Fort Preble
| Fort Preble | |
|---|---|
| Part of Harbor Defenses of Portland | |
| South Portland, Maine | |
Fort Preble, showing some of the incomplete Third System casemates built during the Civil War. Spring Point Ledge Light and Fort Gorges are in the background.
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 Fort Preble
Location in Maine
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| Coordinates | 43°38′55″N 70°13′35″W / 43.64861°N 70.22639°WCoordinates: 43°38′55″N 70°13′35″W / 43.64861°N 70.22639°W |
| Type | Coastal Defense |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Southern Maine Community College |
| Open to the public |
yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1808 |
| Built by | United States Army |
| In use | 1808-1950 |
| Battles/wars |
War of 1812 American Civil War World War I World War II |
Fort Preble was a military fort in South Portland, Maine, United States, built in 1808 and progressively added to through 1906. It is now on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.
Secretary of War Henry Dearborn authorized construction of Fort Preble in 1808 with his son, Massachusetts Militia officer and future general Henry A. S. Dearborn, supervising the construction. The fort was named in honor of Commodore Edward Preble, who led a squadron of American warships during the Barbary Wars. Preble died in Portland in 1807 and is buried there.
The initial construction at Fort Preble was part of the Second System of US fortifications. It was a star fort made of stone, brick, and sod, with 14 heavy guns including two 50-pounder (7.25-inch, 184 mm) Columbiads. The fort is described in the Secretary of War's report for December 1811 as "an enclosed star fort of masonry, with a circular battery with flanks; mounting 14 heavy guns (with) barracks for one company".
Along with Fort Scammell on nearby House Island, Fort Preble was built to deter attack by a hostile power in the event the United States was considered a belligerent in the ongoing conflict between Great Britain and Napoleonic France. In October 1808, Dearborn ordered a company of the Regiment of Light Artillery under Captain Joseph Chandler to occupy the fort and instructed them to do whatever was necessary to enforce the Embargo Act against embargo-breaking ships. The embargo was an attempt to punish Britain and France for actions against US shipping by prohibiting exports to them; it cut off much of New England's income and was highly unpopular. The embargo was finally lifted in March 1809 when President James Madison took office, but the situation eventually led to the War of 1812.
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