On July 4th, 1799, the flag was hoisted and a stirring salute commenced at the battery, which concluded with three cheers from the whole assembly. And so, Fort Adams was born.
Although elegantly constructed under the supervision of Major Louis Tousard, a French Army engineer who was wounded during the 1778 Battle of Rhode Island, it soon fell into disrepair with the aftermath of the War of 1812. However, President James Madison and his successor James Monroe convinced Congress to fund a true system of coastal defenses consisting of coastal fortifications, a strong navy, a standing army supported by local militia, and a communications network of roads. Along the eastern seaboard, the protection of Narragansett Bay was deemed to be of primary importance since it is the only waterway on the east coast accessible with a northwest wind. Thus it was selected for a series of fortifications, and Fort Adams was reborn as one of the country’s largest, premier coastal fortifications.
Located outside the City’s Harbor business district, the fort and its outerworks cover over twenty acres. The main fort designed to defend against naval attacks, has provisions for 468 cannons, a peace time garrison of 200 troops, and a siege garrison of 2400 artillerists and infantry. Outside the main fort are the most impressive land defenses of any seacoast fortification of its caliber. The fort’s irregularly shaped form covers almost the entire point of land – leaving very little for an attacking enemy to land. The bastions provide enfilading cannon and musket fire down the curtains from as many as eight guns on the channel front. In total, the channel fronts provide positions for twenty four 32 pdr cannons or larger in casemates, and twenty four similar sized cannons mounted enbarbette on the parapet of the north wall. The main battery of armament consisted of over 200 cannons ranging in size from 24 pdrs to 52 pdrs all mounted on the west wall in three tiers.
Under attack, this array of weapons could fire over 5000 shots in an hour at an attacking armada. Such a barrage equates to over ten tons of metal fired at a flotilla of eight to ten ships.
These remarkable defenses incorporate all of the knowledge gained over 300 years of building forts and castles throughout Europe. Brigadier General Simon Bernard, aide-de-camp to Napoleon and an expert in military fortification design and construction brought this knowledge to America. In 1831, he returned to France leaving Brevet Colonel Joseph G. Totten, USA, Engineer Department with the responsibility for constructing the chain of seacoast fortifications authorized by Congress, and he personally oversaw the design and construction of Fort Adams from 1824 through 1857. At the turn of the 20th century, five Endicott batteries mounting 13-inch guns were constructed along the ridge above the shore. These newer guns added significantly more firepower to the seaward defenses.
18th and 19th century fortifications always accounted for the possibility of a long siege by an enemy army. Therefore, Fort Adams has an intricate system of outworks that follow the classical principle of siege defense providing
positions that could be successively abandoned as the siege continued. There are three levels of defenses immediately outside the landward wall of the fort. They encircle the outer wall of the fort from the southeast bastion to the shoreline. Each is separated from the other by a thirty-foot ditch. These outworks are interconnected by a series of underground tunnels as well as passageways which are defended with musket ports. The underground tunnels are connected to the fort proper. One leg of these tunnels extends from the main fort into the bay. This tunnel provides a means of escape as well as a means for flooding the entire tunnel system.
The furthermost defensive position is the redoubt located adjacent to the Commanding Officers quarters. Both of these positions are connected to the underground tunnel system as well as an underground command center. The redoubt is also connected to an underground tunnel leading to a minefield located east of the Officers quarters. The most unique feature of the redoubt is the double spiral staircase that leads to the ramparts. These spiral staircases winding over each other do not exist in any other 19th century seacoast fortification. The view from the rampart is spectacular, providing a clear view of Newport Harbor and the outer defenses.
The twenty acres of brick and stone fortifications were constructed by young Irish immigrants fleeing from the famine that struck Ireland in the early 19th century. Many of their ancestors still reside in Newport and surrounding communities.
The history of Fort Adams is unique in many respects. Narragansett Bay had always been coveted, first by pirates in the 16th and 17th centuries and then by France and Great Britain who were looking to expand their influence in the New World. However, once the design for Fort Adams and its counter-batteries was made known and all were under construction, no naval force dared to attack Rhode Island. Fort Adams with its counter-battery forts and the Navy’s warships made Narragansett Bay impregnable and it became a training facility for artillery warfare. Trained here with the latest weaponry troops were sent to war, oftentimes taking the fort’s cannons with them. War never came to Fort Adams.
On June 30, 1952 the last U.S. Army unit was demobilized and Fort Adams was turned over to the Navy. In 1965 the Navy deeded the property to the State of Rhode Island for a public recreational historic attraction. However, a lack of funds coupled with weathering and vandalism resulted in extensive deterioration of the structures and the fort was closed.
In 1972 the R.I. General Assembly established the Fort Adams Foundation, and in 1994 a group of concerned citizens formed the Fort Adams Trust. Together they have created a new collaboration comprised of federal, state and private organizations that is devoted to raising funds and restoring, developing and operating the fort as a cultural, recreational and educational facility under the theme “History you can touch.”
The fort is open during the summer while the restoration is in process.
We welcome visitors to take guided tours that include some of the tunnels.
The Visitor’s Center gift shop offers tour tickets, souvenirs and
memberships. Arrangements can also be made for group tours, and to rent
the fort for events and special functions.
www.FortAdams.org
Phone: 401-841-0707
- by Frank Stewart Hale II
© 2002 Newport Harbor Guide. All rights reserved.