Note: Fort Montgomery is privately-owned. The Fort grounds are posted and trespassing is strictly prohibited.
Please do not trespass on the ruins of the fort.
The First of two Forts at Island Point
Fort "Blunder"
Even as a truncated shadow of its former self, it is imposing. It stands silent, almost brooding, in its controversial (and famous) location at the place where Lake Champlain becomes the Richelieu River. Many who have seen its massive southern face want to know more about it, why it is there, of all places. These are the ruins of United States Fort Montgomery.
Few places in the Lake Champlain and Lake George Region inspire more questions. Its story is one of the most requested pages on the America�s Historic Lakes website. Its tale is a fascinating one. It is one of politics and war, friendship and enmity. The stone walls of Fort Montgomery tell the tale of a great nation; they hold secrets from its infancy, into and beyond a Civil War, into the depths of world wars, through a great and dark depression, until today. It is a story waiting to be told�
A Strategic Location
Lake Champlain had long been an important
travel corridor from the mighty Saint Lawrence to the Hudson. From the earliest of times, Native Americans had used the water route to travel from what we now know as Quebec along the River Richelieu south along Lake Champlain to Lake George and points south towards the Hudson. These watercourses now bear the names given them by the Europeans; it is they who ended up settling these places, using the great transportation corridors for their commerce and their wars.
It was shortly after the War of 1812 that the tiny sand island in Rouses Point was fortified for the first time. Repeatedly mighty armies and massive naval flotillas had traversed the narrow reaches of the river between what is now known as New York and Vermont. The small islands to the north, Hospital Island, Ash Island, Isle aux Noix, had been the scene of frantic military activity and unspeakable suffering as these powerful forces drove north and south along the river. The sand spit known as Island Point would be fortified in an attempt to prevent these forces from using the waterway again.
1907 map showing Fort Montgomery
On April 18, 1818, the state of New York ceded Island Point and some 400 acres to the west to the United States government for use as a Military Reservation. It had �been deemed requisite by the President of the United States that fortifications should be erected� here at this strategic location. Interestingly enough, the land was officially turned over to the federal government well after work had begun on the fort. Construction of a fort here began almost two years previously, in the fall of 1816.
The first fortification here was an embarrassment in many ways. Despite its supervision by the soon-to-be prominent Joseph Totten, the octagonal, 30' high structure was built upon a weak and unstable foundation consisting largely of debris brought up from the demolished ruins of Plattsburgh batteries and outworks. The construction contract was given to three Scots- Malcomb McMartin, James Macintire, and John Stewart. The fruits of their labor would become the stuff of local legend. The stories told of this first fort are largely true. It was built upon soil later determined to be in Canada (although this tale is much more complicated than it appears in many accounts), it was never armed, and it was abandoned after only two summers of construction. The locals did carry off much of its materials for use in their own homes, stores and places of worship. Fort �Blunder,� as it came to be known, lives on in the walls of some of the more ancient and prominent buildings in the Rouses Point area.
It does not appear that this fort ever had an official name during its short life. It was simply referred to as the fort, works or battery at Rouse's Point. Despite what you may have read, this early defensive structure at Island Point was not named Fort Montgomery.
During its brief existence, the fort was eyewitness to a rather remarkable event for the tiny town on the Canadian border. On July 27, 1817, the President of the United States, James Monroe, visited the fort, spending some time at the still incomplete structure and the adjacent �Commons.�
The "Commons" to the west
The �Commons� itself has a fascinating story. It was originally part of lands granted by the legislature of New York to refugees from Canada and Nova Scotia at the close of the Revolution. It was here, on the rising ground west of Island Point and the Richelieu that the earliest settlers of the region built their homes. Settlers reimbursed for this land included James Bullis, Joseph Tyrill, James McRoberts, and James Rouse; for whom Rouse's Point is named. The late John Ross, in his informative series 'Sidelight on History'3, tells us that many local residents used the commons as pasturage for their livestock. Locals would have their young people bring the family cow onto the grounds of the Military Reservation each morning through the gate along the lakeshore. They would return for old Bessie each evening in a time-honored ritual that only stopped within the past generation or so.
It was not until 1842, with the ratification of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, that Island Point reverted to United States control. By then, the fort had been largely dismantled by predation by enterprising local citizens.
Today it seems inconceivable that the United States would feel the need for a fort along the Canadian border. It is important to remember that less than 30 years had passed since a massive British force had invaded the United States along this frontier. An uneasy peace was in place; keep in mind that invasions had come from both the south and the north. Neither the United States nor the British Dominion of Canada completely trusted the other. Prior to building Fort Lennox, largely as a reaction to the first fort, Canada had favored leaving the actual border regions in a wild state, largely as a defense against the United States 4.
