Last updated: December 16, 2023
Place
Information Panel: Water Battery
NPS/ Claire Hassler
Quick Facts
Amenities
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Information
Construction of this inverted V-shaped outerwork began in 1814. The traces of its shape are visible today. Surrounded by a dry ditch, the Water Battery mounted 24-pounder guns that provided an additional level of firepower to the fort.
The Water Battery underwent two major changes after 1872. The gatehouse and other buildings were removed and construction of earthworks to surround the fort began. Four platforms for 15-inch Rodman guns and three magazines were completed before the government interest and funding waned.
The Edicott System in the 1890s brought the construction of Battery White, the concrete structure that is visible now.
Ricochet Firing
Guns in the Water Battery could ricochet or bounce, shot across the river surface and hit a ship near the waterline causing sever hull damage.
The Water Battery held many structures to support the Fort's operation:
(1) Magazine- stored ammunition
(2) Storehouse- housed gun carriages in peacetimer
(3) Stables- housed workhorses
(4) Saddlers shop- where leather equipment was repaired
(5) Shot furnace- a furnace for heating solid cannon-balls. A red hot shot lodged in a ship's timbers could start a disasterous fire.
(6) Blacksmith shop- where metal items were repaired and manufactured
(7) Gatehouse- included two guardrooms and a bridge over the ditch
The Water Battery underwent two major changes after 1872. The gatehouse and other buildings were removed and construction of earthworks to surround the fort began. Four platforms for 15-inch Rodman guns and three magazines were completed before the government interest and funding waned.
The Edicott System in the 1890s brought the construction of Battery White, the concrete structure that is visible now.
Ricochet Firing
Guns in the Water Battery could ricochet or bounce, shot across the river surface and hit a ship near the waterline causing sever hull damage.
The Water Battery held many structures to support the Fort's operation:
(1) Magazine- stored ammunition
(2) Storehouse- housed gun carriages in peacetimer
(3) Stables- housed workhorses
(4) Saddlers shop- where leather equipment was repaired
(5) Shot furnace- a furnace for heating solid cannon-balls. A red hot shot lodged in a ship's timbers could start a disasterous fire.
(6) Blacksmith shop- where metal items were repaired and manufactured
(7) Gatehouse- included two guardrooms and a bridge over the ditch