Fort Rodman (New Bedford, Massachusetts)

New Bedford · Massachusetts · American Civil War

History & Significance

Construction began in 1857 under the third system of US fortifications, and in 1862 Henry Robert, author of Robert's Rules of Order and an Army Corps of Engineers officer, oversaw construction. The fort had emplacements for 72 cannon in three tiers, with a fourth tier removed from the design to allow more timely completion, and construction was halted in 1871, leaving the fort incomplete.

When the Civil War began in April 1861, the Fort at Clark's Point was still years from completion. A small earthwork with six cannon named Fort Taber was built nearby with city resources and provided temporary defense until the stone fort was garrisoned in 1863.

In 1898, the military reservation was officially named Fort Rodman in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Logan Rodman. The Endicott period batteries at Fort Rodman were built 1898–1902.

During World War II, the Harbor Defenses of New Bedford were garrisoned by the 23rd Coast Artillery from February 1940 through October 1944, a unit redesignated as a regiment from September 1943 through February 1944. Fort Rodman never saw any combat, but it remained in use as a coastal defense facility throughout World War I and World War II.

In 1946, with the war over, Fort Rodman was disarmed and subsequently turned over to the Commonwealth. In the 1970s, the entire Fort Rodman complex acreage was partially sold to the City of New Bedford for future educational and park purposes.

Map

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Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Rodman
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbor_Defenses_of_New_Bedford
• https://forttaber.org/history-of-the-fort/
• https://www.loc.gov/item/ma1460/
• https://lostnewengland.com/2023/07/fort-rodman-new-bedford-massachusetts/

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