Fort Montgomery, the second fort constructed at Rouses Point. July 1924. Photo courtesy of Judy Swink
On July 13, 1844 construction began upon the impressive stone structure we see today- Fort Montgomery...
Following Fort Blunder...
Fort Montgomery, Rouses Point, New York
-Part II- The Design and Construction of Fort Montgomery
By James P. Millard
Fort Montgomery is a good example of what is known as a Third-System fortification.* These forts, the product of contemporary military thinking after the War of 1812, were notable for design and construction features based upon the ideas and designs of the great French engineer Vauban. Another Frenchman, Simon Bernard, was hired by the Madison administration to assist the young American Engineer Corps in designing a network of fortifications along the US coastline; other forts were to be constructed on the Northern Frontier. One of the most important American influences on Third-System fortification design was Joseph G. Totten. This capable engineer, who was also involved the construction of the ill-fated first fort on the island, was one of the leading military minds of his time.* *
Fort Montgomery was constructed over roughly a thirty-year period. While no expense was spared in its construction, appropriations for the actual work ebbed and flowed with the desires of Congress and the War Department. The fort never saw action and never was garrisoned (although it was armed, heavily at times), yet an argument can be made that this formidable bulwark at the border was a deterrent to war. Given the uncertain times, a strong case can be made that this fort was not a �blunder� like its predecessor.
This fort, built under the direction of US Civil Engineer Henry Brewster and superintended by Capt. David White, was well-designed and constructed. Covering approximately 2.5 acres, it consisted of five walls or curtains, and five bastions, one at the junction of each curtain. The exterior walls, of limestone construction (the stone was quarried in Isle la Motte, Vermont and at King's Bay, New York) once stood a full 48 feet high. The western-facing front, or gorge, was adjacent to an enormous �coverface� or earthen bank, created by the builders as an aid to defense from a land attack. Between this coverface and the gorge was a moat, also known as a wet ditch, filled with water from the lake.
A fort with a moat
Fort Montgomery is one of nine forts in the United States to have a moat or "wet ditch".? There was one land entrance to the fort; a bridge crossed the moat into a massive gate or "postern" leading to the parade.
The fort was designed to mount 125 guns. There were three tiers of cannon; the bottom level was to mount twenty guns, all 24-pounder flank howitzers; the main level had casemates mounting an additional 52 guns. The very top level- the barbette tier- was built with platforms for 53 guns.
Within four of the five bastions were the powder magazines. The utmost care and state of the art design and construction went into these structures. Storing all of a fort's powder and ammunition, they were extremely vulnerable to sparks and flame. Each of the four magazines were fully lined with wood, there was an airspace of several inches between the wooden walls and the stone walls. Wooden pegs were used instead of nails, and each magazine was vented through a series of low chimneys. Each magazine was entered through a wooden door several inches thick.2
The western-facing front, known in military parlance as the gorge, was unique in that it did not have emplacements for cannon within the casemated walls or ramparts. An attack from the landward western side was considered unlikely; the primary defensive strategy consisted of getting advance warning from a redoubt on The Commons, an enemy having to scale and then descend the enormous coverface into the moat. Any enemy who managed to cross the moat� the surface of which was some fifteen feet below the sill of the entrance to the fort� would face a withering fire from the many rifle slits or loopholes in the gorge and the six 24-pounder flank howitzers pointing into the moat from the flanks of the northwest and southwest bastions. In addition, the barbette tier did mount heavy guns and would play a key role in any attack from the west.
There were only two entrances into the fort- a doorway to the lake just north of the southeast bastion, and the main entrance at the bridge into what was called the postern, or sally port, onto the parade. Were an invader to manage to cross the moat and find his way to the postern, he would then have to gain entrance through a heavy drawbridge and two outward-opening doors where the space between each was lined with rifle loopholes. The defenders would be firing at point-blank range at the intruders. This western curtain or gorge was the Officer's quarters of the fort.
A million dollar fort that was never garrisoned
Fort Montgomery was designed for a wartime garrison of 800. It was never occupied by a garrison, although during the peak period of construction activity during the Civil War, several hundred workmen were at the site. A group of these workers were organized into a sort of civilian defense force.
Some might ask why the fort was ever built, particularly since it was never deemed important enough to garrison. To answer this question it is necessary understand the political climate of the time, and the basic premises upon which Third-System forts were built.
