Fort Miller (originally Fort Darby or Darby's Fort) was a coastal defense fort in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of Massachusetts Bay. Attache ...

, in existence circa 1630–1900.Roberts, p. 397 Circa 1861 it was renamed for James Miller, a colonel in the War of 1812, distinguished for his actions in the Battle of Lundy's Lane. He was later Collector of the Port in nearby Salem from 1824 to 1849.Manuel 2020, p. 68–69

History

The fort was Marblehead's first coastal fort, originally built circa 1629-1632 by colonial forces under the direction of acting Governor of Massachusetts

John Endecott John Endecott (also spelled Endicott; before 1600 – 15 March 1664/1665), regarded as one of the Fathers of New England, was the longest-serving governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He serv ...

. It was initially named Fort Darby or Darby's Fort, allegedly after a similar head of land at Derby, Dorsetshire, England. The location was on Naugus Head at the northwest corner of Marblehead's peninsula. The fort was actually sited to defend the

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

of Salem, joined by

Fort Pickering Fort Pickering is a 17th-century historic fort site on Winter Island in Salem, Massachusetts. Fort Pickering operated as a strategic coastal defense and military barracks for Salem Harbor during a variety of periods, serving as a fortification f ...

Winter Island Winter Island is an island connected by a causeway to Salem Neck in Salem, Massachusetts. It is about in size, and is bounded by Smith Pool to the northwest, Cat Cove to the west, Salem Channel to the south and east, and Juniper Cove to the ...

in 1643. The Gale's Head Fort (later Fort Sewall) was built in 1634 as Marblehead's main defense. Fort Darby was used in 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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It was subsequently repaired for the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

as a lookout post and drill area for nearby Fort Sewall. It was rebuilt as a five-gun battery and renamed Fort Miller for the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...

. The fort had five guns, with a magazine and bomb-proof shelter on the parade, and a barracks outside the fort. An armament report by Major Charles E. Blunt dated January 31, 1865 shows the fort had 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. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

guns A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, ...

, two 24-pounder smoothbore guns, and one 32-pounder rifle. Fort Miller was garrisoned by the 11th Unattached Company of Massachusetts militia from December 1864 to June 1865.Unassigned Massachusetts companies at CivilWarArchive.com, from Dyer's Compendium
/ref> The fort served through the Spanish–American War, after which it was probably demolished.

References

* * * {{FmrMAForts

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalent ...

Buildings and structures in Essex County, Massachusetts

Marblehead, Massachusetts

History

See also

References