Fort Glover was a fort in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsu ...

. Fortifications on the site existed during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. The fort was located on what is now Riverhead Beach on Ocean Ave in Marblehead, sited to guard the beach and the Marblehead Neck causeway. It was demolished in 1917.Roberts, p. 400Manuel, pp. 29, 31 It was originally built in 1775 for the Revolutionary War as the Huit's Head Battery. It was rebuilt in the War of 1812 as the Gilbert Heights Fort, garrisoned 1813–1815. It was rebuilt again for the Civil War in 1863 as a three-

gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

earthwork battery. It was named in honor of John Glover, a Revolutionary War general from Marblehead. He commanded the Marblehead Regiment and provided his own ship '' Hannah'' as the first warship in United States service (hired by the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

, as the Continental Navy had not yet been authorized). A plan dated September 1864 and an armament report dated January 31, 1865 show the fort was armed with one 32-pounder rifled gun and two 8-inch

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

guns.Manuel, pp. 29, 31, 40 It was rebuilt for the Spanish–American War in 1898, and abandoned after that. After 1898 it gained the nickname "Cow Fort", after the cattle that resided within its former walls. The fort was demolished in 1917, although a portion of the site called "Cow Fort Farm" became part of Seaside Park in 1895.

References

* * {{FmrMAForts Glover Glover Glover Glover Buildings and structures in Marblehead, Massachusetts Demolished buildings and structures in Massachusetts Buildings and structures demolished in 1917

See also

References