The fact that the fort was never garrisoned has often been used as proof that the fort was a useless debacle. Despite its prevalence, this argument is seriously flawed. The simple truth is that many Third-System forts were never garrisoned by design.1 They were to be maintained in peacetime by a small caretaker force, sometimes as small as a single man. The nation had a strong aversion to a large standing peacetime army, local militia forces were expected to play an active role in the defense of these forts. Fort Montgomery�s soldiers� barracks were designed early on, in 1850, but these structures, which were to abut curtains I and II, were never built.2 There were plenty of troops at Plattsburgh Barracks that could easily move to Rouses Point in a hurry if needed.
It is also vital to look into the complicated, back and forth political climate between the United States and Great Britain. The Lake Champlain/Lake George transportation corridor had always been a key objective of military planners during times of conflict. While admittedly of lesser importance once better roads and eventually, railways, were built, it was difficult to conceive of the lake not playing a role in an invasion south (or north). The relationship between the United States and Great Britain/Canada remained uneasy after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814.
One crisis after another developed during the early years of the nineteenth century, culminating in a period of intense suspicion between the two nations during the American Civil War. Fort Montgomery was the result of these problems. Chief Engineer General Joseph G. Totten, designer of the original fort in 1816, took an interest in the works at Rouses Point and threw his support behind the project. The capable Col. C.E. Blunt was assigned oversight of the fortification. Some $900,000. was appropriated on February 20, 1862 for defenses along the Canadian border, resulting with Fort Montgomery being mostly completed by 1870.3
For another ten years the fort lay idle while Congress and the War Department debated its usefulness. Masonry forts were considered by many military strategists as largely obsolete due to improvements in weaponry. Steel cannon, powerful new guns such as Rodman's and Parrot rifles could easily reduce the walls of a stone fort to rubble.4
Yet, the fort had its admirers. General William Tecumseh Sherman himself visited the fort in 1880. He was so impressed that he determined the army should move from Plattsburgh Barracks to Rouses Point. Rev. Taylor quotes Sherman: "I had no idea of the magnitude and importance of this work; this is the place for a garrison, instead of at Plattsburgh, and on my return to Washington I shall recommend a change of the post to this place"
Sherman was true to his word. The Essex County Republican reported in 1882 that "It has been recommended by the General of the Army... that the barracks and military reservation at Plattsburgh... be abandoned... whereas the United States has at Rouses Point, a military reservation containing over five hundred acres, upon which has been expended... over one million dollars, and which is now wholly unoccupied."6
It didn't happen. Alarmed (and influential) Plattsburgh citizens rallied around Plattsburgh Barracks. The result was a dramatic expansion of the facility at Plattsburgh and almost total neglect of the works at Rouses Point.7
Despite the fact that the fort was never garrisoned, it was armed. Official War Department documents show there were 57 guns on site in 1872. Of these seven were 32-pounders, ten were 10" Rodmans, and there were forty 24-pounder flank howitzers.8 Interestingly enough, it appears the fort was most heavily armed around 1886 when a total of 74 guns were documented to have been present, most facing the north and northeast towards Canada. The 1886 document shows an additional eighteen guns had been mounted on the top, or barbette tier, section of the fort. These were 8" and 10" Rodman guns.9
The 32-pounders were smooth-bore, muzzle loading cannon, mounted on wooden and iron carriages. The 24-pounder flank howitzers were placed in the lower bastions as a defense against troops, and the 8 and 10 inch Rodman guns were smooth-bore muzzle loading guns.
After 1886, the fort saw its cannon removed piece by piece. In 1900, 37 guns remained. That number declined to 20 in 1901. The last of the big guns were removed in 1909. No photos have surfaced of the Fort's armament. It is likely that photos of the guns would have been forbidden.
It can be accurately stated that Fort Montgomery was occupied for most of its useful life by no more than one man. Again, we refer to Rev. Taylor who wrote in 1892:
"Of all the old employees at Fort Montgomery but one remains connected with the work at present, who is Sergt. Wm McComb, of this place, the present Fort keeper. McComb on obtaining an honorable discharge in 1863 from service in the U.S. infantry, was employed at Fort Montgomery. In 1864, at the organization of the Fort Company [referred to above], he was appointed 1st Sergeant of the company, and made himself useful at the time in drilling the men in infantry tactics [these were construction workers]. The Sergt. has served since in the capacity of watchman and fortkeeper. That his faithfulness to duty and merits have been appreciated may be judged by his long retention in office." 10
Sergeant McComb remained the "fortkeeper" for some time. Around 1910 his duties were assumed by Sgt. Thomas Bourke, ret. U.S. 7th Cavalry. During our last visit to Ann Thurber's office at Powertex, Inc. (Fort Montgomery Estates and Powertex, Inc. have the same owners), we were thrilled when Ann produced a box of several glass plate negatives. They were in terrible condition, badly stained and one of them was broken. Yet, these negatives were very special. We were told the photos were taken by Sergeant Bourke himself. We have cleaned them up as well as we can. Thanks to our good friend Ann and Powertex, Inc. we are very pleased to reproduce them here for you. They are some of the oldest images known of Fort Montgomery.
