Fort Hamilton, New York
| Fort Hamilton | |
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| New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York | |
Fort Hamilton Seal
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 Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton
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| Coordinates | 40°36′22″N 74°01′51″W / 40.60611°N 74.03083°WCoordinates: 40°36′22″N 74°01′51″W / 40.60611°N 74.03083°W |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army |
| Open to the public |
partly |
| Condition | partly demolished, remainder occupied |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1825-1831 |
| Built by | Simon Bernard |
| In use | 1825-present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander |
Col. Peter Sicoli as of July 2016 |
| Past commanders |
Major Benjamin Kendrick Pierce Captain Abner Doubleday Captain Robert E. Lee (post engineer) |
| Garrison | Brooklyn, New York |
Historic Fort Hamilton is located in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, and is one of several posts that are part of the region which is headquartered by the Military District of Washington. Its mission is to provide the New York metropolitan area with military installation support for the Army National Guard and the United States Army Reserve. The original fort was completed in 1831, with major additions made in the 1870s and 1900s. However, all defenses except about half of the original fort have been demolished or buried.
On 4 July 1776, a small American battery (the Narrows Fort) on the site of today's Fort Hamilton (the east side of the Narrows) fired into one of the British men-of-war convoying troops to suppress the American Revolution. HMS Asia suffered damage and casualties, but opposition to the immense fleet could be little more than symbolic. However, this very significant event marked one of the earliest uses of the site for military purposes.
The War of 1812 underscored the importance of coastal defense (since the British burned parts of Washington, DC) and helped to promote a new round of fort building. The new forts, including Fort Hamilton, were eventually termed the third system of US seacoast forts. The cornerstone for Fort Hamilton was set in place by its designer, Simon Bernard, on June 11 1825. Bernard was previously a French military engineer under Napoleon, who had joined the US Army after Napoleon's defeat in 1815. Six years and a half million dollars later, the fort was ready to receive its garrison, initially Battery F of the 4th US Artillery.
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Wikipedia