From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fort Montgomery (Lake Champlain)
Fort Montgomery (Lake Champlain)
Fort Montgomery a mile south, effectively placing the fort in Canada, all
construction on this first fort stopped and the site was
U.S. National Register of Historic Places abandoned. Much of its material was scavenged by the lo-
cals for use in their own homes and public buildings. No
evidence has come to light that this first fort was ever
named, with most contemporary documents simply re-
ferring to it as the "works", "fortification", or "battery"
at Rouse’s Point. It is often mistakenly referred to as Fort
Montgomery.[2] The site of the first fort was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places under the name "Fort
Montgomery" in 1977.[1]
The remaining southern 2 bastions and curtain (wall) of Fort Montgomery
Fort Montgomery, July 17, 2011. Note the numerous rifle
It was ultimately decided that a second fort would be
loopholes on the lower level.
constructed on the site after the Webster-Ashburton
Location: Rouses Point, Champlain, New York, Treaty of 1842 ceded strategically important Island Point,
USA the site of the 1816 fort and the northernmost point on
Built: 1844 Lake Champlain, to the United States. Construction be-
gan on the new fortification two years later in 1844,
Architect: Montgomery C. Meigs; Joseph Totten
dubbed Fort Montgomery, in honor of the Revolutionary
Governing body: Private War hero General Richard Montgomery who was killed
at Quebec City during the 1775 invasion of Canada. Fort
NRHP Reference#: 77000937
Montgomery was one of a very few "Permanent" or
Added to NRHP: August 22, 1977[1] "Third System" forts built along the Northern Frontier,
most being constructed along the Atlantic Coast. Work
Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain refers to the sec- on the fort remained almost continuous through 1870,
ond of two American forts built at the northernmost with the peak of construction taking a frenzied pace dur-
point on the lake: a first, unnamed fort built on the same ing the American Civil War, amidst rumors of possible
site in 1816 and Fort Montgomery built in 1844. British intervention against the Union from Canada. Pos-
The current massive stone fortification, the second sibly to assuage those concerns, a detachment of the 14th
fort, was built between 1844 and 1871 at the US/Canada U.S. Infantry was actually garrisoned at the fort for three
border of Lake Champlain at Island Point in the village of months in 1862. These fears were eventually proven to be
Rouses Point, New York. not that far-fetched when the St. Albans Raid, the north-
ernmost action of the Civil War, took place in nearby
Background Vermont in 1864 involving an incursion by Confederate
forces from Canada.
See also: Canada and the American Civil War
"Fort Blunder" Over the roughly 30 year period of Fort Montgomery’s
Construction was begun on the first fort at this location, construction, no expense was spared and the work repre-
an octagonal structure with 30 foot high walls, in 1816 sented some of the most advanced and cutting edge mili-
to protect against an attack from British Canada such tary technology of the day. At peak points on the project,
as that which led to the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814. the labor force consisted of roughly 400 skilled stone-
In July 1817, President James Monroe visited the incom- cutters and masons plying their trades at the site. When
plete fortification and the adjacent military reservation its basic structure was completed, the fortification boast-
known locally as "the commons". However, due to an ed walls some 48 feet high and gun emplacements for
earlier surveying error it was later found that this first 125 cannon on three tiers. The fort was also one of only
fort was inadvertently built on the Canadian side of the nine examples constructed in the United States to have
border, resulting in its sometimes being better known as a moat, another being Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortu-
"Fort Blunder". When a new survey discovered that the gas. This made Fort Montgomery essentially surround-
45th parallel was actually located some three-quarters of ed on all sides by water and accessible only by a re-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fort Montgomery (Lake Champlain)
tractable drawbridge from the land side. An interesting such as explosive shells and rapid-firing rifled cannon,
and innovative design feature in its own right, this draw- the military importance of masonry fortifications such as
bridge could be mechanically pivoted on a central balan- Fort Montgomery was rapidly drawing to a close. Tech-
ce point with one end raising to block the entrance and nology now existed which could allow an enemy force
the other end dropping into a curved pit in the postern, to quickly and easily reduce their massive casemates and
or sally port, behind the doorway like a see-saw. Raising walls to piles of rubble. The last decade of the 19th cen-
this bridge would effectively cut off the fort from any en- tury slowly saw the removal of the old fort’s guns, now
trance by land as the bottom of the fort’s doorway stood long obsolete. By 1900, 37 guns were still present and by
a full 15 feet above the water of the moat or "wet ditch" 1901, that number had decreased to 20.[3] Purportedly
below. A similar entrance from the lake side, known as a the last of the larger guns were removed and taken down
"water gate," also utilized a drawbridge which accessed the lake by barge around 1909. After being loaded onto
a dock extending from the fort into the lake. Directly be- railroad cars at Plattsburgh, many of the iron cannons
hind the fort itself, between it and the actual shoreline, met their end being melted down for their scrap value in
a massive man made island was constructed. Standing Philadelphia. Following this period the now empty fort
higher than the fort itself, this earthen berm was known was watched over by a caretaker, usually a retired soldier
as the "cover face" and protected the fort against an en- who lived in a nearby house and patrolled the grounds.
