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{{short description|Fort on the Severn River}} |
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{{About||the trading post in Canada|Fort Severn First Nation|other uses of the names "Severn" and "Fort Severn"|Severn (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Infobox military installation |
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|name = Fort Severn |
|name = Fort Severn |
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|partof = |
|partof = |
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|location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |
|location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |
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|image =The United States Naval Academy -- Side View.jpg |
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|image_size =200px |
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|caption = Fort Severn in 1853 |
|caption = Fort Severn in 1853 |
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|used = 1808–1845 |
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|demolished = 1909 |
|demolished = 1909 |
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[[File:Fort Severn.jpg|thumb|300px|Fort Severn<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lossing |first=Benson J. |title=The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_pictorial_field-book_of_the_war_of_1812;_or,_Illustrations,_by_pen_and_pencil,_of_the_history,_biography,_scenery,_relics,_and_traditions_of_the_last_war_for_American_independence_(IA_fieldbookswar181200lossrich).pdf |publisher=Harper & Brothers |location=New York |year=1868 |page=181}}</ref>]] |
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'''Fort Severn''', in present-day [[Annapolis, Maryland]], was built in 1808 on the same site as an earlier [[American Revolutionary War]] fort of 1776. Although intended to guard Annapolis harbor from British attack during the [[War of 1812]], it never saw action. The [[United States Navy]] acquired Fort Severn and two other military bases from the United States Army on 19 October 1845, for the purpose of housing the new onshore [[United States Naval Academy]]. The academy used the structure for classrooms until its demolition in 1909. |
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'''Fort Severn''', in present-day [[Annapolis, Maryland]], was built in 1808 on what was known as "Windmill Point", the same site as an earlier [[American Revolutionary War]] fortification of 1776. Although intended to guard the [[Annapolis]] harbor from British attack, it never saw action during the [[War of 1812]] and its Chesapeake campaign in 1813-1814 during frequent [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] [[Royal Navy]] attacks up and down the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. The British fleets used the Bay as a sort of "British Lake" under feared and detested Rear Admiral [[George Cockburn]] and later with the additional fleet under Vice Admiral [[Alexander Cochrane]], attacking and burning numerous Maryland shore towns and farms, eventually including the infamous "[[Burning of Washington]]" in August 1814, and a naval expedition and raid against [[Alexandria, Virginia]] up the [[Potomac River]], and the subsequent unsuccessful attack against [[Baltimore|Baltimore's]] [[Fort McHenry]] (built at a similar time but more elaborate style as Severn) in the [[Battle of Baltimore]], the outlying [[Battle of North Point]] in the following month, resulting in the writing of the poem by [[Frederick, Maryland|Frederick]]/[[Georgetown, D.C.|Georgetown]] lawyer/poet, [[Francis Scott Key]], initially named "The Defence of Fort McHenry", which later set to music became the four-versed song "[[Star Spangled Banner]]", our [[national anthem]]. After a significant number of years of peace between the U.S. and [[Great Britain]], with the signing of numerous treaties adjudicating many of the political and territorial issues with the former "mother country", and with few other opposing powerful nations from [[Europe]], threatening the continent in light of a far more well-trained and powerful American military, the [[United States Department of the Navy]] acquired obsolete Fort Severn, and two other nearby river military bases, from the [[United States Department of War|U.S. War Department]] and the [[United States Army]] on 19 October 1845, for the establishment of the nation's second oldest military college, their future [[United States Naval Academy|"United States Naval School"]] (later renamed the U.S. Naval Academy). The purchase included the ruins of the neighboring fortifications of old Fort Madison, across the [[Severn River]] to the northeast at Greenbury Point (later site of numerous high radio transmission towers for the [[United States Navy|Navy's]] military communications system in the middle 20th Century). The Academy used the structure of the old round-shaped brick-vaulted fort along with the surrounding brick and wood-frame military operations buildings arranged in a row along the shoreline heights of Windmill Point initially for classrooms until its demolition in 1909. The Naval Academy was temporarily