Fort Severn, in present-day Annapolis, Maryland, was built in 1808 on the same site as an earlier

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 ...

fort of 1776. Although intended to guard Annapolis harbor from British attack during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

, it never saw action. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

acquired Fort Severn and two other military bases from the United States Army on 19 October 1845, for the purpose of housing the new onshore United States Naval Academy. The Academy used the structure for classrooms until its demolition in 1909.

History

American Revolution

The family of

Walter Dulany Walter Dulany (died 1773) was a politician in Colonial Maryland, who was mayor of Annapolis from 1766 to 1767. His family house and land at Windmill Point later became the location for the United States Naval Academy. Early life Dulany was the ...

acquired land on the Severn River adjacent Annapolis, Maryland, in 1753. The family and the city of Annapolis contributed land for the construction of a fort during the

Fort Severn: 1808–1845

The War Department constructed Fort Severn in 1808 on in Annapolis, Maryland. At a time of worsening tensions between the United States and Great Britain and an embargo against trade, the War Department built Fort Severn as a defense for Annapolis. Located on

Windmill Point Goose Village (French: "Village-aux-Oies") was a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its official but less commonly used name was Victoriatown, after the adjacent Victoria Bridge. The neighbourhood was built on an area formerly known ...

, Fort Severn offered protection to harbor of Annapolis, which would have been a key target of the British forces. Although constructed as a more substantial fort than the original, this second Fort Severn never saw military action. Americans suspected that the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

might attack the area during the

, but no conflict occurred at the fort during the war. Soldiers continued to garrison Fort Severn after the war. The post surgeon took meteorological observations during 1822. Fort Severn occupied the same 10 acres and several antiquated wooden buildings by 1845. In 1845, Secretary of War

William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office, he negotiated the Ga ...

agreed to transfer Fort Severn to the jurisdiction of Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, effective 19 October 1845.Soley, ''Sketch of Naval Academy'', pp. 51-54 In so doing, Secretary Bancroft overcame ongoing congressional opposition to an onshore naval school.

Naval Academy use

The Navy turned Fort Severn into a classroom building for the new onshore United States Naval Academy for young naval recruits and midshipmen. The Naval Academy started in October 1845 with 56 midshipmen and seven professors. The leaders developed a new curriculum requiring midshipmen to study at the Academy for four years (equivalent to classical college education) and to train aboard ships each summer. That format forms the basis of the far more advanced and sophisticated curriculum at the Naval Academy today. The curriculum in the nineteenth century included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.

Demolition

Due to deteriorating structure, the Naval Academy demolished the old Fort Severn edifices in 1909. United States Naval Academy expanded in personnel and grandeur. Granite buildings replaced the old wooden structures of Fort Severn. On 28 March 1977, the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) placed a plaque in remembrance of the original fort at its former site.

References

Footnotes

External links

DAR Fort Severn website
{{USNA United States Naval Academy Buildings and structures in Annapolis, Maryland Demolished buildings and structures in Maryland Buildings and structures demolished in 1909