Fort Defiance (Brooklyn) was one of the forts constructed by General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

in 1776 to provide for the defense of New York.

Construction

On August 27, 1776, during the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

, five cannons, a series of earthworks and a defensive wall were manned by colonials on an island in New York Bay. It was the westernmost of forts along Brooklyn Heights, defending the Upper New York Bay from incursion by the British navy. Prior to the battle a thousand men worked under General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

's direction to prepare for the invasion of New York, building the fort during one night in April. General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

inspected the fort in May, finding it 'exceedingly strong'. The complex consisted of three redoubts on the small island, connected by trenches, with an earthwork on the island's south side to defend against a landing. On 12 July 1776 the first test of the redoubts came when Admiral Howe sent two ships,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and , to run the American gauntlet by heading up to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The cannons at Fort Defiance fired, as did the cannons at Governor's Island and at Fort George. The ships survived, bombarded the city and went on to blockade the crossings at Tarrytown, N.Y. Long Island 1776 (2)

H.M.S. Roebuck

Early on the morning of the battle the British fleet, anchored off Staten Island, proceeded up the harbor and encountered stiff north-easterly winds. All were forced to turn back, except for H.M.S. Roebuck. Stalled at

Buttermilk Channel 300px, The Buttermilk Channel, shown in red, in Upper New York Bay Buttermilk Channel is a small tidal strait in Upper New York Bay in New York City, approximately long and wide, separating Governors Island from Brooklyn. The channel is marke ...

, it came under fire from Fort Defiance, and returned same. By midmorning the

Carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

from Roebuck had silenced the

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s, but she had been damaged and retired to anchorage.

Aftermath

The fort was abandoned after the war, the embankments leveled, the dredges filled in the ponds and the

Atlantic Basin The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

was hollowed out to be made into a protected wharf. The Indian path to the fort was named the ''Red Hook Road'' from the fort to Fulton St. By the 1850s, it was becoming the largest port in NYC. Valentino Park has a plaque commemorating Fort Defiance (a stop on the

Revolutionary War Heritage Trail This is a list of Historic Sites on the Revolutionary War Heritage Trail in the United States, American state of New York (state), New York. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the office of Heritage, New Y ...

) about 2 blocks from its actual location at Conover and Van Dyke Streets. In the 1950s a plaque was placed in a wall at

Todd Shipyards Corporation Vigor Shipyards is the current entity operating the former Todd Shipyards after its acquisition in 2011. Todd Shipyards was founded in 1916, which owned and operated shipyards on the West Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United St ...

on the corner of Dwight and Beard streets. The bronze plaque was installed by the historian of Brooklyn; it is now lost.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Defiance (Brooklyn) Military installations established in 1776 American Revolutionary War forts 1776 establishments in New York (state)

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

Military history of New York City 18th century in Brooklyn

Red Hook, Brooklyn Red Hook is a neighborhood in northwestern Brooklyn, New York City, New York, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. It is located on a peninsula projecting into the Upper New York Bay and is bounded by the Gowanus Expressway and the Car ...