-Part IV- Fort Montgomery and "the locals"
Few places have played a more prominent role in local history and folklore as the great, hulking edifice just north of the Village of Rouses Point, New York. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the property was, from colonial times, regarded as "the Commons." The island and the rising ground to the west of it, was part of a huge grant known as the "Canadian and Nova Scotia Refugee Tract." The Historical and Statistical Gazetteer of New York State 1 tells us about this property:
"A tract of 231,540 acres in the northeast and central parts of the county was included in the lands granted by the legislature of New York to the refugees from Canada and Nova Scotia at the close of the Revolution. These lands were divided into 80 and 420 acre lots, except 5,000 acres, which were granted to the officers and privates among these refugees."
So it was that Rouses Point's earliest settlers built their homes on the Commons. We have recounted the names of these pioneers earlier in this account. The land was purchased and the homesteads removed. Yet, the "locals" never really stopped considering the area their own. Perhaps this was due to the fact that a significant military force was never established here. Certainly the fact that most residents outside of the Military Reservation brought their livestock through the lakeside gate onto the grounds to graze each day contributed to this sense of community ownership. Rouses Point was a small village, from the earliest days of "Fort Blunder," the edifice on the lake held its appeal. Unfortunately, access into the fort itself was, and remains to this day, strictly forbidden. There are sound reasons for this prohibition.
This fascinating photo shows an infant sitting near the top of one of Fort Montgomery's beautiful and ingenious spiral staircases. Not only is it one of the best images we have found showing what the stairs looked like, it also brings home the point that the fort was visited by other than "military personnel." Courtesy, Clinton County Historical Association.
Below: One of the structures that sheltered the spiral staircases at the barbette tier. From a glass negative, courtesy of Powertex, Inc.
Oftentimes, the fort grounds were viewed as a fascinating playground for local youth. Many a boy or girl found their way onto the grounds of the fort. They delighted in the views from atop the high walls and the sights and sounds from within the cavernous curtains and magazines. The fort itself never saw action, but we can be sure there were many imaginary wars and battles conducted here. The fort became a popular refuge on hot summer days, when the appeal was the coolness of the interior and swimming in the lake.
Another reason for visits by locals was not so benign, however. Most of the original fort was carted off by local inhabitants, we will see how that practice continued with the more modern structure. Much of the destruction was perfectly legal, pieces of both forts can be found in structures all around the Rouses Point area, the most significant of which was the long bridge that links Rouses Point with Alburgh, Vermont.
Photos of the fort tell the tale. The earliest images show a structure largely intact, the most noticeable feature being the large peaked roofs that protected the beautiful spiral staircases to the barbette tier. Despite being labeled "guardhouses" on the glass negatives, these structures served mainly to protect the stairways from the elements and allow light and ventilation into the well of the staircases. Photos of the top of these cleverly designed stairways show they simply opened up to the top-most areas of the fort. It is likely they were made largely of wood, however, hence they were among the first pieces of the structure to be dismantled and carted away.
Something else that probably went fast was the finely finished wood from within the structure like that from the magazines. John Ross tells us that "the wood in the walls was about two inches in thickness, planed, and probably sanded... the whole magazine was an example of the cabinet-makers art."2 Photos of the magazines today show not a trace of any wood left.
Early photos of the interior show wooden doors, glass, and window frames. These, also, seem to have been removed fairly early, since the majority of photos show gaping holes in their place.
Today, the fort itself is but a shadow of its former self. The most devastating blow came in the 1930's when most of the structure was dismantled to make fill for the Rouses Point bridge (we discuss the demolition in a future section). The south curtain and SE and SW bastions are in the best condition, but the structure has suffered much from the elements and appears to have been seriously weakened structurally by the efforts of the contractors during the Depression years. The current owners have wisely forbidden all but a very limited number of guided tours to the property, and trespassing is strictly forbidden. Those who choose to ignore the signs and go onto the island risk arrest and personal injury.
