Fort Mott, located in Pennsville, Salem County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States, was part of the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware, a three-fort defense system designed for the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

and Endicott program modernization periods following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and in the 1890s. The other two forts in the system were

Fort Delaware Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River.Dobbs, Kelli W., et al. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the Union / Unite ...

Pea Patch Island Fort Delaware State Park is a , Delaware state park on Pea Patch Island in the mid channel of the Delaware River near its entrance into Delaware Bay. It is a low, marshy island in New Castle County, Delaware, facing Delaware City on the Dela ...

and

Fort DuPont Fort DuPont, named in honor of Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont, is located between the original Delaware City and the modern Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the original Reeden Point tract, which was granted to Henry Ward in 1675. Along ...

Delaware City, Delaware Delaware City is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 1,885 as of 2020. It is a small port town on the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and is the location of the Forts Ferry Crossing to F ...

. It was active for the Spanish American War and World War I. It was closed in 1944, and sold to the state of New Jersey to become Fort Mott State Park.

History

The original plans for Fort Mott (initially called the "Battery at Finn's Point") specified eleven gun emplacements for Rodman

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

guns and a mortar battery with six emplacements. Construction was started in 1872; however, only two of the gun emplacements and two magazines in the mortar battery were completed by 1876 when all work stopped due to a general suspension of fort work. The

Board of Fortifications Several boards have been appointed by US presidents or Congress to evaluate the US defensive fortifications, primarily coastal defenses near strategically important harbors on the US shores, its territories, and its protectorates. Endicott Board ...

, often called the Endicott Board, recommended a comprehensive program of new fortifications in 1885. A new Fort Mott was one of the results, and it was completed by 1902 as part of the Harbor Defenses of the Delaware. Unusually for US coast defense forts built 1895-1935, Fort Mott was designed to resist a land attack. A parados (basically an artificial hill) and

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

were placed behind the gun batteries to impede an assault from the landward side. Also, the fort's four 5-inch guns were in mounts permitting 360° of fire, and were sited to fire on attackers flanking the parados. The fort had a typical armament for its day, with a few exceptions. The main armament was Battery Arnold (3 12-inch guns) and Battery Harker (3 10-inch guns). These were on disappearing carriages to allow the guns to normally remain hidden from observation from the river. Flanking these were Battery Gregg, with two 5-inch M1900 guns on M1903 pedestal mounts, and Battery Krayenbuhl, with two 5-inch M1897 guns on balanced pillar mounts, each with all-around fire. Battery Krayenbuhl was sited atop the fort's smallest and most unusual battery, Battery Edwards with two 3-inch mine defense guns in large

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...

s rebuilt from earlier (1872) magazines. These casemated light guns, intended to protect an underwater minefield in the river by driving off

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s, were a unique installation in US forts of this era, in which virtually all emplacements were open-top. War Department General Order #72, issued on December 16, 1897, designated the new fort as Fort Mott, in honor of Major General Gershom Mott, of Trenton. Gershom Mott had served with distinction as a Second Lieutenant in the 10th Infantry in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and as Colonel and commander of the 6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry before he was promoted to Brigadier General. He was wounded four times, resigned from the Army in 1866, and died on November 29, 1884. Battery Arnold was named for Brigadier General Lewis G. Arnold, an artillery officer in the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

and the Civil War, who died in 1871. Battery Harker was named for Brigadier General Charles G. Harker, killed at Kennesaw Mountain in the Civil War. Battery Gregg was named for Captain John C. Gregg, killed in action during the Philippine–American War. Battery Krayenbuhl was named for Captain Maurice Krayenbuhl, also killed in action during the Philippine–American War. Battery Edwards was named for Captain Robert Edwards, killed in the War of 1812. Fort Mott, along with Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont, became obsolete as the principal defensive installations on the Delaware River with the construction of Fort Saulsbury, near Slaughter Beach, Delaware, shortly after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Fort Saulsbury had four guns on long-range

barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...

carriages and was sited to engage the enemy much further down the estuary than the earlier forts. The Harbor Defenses of the Delaware was one of the most extreme examples of coast defense forts being built further seaward as gun ranges increased. In 1910 the two five-inch guns of Battery Gregg were transferred to Fort Ruger,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, and in 1918 the similar guns of Battery Krayenbuhl were removed for potential service as

field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances (field artillery ...

s on the Western Front. In 1920 the unique Battery Edwards was disarmed as part of a general removal from service of the 3-inch gun M1898. Troops were regularly stationed at Fort Mott from 1897 to 1922. The federal government kept a caretaking detachment at the fort from 1922 to 1943.

acquired the military reservation as a historic site and State park in 1947. Fort Mott State Park was opened to the public on June 24, 1951. The site is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, and is located in

Pennsville Township, New Jersey Pennsville Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is named for William Penn. It is the westernmost town in New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 12,684, ...

. Fort Mott and Finn's Point National Cemetery were listed together on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on August 31, 1978. With The three 10-inch guns of Battery Harker were transferred to Canada in 1941 via

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

. Two of these remain as of 2014 at Fort Cape Spear, St. John's, Newfoundland. In 1943 Fort Mott was disarmed, losing its remaining three 12-inch guns, the fort being superseded by Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen. As with most post-Civil War US coastal fortifications outside the Philippines, Fort Mott's guns were fired only for training and testing, never in battle. As of 2018, Fort Mott is connected with Fort Delaware and Delaware City by a seasonal passenger ferry operated by Fort Delaware State Park.

References

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External links

Map of HD Delaware at FortWiki.com

American Forts Network, lists forts in the US, former US territories, Canada, and Central America

List of all US coastal forts and batteries
at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. website
FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts

Gun types at FortWiki
{{authority control State parks of New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Salem County, New Jersey

Mott Mott is both an English surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname B * Basil Mott (1859–1938), British civil engineer *Bitsy Mott (1918–2001), American baseball player C * Catherine R. Mott (1836–1880), American ...

Parks in Salem County, New Jersey 1872 establishments in New Jersey Protected areas established in 1951 1951 establishments in New Jersey Pennsville Township, New Jersey

History

See also

References

External links