Fort Trumbull (New London, Connecticut)
New London · Connecticut · Revolutionary War, Civil War
History & Significance
In 1775, Governor Jonathan Trumbull recommended building a fortification at the port of New London to protect the Connecticut government's seat. The fort was built on a rocky point of land near the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound; it was completed in 1777.
The original earthwork garrison proved vulnerable to attack. On September 6, 1781, the defenders of Fort Trumbull, 23 men led by Captain Shapley, fired a single volley, spiked the guns, and boarded boats to cross the river to Fort Griswold.
After capturing both forts, Arnold's troops burned New London and returned to their ships. The fort was repaired around 1808, then redesigned and rebuilt in 1812 to meet changing military needs under the second system of US fortifications.
The present fortification was built between 1839 and 1852. During the American Civil War, Fort Trumbull served as an organizational center for Union troops and headquarters for the 14th US Infantry Regiment.
Here, troops were recruited and trained before being sent to war. Fort Trumbull was briefly commanded by John F. Reynolds, who rose to the rank of major general and was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
Fort Trumbull served as the headquarters of these forts until it was turned over to the Revenue Cutter Service (later renamed the Coast Guard) in 1910 for use as the Revenue Cutter Academy, which was renamed the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1915. The academy moved to its current location about two miles up the Thames River in 1932.
Fort Trumbull served as the Merchant Marine Officers Training School from 1939 to 1946 and trained over 15,000 of the Merchant Marine officers who served during the Second World War. Fort Trumbull was the location for the Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory from 1946 to 1970, which developed sonar and related systems for US Navy submarines.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Massive five-sided granite coastal defense fort with 19th-century restored military quarters
- Original 1777 Revolutionary War site, rebuilt 1839-1852
- Artillery displays and coastal defense history exhibits
- Thames River mouth location with fishing pier and waterfront views
- State park grounds with walking access to fortification
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Trumbull
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Groton_Heights
- https://ctparks.com/parks/fort-trumbull-state-park
- https://connecticuthistory.org/benedict-arnold-turns-and-burns-new-london/
- https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/deep/stateparks/parks/thebattleofgrotonheightsandtheburningofnewlondonpdf.pdf
- https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71000695/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London,_Connecticut
- https://thereconstructionera.com/fort-trumbull-in-new-london-conn/
Other Forts in Connecticut
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