evacuated in April 1861, to temporary quarters in [[Newport, Rhode Island]] by passing Massachusetts and New York state militia units aboard several vessels, including the "school ship" for training midshipmen in ship-handling chores, anchored off-shore of the old ''"[[USS Constitution|U.S.F. Constitution]]"'' of the "[[Original six frigates of the United States Navy|Original Six Frigates]]" (nicknamed "Old Ironsides" - second to be launched in October 1797, next to Baltimore's [[USS Constellation (1797)|U.S.F. Constellation]]"'', launched earlier in September) of the first naval building program for the new reorganized American Navy in [[Naval Act of 1794|1794-1797]], since the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] and the days of the old [[Continental Navy]]. With the advent of the [[American Civil War]], local secessionist southern-sympathizers in the surrounding [[Maryland]] and [[Annapolis]] country-side had threatened to capture the old frigate, already then a symbol of American naval history. Federal naval officers and the commandant of the Academy had holed up in the old fort, threatening to destroy both the school and the ships if any armed body of men came too close to the naval reservation in that crucial month of March-April 1861. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===American Revolution=== |
===American Revolution=== |
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[[Walter Dulany]] |
The family of [[Walter Dulany]] acquired land on the [[Severn River (Maryland)|Severn River]] adjacent [[Annapolis, Maryland]], in 1753. The family and the city of Annapolis contributed land for the construction of a fort during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>Soley, ''Sketch of Naval Academy,'' p. 114</ref> |
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===Fort Severn: |
===Fort Severn: 1808–1845=== |
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The War Department constructed Fort Severn in 1808 on |
The War Department constructed Fort Severn in 1808 on {{convert|10|acre}} in Annapolis, Maryland. At a time of worsening tensions between the United States and Great Britain and an embargo against trade, the War Department built Fort Severn as a defense for Annapolis. Located on [[Windmill Point (Annapolis, Maryland)|Windmill Point]], Fort Severn offered protection to harbor of Annapolis, which would have been a key target of the British forces. Although constructed as a more substantial fort than the original, this second Fort Severn never saw military action. Americans suspected that the [[British Army]] might attack the area during the [[War of 1812]], but no conflict occurred at the fort during the war. |
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Soldiers continued to garrison Fort Severn after the war. |
Soldiers continued to garrison Fort Severn after the war. The post surgeon took meteorological observations during 1822. Fort Severn occupied the same 10 acres and several antiquated wooden buildings by 1845. |
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In 1845, |
In 1845, [[Secretary of War]] [[William L. Marcy]] agreed to transfer Fort Severn to the jurisdiction of [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[George Bancroft]], effective 19 October 1845.<ref>Soley, ''Sketch of Naval Academy'', pp. 51-54</ref> In so doing, Secretary Bancroft overcame ongoing congressional opposition to an onshore naval school. |
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===Naval Academy use=== |
===Naval Academy use=== |
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The Navy turned Fort Severn into a classroom building |
The Navy turned Fort Severn into a classroom building for the new onshore [[United States Naval Academy]] for young naval recruits and [[midshipmen]]. The Naval Academy started in October 1845 with 56 midshipmen and seven professors. |
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The leaders developed a new curriculum requiring midshipmen to study at the |
The leaders developed a new curriculum requiring midshipmen to study at the academy for four years (equivalent to classical college education) and to train aboard ships each summer. That format forms the basis of the far more advanced and sophisticated curriculum at the Naval Academy today. The curriculum in the nineteenth century included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French. |
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===Demolition=== |
===Demolition=== |
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Due to deteriorating structure, the Naval Academy demolished the old Fort Severn edifices in 1909. |
Due to deteriorating structure, the Naval Academy demolished the old Fort Severn edifices in 1909. United States Naval Academy expanded in personnel and grandeur. Granite buildings replaced the old wooden structures of Fort Severn. On 28 March 1977, the local chapter of [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] (DAR) placed a plaque in remembrance of the original fort at its former site. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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*Soley |
