History 1896 - 1940

• If you have old pictures, written documents or family history stories about Fort Howard and the soldiers who served there, the Friends of Fort Howard Park would love to see and record them. Please contact us at [email protected]. Developed by the Dundalk – Patapsco Neck Historical Society & Museum and Edgemere - Sparrows Point Recreation Council

Fort Howard was built at North Point, where the flows into the . North Point was historically important long before the fort was constructed..

NORTH POINT

Old North Point Road was once an Indian trail leading down the “backbone of Patapsco Neck.” Captain John Smith

In 1608, during his epic exploration of the Chesapeake Bay, Captain John Smith and his crew are thought to have entered Old Road Bay, just west of North Point. “They adorn themselves with copper beads and paintings. The women have their legs, hands, chests, and faces cunningly tattooed with beasts, and serpents wrought into their flesh with black dots. In each ear they have 3 great holes whereat they hang chains, bracelets or copper. Some of the men wear in those holes a small green and yellow snake, near half a yard in length which crawling and lapping itself about his neck oftentimes would kiss his lips. Others wear a dead rat tied by the tail, the whole skin of a hawk stuffed with the wings abroad or the hand of their enemy dried.”

Captain John Smith describing the natives he met during his exploration of the Chesapeake in 1608. Colonial Ships Anchored At North Point In 1683 an Act was passed establishing “North Point” as a terminus for ships moving goods to or from eastern County . An Important Route for Goods and People

By 1730, Captain North had set up a freight and passenger transport system from Kent Island, across the bay, to the tip of North Point. From there, connecting stage coaches and wagons traveled into Baltimore via Old North Point Road, Trappe Road, and Old Philadelphia Road. THE

In 1814, North Point was the landing site for a British invasion force of 4500 who intended to attack and burn Baltimore. A delaying action by

American army units took place about 4 miles west of where the British

came ashore. That action is called The .

NOTE: THE BRITISH DID NOT ATTACK FORT HOWARD IN 1814 The British landing and the Battle of North Point took place 85 years before Fort Howard was built. FORT HOWARD

In 1899, Fort Howard was built at North Point as a coast artillery installation designed to protect Baltimore from assault by enemy naval vessels.

Why Did We Need Installations like Fort Howard To Protect Us?

Spanish Battleship Pelayo French Battleship Marceau

German Battleship Nassau

By 1885, Naval guns and steam propulsion had advanced to the point where American coastal cities were vulnerable to attack by vessels like these Battleships. Something had to be done to protect our seaports. The Responds To The Threat In 1885, US President Grover Cleveland appointed a panel known as the . It was headed by Secretary of War William Endicott. The findings of the board painted a grim picture of existing defenses in its 1886 report and recommended a massive $127 million construction program of breech-loading cannons, mortars, and mines for 29 locations on the US coast-line. William Endicott

Fort Howard and other coast artillery fortifications built between 1886 and 1910 are often referred to as Endicott Period.

General William P. Craighill

After the Civil War war, General Craighill superintended construction of defenses at Baltimore Harbor including upgrades of Forts Carroll and McHenry. He headed the Engineer Office in Baltimore from 1870 to 1895, shepherding the Endicott recommendations through Congress and overseeing river and harbor work in including the purchases of land at North Point (Fort Howard) and Hawkins Point (). A portion of the shipping channel from the Chesapeake Bay into Baltimore is named for Gen. Craighill. The Endicott Plan Four Forts To Protect Baltimore The Artillery District of Baltimore included , Fort Armistead, Fort Smallwood, and Fort Howard The Land For Fort Howard

1896 - The government purchased the property at North Point from the railroad and local farmers. They set about constructing a 150 acre coast artillery installation designed to protect Baltimore from

attack by sea.

