Fort Mifflin Totally Explained

Everything about Fort Mifflin totally explained

Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery, and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, the fort was a centerpiece of the British conquest of Philadelphia. The name "Fort Mifflin" became official in 1795. The fort was rebuilt in 1798-1800 during the presidency of John Adams according to Pierre L'Enfant's design, and enlarged in the 19th century.

History

Construction

In the late 1750s, British engineer John Montresor was commissioned to construct a fort at the southern edge of Philadelphia on the Delaware River to protect the city from invasion. Construction ceased in 1774.
   Following the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin headed a committee to provide for the defense of Philadelphia. At that time the British had only completed the granite southern and eastern walls of Fort Mifflin. Another fort, known as Fort Mercer, was constructed across the Delaware River from Fort Mifflin. "Chevaux de frise" (obstacles) were sunk in the river to slow the progress of enemy ships. They were a series of wooden boxes with the limbs of trees nailed to the sides of the box at a 45 degree angle. The limbs were affixed with iron spikes and would gouge long holes in the hulls of British ships. They were sunk into the river with 30 tons of rock.
   Many of the buildings standing today are holdovers from the post-1795 construction. Among them is the Commandant's House, which is the only single dwelling north of the Mason Dixon Line designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. The white stone walls date to the pre-revolutionary war British construction. Evidence of the 1777 British bombardment can be seen in its pockmarked stone walls, which was the site of the greatest bombardment of the American Revolution.
   Recently, a few underground rooms, officially named Casemate 11 were discovered at Fort Mifflin when the project manager was mowing the lawn. When part of the ground caved in they dug up the entrance to a series of underground rooms. They were believed to have been used to store ammunition and supplies during the battle. Later being converted to a solitary confinement space for prisioners during the Civil War. Casemate 11 housed Fort Mifflin's most famous POW, William H Howe. Howe was a Union soldier accused of desertion and murder. Howe escaped out of Casemate 11, was later found, taken to Eastern State Penitentiary, and transferred back to Fort Mifflin where he was later hanged. He has the distinction of being the only person ever executed at the fort. Howe signed his name in the cell, which is still visible today. Various artifacts were found in the casemate including pottery, the cell doors, and a chamber pot. Various graffiti of the period also graces the walls.

Siege of Forts Mifflin and Mercer during the American Revolutionary War

After the defeat of Washington at the Battle of Brandywine, the British took control of Philadelphia in September of 1777. The British forces then laid siege to Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer in early October, 1777. The British engineer John Montresor, who both designed and initially oversaw construction of the fort, was assigned to besiege the fort in 1777. The siege, which lasted until the middle of November, destroyed much of Fort Mifflin. During the siege, 400 soldiers held off over 2,000 British troops and 250 ships until November 10, when the British intensified their assault, launching an incessant barrage of cannonballs into the fort. On November 15, 1777, the American troops were forced out. Their stand, which denied the British Navy free use of the Delaware River, allowed the successful repositioning of the Continental Army for the Battle of White Marsh and subsequent withdrawal to Valley Forge.

Usage during American Civil War

During the Civil War, Fort Mifflin was used to house Confederate prisoners of war, as well as Union soldiers and civilians accused of breaking the law. During the Civil War, Seth Eastmen, the great American Western frontier painter, was the Fort's Commandant.

Uses after the Civil War

The fort was a U.S. military post until the 1954. When it closed, Fort Mifflin was the oldest fort in continuous use in the nation (1771 to 1954). In 1962, Fort Mifflin was deeded back to the City of Philadelphia.

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