Battery Weed (Staten Island, New York)
Staten Island · New York · Civil War
History & Significance
The first fort on the site was built by the State of New York beginning in 1806 and was ready for service in 1808, named Fort Richmond after the county in which Staten Island is located. By 1835, Forts Richmond and Tompkins had deteriorated to the point of being declared unfit for use, and in 1847 total reconstructions of both forts began under the federal third system of seacoast fortifications.
Fort Richmond had one landward front and three seacoast fronts, with an unusual four tiers of cannon totaling 116 guns to seaward, plus 24 flank howitzers on the landward front. Both forts were ready for service, though still incomplete, when the Civil War broke out in April 1861.
The Fort Tompkins area was important as a mobilization center in the Civil War, and it was further fortified, but New York City was not attacked in that war, so the fort did not see action. In 1902, the entire fortified area at the Narrows on Staten Island was renamed Fort Wadsworth, with the former Fort Richmond becoming Battery Weed, named for Brigadier General Stephen H. Weed, killed at Gettysburg in 1863. In 1995, Battery Weed, along with the rest of Fort Wadsworth, was transferred to the care of the National Park Service as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, with its interior open to the public on park ranger escorted tours only.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Four-tiered Civil War-era coastal defense fortification with rare architectural design
- Interior cannonry platform with preserved 10-inch Rodman gun
- Gateway National Recreation Area setting with views of New York Harbor
- Park ranger-led tours explaining Third System coastal defense strategy
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_Weed
- https://www.nps.gov/places/000/battery-weed.htm
- https://hmdb.org/m.asp?m=21627
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wadsworth
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Tompkins_(Staten_Island)