* {{cite book |last=Soley |first=James Russell |title=Historical Sketch of the United States Naval Academy |date=1876 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6HIFAAAAQAAJ |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C.}} |
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==Footnotes== |
==Footnotes== |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.fortseverndar.4t.com/custom.html DAR Fort Severn website] |
*[http://www.fortseverndar.4t.com/custom.html DAR Fort Severn website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707064426/http://www.fortseverndar.4t.com/custom.html |date=2011-07-07 }} |
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{{USNA}} |
{{USNA}} |
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[[Category:United States Naval Academy]] |
[[Category:United States Naval Academy]] |
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[[Category:Annapolis, Maryland]] |
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Annapolis, Maryland]] |
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[[Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Maryland]] |
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[[Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1909]] |
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Latest revision as of 06:17, 26 April 2024
| Fort Severn | |
|---|---|
| Annapolis, Maryland | |
 Fort Severn in 1853 | |
| Coordinates | 38°58′54″N 76°28′52″W / 38.9818°N 76.4812°W |
| Type | Fortification |
| Site information | |
| Owner | United States Naval Academy |
| Controlled by | United States |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1808 |
| In use | 1808–1845 |
| Demolished | 1909 |
| Battles/wars | None |
Fort Severn, in present-day Annapolis, Maryland, was built in 1808 on the same site as an earlier American Revolutionary War fort of 1776. Although intended to guard Annapolis harbor from British attack during the War of 1812, it never saw action. The United States Navy acquired Fort Severn and two other military bases from the United States Army on 19 October 1845, for the purpose of housing the new onshore United States Naval Academy. The academy used the structure for classrooms until its demolition in 1909.
History[edit]
American Revolution[edit]
The family of Walter Dulany acquired land on the Severn River adjacent Annapolis, Maryland, in 1753. The family and the city of Annapolis contributed land for the construction of a fort during the American Revolutionary War.[2]
Fort Severn: 1808–1845[edit]
The War Department constructed Fort Severn in 1808 on 10 acres (4.0 ha) in Annapolis, Maryland. At a time of worsening tensions between the United States and Great Britain and an embargo against trade, the War Department built Fort Severn as a defense for Annapolis. Located on Windmill Point, Fort Severn offered protection to harbor of Annapolis, which would have been a key target of the British forces. Although constructed as a more substantial fort than the original, this second Fort Severn never saw military action. Americans suspected that the British Army might attack the area during the War of 1812, but no conflict occurred at the fort during the war.
Soldiers continued to garrison Fort Severn after the war. The post surgeon took meteorological observations during 1822. Fort Severn occupied the same 10 acres and several antiquated wooden buildings by 1845.
In 1845, Secretary of War William L. Marcy agreed to transfer Fort Severn to the jurisdiction of Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, effective 19 October 1845.[3] In so doing, Secretary Bancroft overcame ongoing congressional opposition to an onshore naval school.
[edit]
The Navy turned Fort Severn into a classroom building for the new onshore United States Naval Academy for young naval recruits and midshipmen. The Naval Academy started in October 1845 with 56 midshipmen and seven professors.
The leaders developed a new curriculum requiring midshipmen to study at the academy for four years (equivalent to classical college education) and to train aboard ships each summer. That format forms the basis of the far more advanced and sophisticated curriculum at the Naval Academy today. The curriculum in the nineteenth century included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.
Demolition[edit]
Due to deteriorating structure, the Naval Academy demolished the old Fort Severn edifices in 1909. United States Naval Academy expanded in personnel and grandeur. Granite buildings replaced the old wooden structures of Fort Severn. On 28 March 1977, the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) placed a plaque in remembrance of the original fort at its former site.
References[edit]
- Soley, James Russell (1876). Historical Sketch of the United States Naval Academy. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ Lossing, Benson J. (1868). The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812 (PDF). New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 181.
- ^ Soley, Sketch of Naval Academy, p. 114
- ^ Soley, Sketch of Naval Academy, pp. 51-54
External links[edit]
- DAR Fort Severn website Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
Located in: Annapolis, Maryland | ||
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