What remains of the fort has suffered the modern-day plague of graffiti. Most of it doubtless was applied during the drug and alcohol parties that occurred too often in the recent past. The owners have worked hard to prevent these events, their motives are not at all heavy-handed, these trespassers risk much by being there. Last summer the author was contacted by New York State troopers asking for information on the fort to be distributed to a force of local police who were assigned to prevent a large party at the site. In addition to local police enforcement of trespassing laws, the close proximity to the border makes trespassers subject to an encounter with the US Border Patrol. Fort Montgomery is privately owned, trespassing is unsafe, and the owners have prudently forbidden access to their property. These same people have generously agreed to cooperate with this writer to tell the story.
-Part V- The Destruction of Fort Montgomery
History, Progress and a Great Depression
It never would have been allowed to happen today. At worst it would have remained unmolested, slowly deteriorating like many similar structures in this nation. More likely, the great state of New York would have seen to it that the massive structure guarding the entrance to the lake would have been restored to its former formidable appearance. But for a different time, a brief, but terrible time we now refer to as The Great Depression.
Fort Montgomery was systematically dismantled during the 1930's. Its great walls of "Black Marble", more accurately known as Isle la Motte Limestone, were removed piece by piece. The massive stone chunks were torn from their places, smashed by sledges and crushed into stones and powder by an enormous crusher set up on the parade ground. It was a different time, indeed...
To fully understand how it was that this classic and beautiful example of mid-nineteenth century American military technology came under the wrecking ball, we need to take a good look at the state of the nation and, especially, the local economy at the time. Millions were out of work, it was a time of great national distress. The future was bleak, families lived day to day, meal by meal. To survive meant to find work. To make work, government on all levels created "projects," large and small. Parks were created, monuments were erected, great dams and structures were planned and completed. Bridges were built. Everywhere desperate men seized the opportunity to work on these life-saving projects. It came down to feeding their families. One did not turn down an opportunity to work in the depths of the Great Depression.
A Great Bridge across the Lake
The idea of a bridge across the lake at Rouses point finally began to be taken seriously during the heady days of the 1920's. The first bridge, at Crown Point, was an outstanding success. It revolutionized transit between New York and Vermont, and in so doing, spelled doom for many local ferry businesses. The economic and social impact of this great bridge was so profound it is still studied today, recently there has been talk of yet a third bridge. This one would span the channel between Grand Isle and Cumberland Head. "Progress" demanded a bridge close to the northern frontier. Much of the material would come from what appeared at the time to be a historically insignificant old fort on the western shore.
On March 30, 1935, Vermont and New York authorized the Lake Champlain Bridge Commission to construct a bridge between Rouses Point, New York and Alburgh, Vermont. Much of the work would be financed by the WPA, or Works Progress Administration. The states and local communities were thrilled, so were local business and families.
The construction contracts were awarded to one Thomas F. Cunningham of Ticonderoga and the Andrew Weston Company of Rouses Point. Weston purchased Fort Montgomery and the adjoining lands of the Military Reservation. He would use an old fort to build a new bridge. Thanks to the Clinton County Historical Association and Museum we have reproduced fascinating images of the fort being demolished.
Fort Montgomery today is but a shadow of its former self. One wall and two bastions along the south curtain are largely intact, and the great arches that supported the western wall remain. Even the south wall, however, was shortened in an effort to remove the stone from along the barbette layer.
Considering the extreme difficulty of the work- this structure was built to withstand cannon fire- it is remarkable how much was demolished in a short time. Work began at the cover face, where a large opening was excavated to allow for the entrance of construction vehicles and equipment. A large section of the moat was filled in to allow for easier access. Demolition of the structure itself began with removal of earth from the top barbette section. After this was complete, workers set to removing the walls. An enormous crusher was set up at the eastern end of the parade ground. Its foundation remains today. The first section to be removed was just to the north of the southeast bastion. Ironically, here at the same location where the wharf was built to accommodate the arrival of stone from the quarries, Weston company barges were loaded with crushed stone from those same great rocks.
Dynamite was used to blast the great walls. The stone that fell in large chunks was then manually broken into smaller, more manageable pieces for the crusher. One can imagine the difficulty of the work- breaking huge chunks of limestone into pieces by hand with sledges. The smaller stone pieces were then loaded onto the crusher where the stone was shoveled by hand into the opening. A conveyor belt carried the crushed stone high up a tower where it was dumped onto the ground or waiting barges. A look at the crusher itself is telling. There were no railings on the sides. Men stood for hours shoveling tons of stone into the maw of the crusher. Stone dust was everywhere. Explosions from the dynamite shook the ground and the massive walls. None wore hard hats. It was dirty, difficult and dangerous work. But it was work. Doubtless the men in these photos were happy to be employed.
The great bridge was built. The Great Depression ended. What was left of Fort Montgomery endures today.
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