emy on land being able to utilize heavy siege guns to re-
duce the walls. It was connected to the land by a nar-
row stone causeway and to the fort itself by a bridge. Also
Disposal
during the fort’s later construction, Chief Engineer of the In 1926 the United States Government sold Fort Mont-
U.S. Army Joseph Totten invented an iron reinforced em- gomery along with its adjacent Military Reservation at
brasure for cannon which would better protect the gun- public auction. During the period of disuse which fol-
ners inside a fort, an upgrade which was retrofitted in- lowed, as had also happened with the abandoned 1816
to Fort Montgomery’s design on its unfinished upper gun fortification, many locals visited the fort, carting off un-
tier, while the lower, already completed level sported the told amounts of lumber, bricks, windows, and doors for
older style brick embrasures. Totten was no stranger to use in their homes and other buildings. Ultimately most
the area and had served as a Major under Generals Izard of the fort, aside from the gutted westward facing offi-
and Macomb at the 1814 Battle of Plattsburgh where he cer’s quarters, a small portion of the southern wall and
had been in charge of laying out the American defensive three bastions (two of which remain today), was demol-
fortifications and had later been brevetted to Lieutenant- ished in 1936-1937. Its massive stones were crushed and
Colonel for gallantry under fire. dumped into the lake for fill to construct a nearby bridge
Initially designed to be manned by a force of 800 men, between Rouses Point, New York and Alburg, Vermont.
the fort was never fully garrisoned and mainly took on The property had a number of private owners before it
a role as a military deterrent along the border. Many of was sold in 1983 to Victor Podd, Sr.[4] who constructed
the 3rd system forts by design were never permanently the headquarters of the Powertex Corporation on the ad-
garrisoned, ultimately intended to be waiting and ready jacent "Commons" to the west of the fort. Island Point,
for action only if needed. Contrary to local lore, howev- the actual fort site, was left untouched. During the
er, although the fort never fired a shot in anger, this does mid-1980s Podd worked with local historical societies to
not mean the fort was never armed. According to War have the State of New York purchase the property with
Department records, in 1886 when Fort Montgomery was a view toward possible restoration of the site. Despite
most heavily armed, it mounted 74 guns of its full 125 being offered the fort at no cost, negotiations were un-
gun capacity, including 8 inch and 10 inch Rodman can- successful and the State declined to accept the property.
non. Most of these guns were mounted training north- Since May 2006 Podds’ heirs have attempted to sell the
ward towards Canada. Although never placed in position, fort on eBay. The first auction ended on June 5, 2006, with
two massive 15 inch Rodmans were present at the site for a winning bid of $5,000,310. However, the sale was not
years sitting on the parade ground waiting to be mount- completed, and the fort and lands surrounding it remain
ed atop the wall. In 1880, Commanding General of the for sale. [1]
Army William Tecumseh Sherman toured the fortifica- There are current concerns among local preserva-
tion and was so impressed with the magnitude of the site, tionists that what remains of the fort today is in danger
he returned to Washington and intended to have the mil- of a catastrophic structural collapse. This is in part due
itary garrison at nearby Plattsburgh Barracks stationed to the removal of iron reinforcing rods, emplaced around
instead at the fort. Due to the outcry of many prominent 1886, which were likely cut out for their scrap value dur-
local citizens, however, the troop movement never took ing the wartime scrap metal drives of World War II. These
place. rods were originally devised to brace up and support the
In the years following the Civil War, with the intro- massive weight of the fort’s detached outer wall face, a
duction of much more modern and powerful armaments defensive element of the fort’s construction which later
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fort Montgomery (Lake Champlain)
proved over time to be a structural flaw. Previously a [5] Bastions on the Border: The Great Stone Forts at
third remaining bastion on the northern side of the fort Rouses Point on Lake Champlain by James P. Millard,
suffered a similar collapse and was completely destroyed p. 2009
in 1980, mostly falling into the moat. [6] sale sign taken from canoe on the eastern side of
In September 2008, The Preservation League of New the fort.
York listed Fort Montgomery as one of their "Seven to
Save" properties. This listing effectively recognized the
historical significance of the Fort Montgomery ruins. It
Further reading
also identified the ruins as being in dire need of stabiliza- • Millard, J. (2005). Fort Montgomery: Through the
tion and preservation.[5] years...A Pictorial History of the Great Stone Fort on Lake
A sign at the fort location indicates the asking price Champlain. America’s Historic Lakes. ISBN
for the fort plus 94.0 acres to be $2,950,000[6]. 978-0-9749854-2-8
• Millard, J. (2009). Bastions on the Border: The Great Stone
Forts at Rouses Point on Lake Champlain. America’s
References Historic Lakes. ISBN 0-9749854-1-4
[1] ^ "National Register Information System". National
Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/
External links
docs/All_Data.html. • Fort Montgomery (at Rouse’s Point) history and tour
[2] Fort Montgomery, Through the Years by James -from America’s Historic Lakes
Millard, p. 2005 • "Fort Montgomery for Sale on EBay" -from The
[3] Fort Montgomery Through the Years by James P. Plattsburgh Press-Republican
Millard, p. 2005 • Fort Montgomery - The old fort nobody wants
[4] CBC News, May 20, 2006, "Civil War fort for sale, • Current photos of Fort Montgomery
minutes from Montreal", retrieved on 2010-03-09. Coordinates: 45°00′20″N 73°20′56″W / 45.0056°N
73.3490°W / 45.0056; -73.3490
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/in-
dex.php?title=Fort_Montgomery_(Lake_Champlain)&oldid=456144316"
Categories:
• Forts in New York
• Buildings and structures in Clinton County, New York
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