Fort Adams

Overview

When It Was Active: 1825-1857 and 1928-39
Occupied By: United States Army and the United States Naval Academy
- 13th Infantry Regiment and 10th Coast Artillery Regiment
Built By: Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Totten in 1825
- Lt. Col. Totten had sophisticated plans for this fortification, and many of his inventive ideas are still visible today. Totten managed to not only incorporate unique features into this fort, but also utilized it as a teaching tool for the military’s budding corps of young engineers. His ingenious efforts were recognized when he was moved from Newport in 1938 to become chief of the United States Army Engineers. Today, Totten is recognized as one of the greatest military engineers in history.

Tickets can be purchased at the front gate

Cost of Admission:

Adults - $15
Children (5 and under) - FREE
Youth (6-17) - $8
Family (2 adults and up to 4 youth) - $40

Call (401) 619-1511 for more information

Area

Built on a low peninsula, there is an excellent view of the Narragansett Bay. The waterways stay busy, and a local sailing center adds to the setting. This being said, dress warm but comfortable as there is normally a cool breeze. The land is well managed and there are many walking paths, bathroom facilities, and visitor centers to make this a comfortable exploration. A large parking lot offers ease of travel. The size of this fort does involve a considerable amount of walking to fully experience.

Construction

Being the largest of all of the forts on this guide, the construction of this facility took much more planning and actual engineering. Sitting on 136 acres of land, 21.5 being for the fort, the towering bastions quickly dwarf any human around. It was also designed with uncommon elements, like underground listening galleries and tenailles. The case mates, designed to be armed with 468 cannons (only a fraction of which were ever in place), are lined with brick work to make a nice clean arch. Totten advertised to Newport contractors at the time to provide their fair share of materials, and these bricks were mostly fired in local kilns. The walls are made of local shale and Maine granite. Inside, the fort was designed to hold up to 2,400 troops. There were also 12-foot mortars put in place further inland.

Strategy

Unlike other forts which take advantage of high elevation, Fort Adams is located right at sea level. This was done because the artillery of the time needed to stay relatively low to prevent dead space underneath. Sitting out on the point in the Bay, the fort still had an expansive view of the surrounding waters, allowing it to attack any incoming ships. This being said, it was also somewhat of a sitting duck. For this reason, durability was kept in mind all through the construction. The large, thick granite walls and earthen ramparts on the rear protected the structural integrity of the fort, and its occupants inside.

Narrative

The United States Naval Academy temporarily relocated to Fort Adams in 1861 during the Civil War. This move was to protect the new institution, founded in 1845, from Confederate Forces in nearby Maryland. Captain George S. Blake, the Academy’s superintendent, moved to Newport foreseeing that the Academy was potentially an easy target for Confederates. One of the most famous Admirals in America’s Navy, Stephen B. Luce, was the head of the Department of Seamanship in 1862, teaching midshipmen at the Academy. Luce, an Academy graduate himself, saw the strategic potential of Narragansett Bay and founded the Naval War College. Midshipmen attracted many spectators who enjoyed watching the parades hosted every morning. Housing for the midshipman was on the infamous USS Constitution, or “Old Ironsides” as she was more commonly known. The wooden-hulled ship was turned into a teaching vessel during the Civil War. Midshipmen slept on the ship and traded their cots for hammocks. The tough living conditions forced many Midshipmen to find housing in Newport. The famous Atlantic House Hotel became home to the entire Brigade of Midshipmen.

Former site of Atlantic House Hotel

"Nothing could be more desolate to the plebe whose first experience brought him to these school ships. During the day he sat and studied at one of the desks, long rows of which extended up and down the gun deck, and occasionally marched ashore to the windy recitation rooms, where he contracted bad colds along with a knowledge of arithmetic. The commissary department was always more or less out of gear, and the meals eaten in the blackness of the birth deck by the light of a few ill smelling oil lamps were wretched."

Park Benjamin Jr., Class of 1867

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