Gilbert Heights Fort
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Fort Glover was a fort in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Fortifications on the site existed during the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the Spanish–American War. The fort was located on what is now Riverhead Beach on Bubier Road 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 earthwork battery. It was named in honor of John Glover, a Revolutionary War general from Marblehead. He commanded the
Marblehead Regiment The 14th Continental Regiment, also known as the Marblehead Regiment and Glover's Regiment, was raised as a Massachusetts militia regiment in 1775, and taken into the Continental Army establishment during the summer of 1775. When the Continen ...
and provided his own ship ''
Hannah Hannah or Hanna may refer to: People, biblical figures, and fictional characters * Hannah (name), a female given name of Hebrew origin * Hanna (Arabic name), a family and a male given name of Christian Arab origin * Hanna (Irish surname), a famil ...
'' as the first warship in United States service (hired by the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
, 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 In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the proj ...
and two 8-inch smoothbore 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.


See also

* Fort Miller * Fort Sewall * List of military installations in Massachusetts


References

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