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Timothy Pickering report January 16, 1796

4th Congress,
1st session
document number 26

Fortifications

Communicated to the Senate, by the Secretary of War, January 18, 1796.

State of the fortifications of the United States.

War Office, January 16, 1796.

Portland, in the district of Maine. - The works consist of a fort, a citadel, a battery for ten of Canon, an artillery store, a guard house, and an air furnace for heating shot, and a covered way from the fort to the battery.
The works are substantially executed, excepting the covered way; to complete this, the earth on the spot being of a bad quality, with the necessary supports of stones end sides, is estimated at four hundred dollars. Leveling the earth round the works, fencing the land pertaining to them, a pump for the well, painting the woodwork, and rendering the whole perfectly complete, the estimate is four hundred and seventy one dollars, in the whole eight hundred and seventy one dollars.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire. - The works consist of a fort, a citadel, an artillery store, and a reverberatory furnace. These are all completed, excepting a little carpenters work, suspended to let the word season, and which may cost about fifty dollars. But a small and unforeseen expense must be incurred, for a drain to carry the water from the magazine, and may cost one hundred dollars.

Gloucester, (Cape Ann.) - The works consist of a battery and a citadel. These are completed. But to enclose the fort, towards the town, the cost is estimated at one thousand four hundred dollars. This, however, may be postponed till circumstances require it to be done.

Salem. - The works consist of a fort and a citadel, have been erected a gate remains to be made, and some repairs to the walls.

Marblehead. - A battery and and a citadel have been erected. Any other Works may be suspended until circumstances shall change.

Newport, in Rhode Island. - For the defense of this harbor there have been erected, on Goat Island, a fort, a citadel, and an air furnace. The Excellency and importance of this harbor, in time of war, recommend a further expenditure, to render the defense complete. To finish the fort, erect an artillery store, and make a covered way around it, as a regular fortification, the expense is estimated at about six thousand dollars.
There have been erected a citadel on Tammany Hill, back of the town of Newport, for the protection of it's inhabitants, and a battery and guard house, at Holland’s Ferry, at the northern end of the island, to keep open a communication with the main, in case of invasion. But, to secure effectively this communication, a citadel should be erected on Butts’ Hill, that position commanding Holland’s Ferry and Bristol Ferry. The cost is the cost of it is estimated at eighteen hundred dollars.

New London. - The works consist of a fort and citadel, on the Groton side of the harbor, and of a fort, a citadel, and an air furnace, on the New London side. They remain incomplete. Under present circumstances, a small expenditure may be proper, merely to preserve what has been done.

New York. - Governor’s Island has been fortified with a fort made of earth, and two batteries under its protection, partly lined with brick masonry, two air furnaces, a large powder magazine, and a Barrack for the garrison; the whole completed.

Philadelphia. - A large pier, as the foundation for a battery, on a sandbar, opposite Mud Island, to make a crossfire, has been completed. A fort, on Mud Island, is about half done, and a citadel has been erected to complete the fort, and on a plan much more circumscribed then was at first projected. The expense is estimated at fifteen thousand dollars.

Wilmington, in the Delaware State. - Nothing has been done. The project of directing a fort there has been a banded as useless.

Baltimore. - A battery and barracks have been constructed, and some guns are mounted.

Annapolis. - some progress had been made in the construction of a fort and battery, and a barrack has been erected. But an examination of the works by an engineer, other than the one first employed, produced an unfavorable report of the plan of the works; and, under actual circumstances, induced a relinquishment of them.
A similar report as to the plan and situation of the work at

Alexandria. - induced a like relinquishment.

Norfolk. - Two forts, intended to cross their fire, are erected on opposite sides of the harbor. The one on the Norfolk side, with barracks and a powder magazine, is completed. The other, Fort Nelson, on the Portsmouth side, is very far advanced, and a powder magazine has been erected. The principal work remaining to be done is the opening of seven embrasures, completing one ditch of three hundred and sixty feet long, cutting another eleven hundred feet long, completing the glacis, and removing the earth from within side of the fort, where it is two feet and an half to high. The expense of doing this, and completing the fortification, may be estimated at five thousand dollars.

Ocracroke, in North Carolina. - The defense proposed was, to erect a fort or beacon island. The foundation was laid in 1794. The situation is so far removed (about ninety miles) from any inhabitants, and so exposes any works to injuries from storms, that nothing but an impending or actual war would seem to authorize the construction of a fort there, and furnishing it with a proper garrison.

Wilmington, in North Carolina. - The battery, on the whole front of the fort, has been completed, and a barrack and powder magazine have been erected.

Georgetown, South Carolina. - A battery has begun, and materials collected, when the work was suspended, the owner of the land previously desiring to ascertain the terms on which it was to be occupied, for the fortification and for the road of communication with it. The unhealthiness of the situation and other circumstances authorize an abandonment of the work until war, actual or impending, shall require it to be resumed.

Charleston, South Carolina. - The work plan for Sullivan’s Island, of which the foundation only was laid in 1794, being on a scale supposed to extensive for the funds destined to this service, was directed to be left as it was. For the same reason, a new work, proposed by the engineer, on a point on the opposite side of the harbor from Fort Johnston, was not attempted. A battery has been erected in the town, by the mechanics.
There remained only Fort Johnston, on which directions were given to make such repairs as would preserve the works already constructed, and render them serviceable. The engineer omitted the work.
The officer in command at the fort has undertaken to make the necessary repairs of the works and barracks, and his intelligence and experience leave no room to doubt but these will be done.

Savannah, in Georgia - The works consist of a battery, at present destined only for six guns, made of timber filled with earth, and enclosed behind with pickets, with a guard house for the Garrison, which were in train to be completed early the last autumn.

St. Mary's, in Georgia. - The work consists of a battery made of timbers filled with earth, and enclosed with pickets. By the personal report of the superintendent it must have been completed.

General Remark. - The few ports of the highest importance to the commerce of the United States, in situations to demand, for their security, fortifications of such kind and extent as cannot suddenly be erected, prudence may require to have fortified, in time of peace, and with durable materials.

Timothy Pickering

To the President of the Senate of the United States.

Fort Norfolk Documents

Before 1794, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Source of Information

Library of Congress