Fort Massachusetts

May 28, 2019

Thanks to funding from SEA’s 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship, my Expedition continues...

Fort Massachusetts

Following the War of 1812, the United States War Department began planning for the construction of an extensive system of masonry fortifications for coastal defense. Because of Ship Island's natural deep-water harbor and its location along a shipping route, Ship Island was important to the defense of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The island was declared a United States military reservation in 1847, and nine years later Congress authorized construction of a fort.

After the annexation of Texas in 1845, a resolution was introduced by Senator Jesse Speight of Mississippi asking President Polk about the “practicability and utility of a fort or forts on Ship Island” to protect the coast (Bearss, 1984). The War Department’s Army Corp of Engineers Chief, Colonel Joseph G. Totten, was given the task to answer the Senates request. His report indicated that it was important to defend the anchorage at Ship Island, but funds and resources had been dedicated to Forts Pickens, Barrancas, and McRee to guard the Navy Yard at Pensacola.
In 1855, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, a native of Mississippi, advocated building fortifications on Ship Island. Davis recalled that the British used the Mississippi Sound near Ship Island in 1814 to attack New Orleans.

In March of 1857, The Fortifications Bill was signed into law which included 100,000 dollars to build fortifications on Ship Island. A commission of engineers was tasked with determining an appropriate location, reported that it was extremely cost prohibitive to build any fortifications on Ship Island. General J.G. Totten, promptly rejected this notion, and established a new board who provided a more favorable opinion. With the favorable report in hand, Secretary of War John B. Floyd approved the construction of The Fort on Ship Island and the project to defend the Mississippi coast and its commerce lanes finally began.

North Side of the fort from the dock

A site on the north shore, approximately 500 feet (152 m) from the western tip of the island, was eventually selected as the location for the fort. Construction began in June 1859 under supervision of the Army Corps of Engineers. The work was primarily done by civilians. The work force sometimes numbered as many as 100 men, and included carpenters, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and stonecutters. By early 1861, the outside wall of the fort stood 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m) above the level of the sand.
In January 1861, Mississippi seceded from the Union, becoming the second state of the Confederacy. One of the first acts of war in the state occurred on Ship Island when an armed band of Mississippi militia took possession of the island and the unfinished fort. The militia soon abandoned the island; and it remained deserted until early June 1861, when Confederate troops returned and mounted several cannons. On July 9, the Union Navy's USS Massachusetts came within range of the Confederate guns. The 20-minute exchange of cannon fire which followed resulted in few injuries and little damage, to either side. That action was the only military engagement in which Ship Island or the fort would be directly involved.

The fort’s design provides nearly 360 degree coverage of water and land approaches. The large casemates were designed to hold cannon while supporting an upper tier of cannon. Arches along the eastside of the fort served as support rooms for the garrison. Powder magazines held ammunition and powder for the fort’s cannon. The parade ground, served as a gathering place for troops to attend roll call and perform other duties.

Bearrs, E. (1984). Historical Resourse Study: Ship Island, Harrison County, Mississippi, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida/Mississippi. National Park Service, Department of Interior. Denver: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Bearss, E. (1984). Historic Structure Report: Administrative and Historical Data Sections; Fort on Ship Island "Fort Massachusetts" 1857-1935, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Harrison County, Mississippi. National Park Service, Department of Interior. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Pritining Office.

Unknown. (1862) View of Ship Island, Louisiana. Harpers Weekly.

Cat Island to the west of Ship Island, used by both Jean Lafitte and British Forces as command and supply center during the War of 1812

Cat Island to the west, used by British Forces as command and supply center during the War of 1812

Fort Massachusetts Faces North into Mississippi Sound over a Natural Deep Water Harbor

The popular tourist beach, accessed by private boat or ferry during the spring and summer seasons. Gives access to the blue water of the gulf outside the barrier islands.