1899 The Pier and Narrow Gauge Railroad A 900 foot pier was built that allowed construction materials to be transported to the fort on barges and ships. The materials were then loaded on a narrow gauge railroad that ran the length of the pier and into the battery construction sites. 1899-1902 The Gun Emplacements Are Constructed

A view of the mortar pits being built

A Period Newspaper Illustration The headline says “ The Defenses of the Harbor of Baltimore”

The caption reads: “A glance at the work the government is doing on the fortifications at North Point”

John Eager Howard

After an illustrious In 1901, Fort military career, Col. Howard was Howard went on to named in honor represent Maryland of Col. John in the U.S. Senate Eager Howard. and serve as governor. Col. Howard commanded the Howard County, and rd 3 Maryland Howard Street in Regiment during Baltimore are also the Revolutionary War. named for him.

1901- The Troops Arrive The 21st Company in formation at Fort Howard (circa 1910)

In 1901, Fort Howard was garrisoned by four companies of the Coast Artillery Corps. The 21st, 40th, 103rd manned the gun batteries and the 140th maintained the harbor mines and searchlights. Each company included 104 enlisted men and officers.

The Guns And Mines Are Installed 1899 - 1907 Battery Nicholson

Battery Harris Batteries Clagett & Lazear

Battery Key

Battery Stricker Harbor Mines

Battery Harris

Battery Harris was a reinforced concrete rapid fire 5-inch gun battery with two guns mounted on balanced pillar carriages. The carriages were sent to Fort Howard in 1900. These guns were purposed to engage smaller faster craft that could venture out of the shipping channel into shallow water. The battery was deactivated and the guns removed in 1917 for shipment to the war in France.

Battery Nicholson

Battery Nicholson was a reinforced concrete 6-inch gun battery with two guns mounted on disappearing carriages. These guns had a range of seven miles and were purposed to engage large vessels in the shipping channel. The battery was active for twenty years and then was used for training for several more years. The guns and carriages were removed and shipped to Aberdeen Ordnance Depot in 1927.

Batteries Clagett & Lazear

Batteries Clagett and Lazear were reinforced concrete 3-inch gun batteries mounted on masking parapet mounts. These smaller rapid fire guns were positioned for protecting harbor minefields from enemy minesweeping vessels. The gun mounts were sent to Fort Howard in 1904. The batteries consisted of two emplacements separated by a main battery structure with a separate magazine for each gun. The batteries were deactivated and the guns removed in 1920.

Battery Stricker

Battery Stricker was a reinforced concrete 12-inch gun battery with two guns mounted on carriages. The guns fired 1000 lb. projectiles up to eight miles. The guns were purposed to engage capital ships in the shipping channel. The battery was deactivated in 1918 and in 1920 the site was modified to house a range finding station and plotting room for the other batteries.

Battery Key

Battery Key was a reinforced concrete 12-inch mortar battery with eight mortars mounted on carriages. They were sent to Fort Howard in 1899 and arranged in two mortar pits of four mortars each. The two pits were separated by the main battery structure which housed a power plant and the munitions storage areas. The mortars fired 1000 lb. projectiles at a high angle. The arcing path traveled by these projectiles brought them down on the target at a steep angle. This “plunging fire” was intended to pierce the deck of a ship where the armor was the lightest. The battery was deactivated and the guns shipped to Aberdeen Ordinance Depot in 1927. Gunnery Practice “The gunners who manned these batteries were among the best coastal artillerymen in the world. In 1908 they were credited with setting a world’s record by hitting a moving target over 5,000 yards away, nine out of ten times. The shell that missed was defective.” (From a period newspaper) “To See These Monsters”…

“Manning Battery Stricker and charged with firing the 12 inch disappearing rifles, the guns are well handled in drill and practice by the Fortieth Company. To see these monsters load, “go into battery” and fire is well worth going miles to see, for the calm and deliberate way in which the rifle shoots into position, pointing over the parapet, seems to sight like a thing of life, then fires and withdraws back under cover, is impressive in the extreme.” • (From a period newspaper) “13 tons alone” “The 12 inch mortars are odd and unique. Looking like an ink bottle and weighing 13 tons alone without the carriage or mount, their businesslike noses are poked into the air, ready to hurl in majestic flight their 1,046 pound projectile before it landed on the distant objective. Battery Key, named after , is composed solely of mortars...” (From a period newspaper)

Broken Windows, Stampeding Mules

The concussions from firing the 12 inch rifles and the 12 inch mortars would break windows, dislodge water pipes and send scores of mules and horses stampeding through the fort. For that reason most gunnery practice was conducted using smaller than standard loads of powder.

