Fort Carroll (Curtis Bay, Baltimore County, Maryland)

Curtis Bay, Baltimore County · Maryland · Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I

Quick BriefFort Carroll is a 3.4-acre artificial island and abandoned hexagonal sea fort in the middle of the Patapsco River, just south of Baltimore, Maryland, named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Brevet-Colonel Robert E. Lee designed the hexagonal structure and supervised the construction, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commenced in 1848. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Civil WarCoastal defense

History & Significance

In 1847, Maryland permitted the United States War Department to construct a fort in Soller's Point Flats to protect Baltimore. Fort Carroll was important for the defense of Baltimore—before its construction, Fort McHenry was the only military defensive structure between Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay.

The fort was part of the "Permanent System" or Third System construction program, which aimed to defend America's most important ports. The fort received its name on October 8, 1850.

In April 1861, at the American Civil War outbreak, Fort Carroll's walls were still less than half the planned height of thirty feet. Only five gun platforms were ready, and only two were armed.

Still, the Army placed about thirty cannons and occupied the fort throughout the war. In April 1864, torrential rains flooded the fort's magazines, which led the Army to move all the powder and ammunition to Fort McHenry.

When the United States entered the Spanish–American War in 1898, the Army again defended the fort, although the batteries were completely obsolete by then. The Army commenced the construction of modern concrete gun emplacements following the Board of Fortifications designs.

The Army created three batteries: Battery Towson (two 12" barbette carriage guns), Battery Heart (two 5-inch M1897 guns on balanced pillar mounts) and Battery Augustin (two 3" balanced pedestal-mount guns). In March 1921, the Army officially abandoned Fort Carroll and moved whatever military equipment was left to nearby Fort Howard.