Fort Delaware

Fort Delaware is a harbor defense facility built in 1859 on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war. The fort and the island currently belong to the Delaware State Parks Commission.

Construction of the fort and the Civil War

Construction of a fort on Pea Patch island began in 1819. A fire destroyed much of the work in 1831. Major Richard Delafield asked for $10,000 to tear down the remaining structure the following year. The structure was torn down in 1833.

Related Topics:
1819 - 1831 - Major Richard Delafield - Following year - 1833

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Major Delafield desired to "erect a marvel of military architecture on Pea Patch." The present structure was erected between 1848 and 1859, becoming the largest fort in the country. During the Civil War, beginning in 1862, the island became a prison for captured Confederates and local Southern sympathizers. They were housed not in the fort proper but in wooden barracks that soon covered much of the island. Most of the Confederates captured at Gettysburg were imprisoned there. By August 1863, there were 12,500 prisoners on the island; by war?s end, it had held some 40,000 men. The conditions were predictably notorious, and about 2,900 prisoners died at Fort Delaware.

Related Topics:
1848 - 1859 - Civil War - Gettysburg

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~