition of American commercial and political rights.

George Washington, in his Farewell Address, laid out this policy of American neutrality in European affairs.

“The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.” – George Washington, 1796

However, both the British and the French expected American support during the war and would not accept American neutrality in the matter. Both sides attacked and impounded American shipping, trusting that the United States Navy was unable to respond effectively, and expecting the ‘democratic experiment’ to fail. The British continued to forcibly conscript American sailors for service in the British Royal Navy. After these diplomatic issues, The United States declared war on Great Britain, thinking this would give the country a chance to attack and capture parts of Canada. However, it’s troops were often ill-disciplined militia with a very small core of professional soldiers against the British massive numbers of experienced troops and the most powerful Navy afloat, known as the Royal Navy.

During this was Castle Williams never had to fire a shot in defense. Admiral Cochrane, the commander of British naval forces in the North American region declined to attack New York Harbor because of the system of coastal defense in place. The four-story masonry fortress with its massed artillery batteries was a sufficient deterrent on its own, guarding the major approaches to Lower Manhattan by sea. Instead, the Royal Navy landed General Ross and his British invasion force on the coast of Maryland. This veteran British force swept aside pitiful American resistance and went on to burn Washington D.C. to the ground.

The War of 1812 was a stalemate in the final analysis. Despite stunning American victories in single-ship actions at sea, like the fight between the USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere, and Andrew Jackson’s defense of New Orleans, the United States had not won enough major battles to call for a favorable peace. Instead, things were restored to the same state of affairs as before the war with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent between the United States and Great Britain. Castle Island remained untested in combat but was active during the World Wars in case of a coastal attack.

Edgar Allan Poe, who served in the Army here briefly in 1827, wrote "The Cask of Amontillado" which was loosely based on an incident that was said to have occurred here in December 1817 which turned out to be legend.

The fort was inactive from 1880 to 1898, briefly reactivated during the Spanish-American War as a mine depot. A two-gun AA battery was built in 1917, but no guns mounted. The old fort was open to the public between the World Wars. An earthen causeway was built in 1925, with a car road added in 1932. A U.S. Navy Degaussing Station was here 1942 - 1945. The fort was finally surplused in 1960. The outer batteries were demolished in 1964, and the ground was leveled to form a park. The surrounding area was also in-filled to connect with the mainland. Open to the public again beginning in 1975.

-Source Links-

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/war-1812-timeline

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-war-1812

https://home.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/castle-williams-and-the-war-of-1812.htm

https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-independence-castle-william.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_William_and_Mary

https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/maboston1.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Defenses_of_Boston

http://fortwiki.com/Fort_Independence_(1)

https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/edgar-allan-poe-writes-a-story-based-on-a-boston-harbor-legend/