During the first half of the 19th century, the United States was forced to expand its fortifications to protect its harbors and strategic waterways. Built over six years, Fort Hamilton became part of the Third System of fortifications erected throughout New York. The fort is named after one of the founders of the United States. From the day it was built, this defensive structure had two missions.
The first was to support countermeasures against enemy military ships attempting to pass through the Narrows, the main entrance to New York Harbor. The second was to defend itself and other forts from infantry attacks from land. Its dry moat was a carefully designed zone for destroying enemy infantry. For this purpose, a caponizer was built — a flanking battery designed to defend the rear of Fort Hamilton from attacks, specifically by infantry. Today, the caponizer houses a museum and is a rare example of military architecture. For more details, see: brooklyn-yes.com.
History of construction
Construction of Fort Hamilton began in 1825 and was completed in 1831. It became part of New York’s Third Coastal Defense System and was named after Alexander Hamilton. The fort served as an important military facility during various conflicts, including the Civil War, two world wars, and the Korean War, functioning as a center for training and defense.
It should be noted that even before its construction, the site on which the fortification was built already had important strategic significance. It was here on July 4, 1776, that American troops attempted, but ultimately failed, to prevent British soldiers from bringing in warships to suppress the American War of Independence. In that confrontation, British ships entered the Verrazano Narrows, where the British were able to land.
At that time, the Americans managed to damage only one ship, the HMS Asia, a 64-gun third-rate ship of the Royal Navy. It was built by Thomas Bucknell. The Asia was launched on March 3, 1764, at the Portsmouth Shipyard.
However, this military defeat gave the Americans an idea that military facilities on the east coast should become an integral part of the country’s defense. Later, during the War of 1812, it was here that American troops repelled British ships, preventing them from mooring.
Moreover, in 1812, even primitive earthen fortifications, originally built on soft ground, proved their effectiveness. But by 1825, the matter was taken seriously. The buildings and walls that now make up Fort Hamilton were planned and garrisoned, and built of granite.
Another interesting fact is that from the very beginning, it was officially called Fort Lewis, but unofficially it was called Hamilton. It was named after Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Later, in the 20th century, the name was officially changed.
Therefore, it is not surprising that, as a garrison, Fort Hamilton often hosted the most famous figures in the history of the United States, including Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Later, it became a Union fortification during the American Civil War and a place for the redistribution of troops in the two world wars of the 20th century.
Reconstruction and modernization of weapons
During its existence, the fort was part of a system of coastal batteries that covered the sectors of fire with Fort Lafayette. The latter was destroyed during the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. This freed up space for construction. The coastal defense system also included Fort Tompkins and Fort Richmond, which were used to guard the Narrows. Fort Tompkins and Fort Richmond were later merged to create another new-old fort, Fort Wadsworth, which is no longer a military post.
In 1839, after receiving permission from the federal government, the 27th Regiment conducted military training at the fort, after which Fort Hamilton became the first training camp of the United States National Guard. The mission of Fort Hamilton to this day includes the task of supporting military facilities for the US Army Reserve and the National Guard. The units that were formed at Fort Hamilton were the 12th Infantry Regiment in 1861, the 21st Infantry Regiment in 1862, and the 5th Coastal Artillery in 1925.
In the 1880s, Secretary of War William C. Endicott recognized that the US coastal defenses were outdated and no longer capable of performing their primary function of protecting cities and coastlines. Consequently, a new phase of fortification was undertaken, and the guns were modernized. Specifically, muzzle-loading smoothbore guns were replaced with concealed breech-loading rifled guns and electrically controlled barrier mines. Of course, the new defense system and weapons were visually more reliable, but since they were never used, they were not challenged or criticized.
Another significant chapter in the life of Fort Hamilton was the Civil War and the two world wars of the 20th century. During the Civil War, this outpost defended the harbor from Confederate raiders and provided troops to suppress draft riots. Although both world wars took place far beyond the borders of the United States, the fort played a crucial role as a center for assembling and dispatching troops to theaters of war.
The last coastal defense gun at Fort Hamilton was removed in 1948. It should be noted that no enemy ever sailed their ship within its range. In the 1970s, Fort Hamilton was home to the U.S. Army Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain School until the facility was moved to Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Contemporary history
Currently, Fort Hamilton is the only military facility in the New York metropolitan area that houses the New York Recruiting Battalion, the Military Processing Center, the headquarters of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ North Atlantic Division, the 1179th Transportation Brigade. It also houses the 722nd Aeromedical Squadron.
In addition, in response to current realities, Fort Hamilton provides, on order, defense support to civilian authorities in the New York area of operations. This was done in response to the events of September 11, the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, and operations to combat COVID-19. Among the pleasant modern missions is the provision of essential services to approximately 50,000 veterans, retirees, civilian employees of the Department of Defense, military personnel, and their families. This includes those who are still working and those who are already retired.
The fort is the fourth-oldest United States Army facility. To this day, it is located in southern Brooklyn near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and is “the face of the US Army in New York.”
Музей оборони гавані
The New York Harbor Defense Museum is also located on the fort’s grounds. Its mission is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret historically significant materials related to the history of Fort Hamilton or the defense of the New York coast. The museum is located in part of the original stone fort garrison, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Harbor Defense Museum has a large collection of military artifacts dating from the American Revolution to World War II.
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