“Hell surely broke loose…”

“Felix Leser yanked the lanyard and the very jaws of hell seemed to open and vomit flames and smoke. One fellow said “ Hell surely broke loose.” and it did! One might try to picture the setting sun as to describe the effect of that first explosion so I shall not try. It was indescribable.”

(From the memoirs of an artilleryman posted at Fort Howard)

“nearly blown up a farm…”

“One day we were firing the guns for practice. At practice we used half round. This day we were ordered to fire full round which we did. A little while later a call came from the eastern shore that we had nearly blown up a farm. I don’t know how much this cost the government but we were never ordered to fire a full round again.”

(From the memoirs of an artilleryman posted at Fort Howard) Fire Control Towers This tower near the present This recent picture day VA hospital and shows all that remains another just like it in the of the tower to the left. northeast corner of the fort This is the central were the principal range column that supported finding and observation the range finding posts for targeting the equipment. mines. Delicate optical equipment was attached to a central concrete column. The steel girders and wooden platform were built around the central column but did not touch it. It was designed that way to minimize vibrations due to wind or personnel moving around in the tower. Targeting Enemy Ships The purpose of the guns on the Patapsco River was to engage and destroy enemy ships before they got close enough to Baltimore to fire upon it. Large enemy battleships would have had to stay in the narrow shipping channel and therefore would have been very predictable as to how far away they were and in what direction they were moving. All 4 forts on the Patapsco were to target those large ships with their 12, 8, and 6 inch guns. Smaller enemy ships, on the other hand, could move out of the channel and would have had to be engaged by the smaller faster firing weapons including the 3, 4.7, and 5 inch guns. In a time before computers and radar, targeting a moving ship was a matter of complicated mathematical calculations that had to be communicated to the gun crews every few seconds. 3. The gun crews loaded the shell 2. That information was sent to the and powder, adjusted the gun carriage 1. The observers in the fire control target plotting room where the gun according to the target settings , fired towers determined the distance, angle and range settings were calculated. the gun, and prepared to do it all over speed, and direction of the target. Those setting were relayed to the gun crews. again a few seconds later. Harbor Mines A line of buoyant mines were moored across the mouth of the Patapsco River at North Point. They were attached by chains to anchors and floated about 15 feet below the surface. Each contained explosive charges of 150 pounds of dynamite (TNT) and were spaced 100 feet apart. They could be detonated remotely by personnel stationed in the mine casement control room.

THE MINE TENDER The harbor mines were maintained from the fort’s auxiliary mine tender. She was named the Capt . A.M. Wetherill.

Searchlights

Night attacks were a possibility. The fort had searchlights to illuminate the enemy ships and allow the gun batteries to target and engage them. The gun crews drilled for night actions regularly. What About The Haunted Dungeons? Sorry, No Dungeons

The rooms under and around the gun batteries were not dungeons. They housed (A) target plotting AA boards, (B) munitions storage, B (C) range finding stations, (D) electric generators, and other facilities that had to be protected by thick concrete from bombardment by D C enemy ships. The Bulldog at Baltimore’s Gate The three other forts on the Patapsco were also outfitted with weapons and by 1907, the entrance to Baltimore Harbor bristled with 36 artillery guns and scores of floating mines. The four forts were given the nickname “The Bulldog at Baltimore’s Gate”.

Fort Carroll 2 – 12 inch guns 2 – 5 inch guns 2 – 3 inch guns Fort Armistead 2 – 3 inch guns 2 – 4.7 inch guns Fort Howard 3 – 8 inch guns 2 – 12 inch guns 1 – 12 inch gun 8 – 12 inch mortars 2 – 5 inch guns 2 – 6 inch guns Fort Smallwood 4 – 3 inch guns 2 – 6 inch guns 2 – 3 inch guns Buoyant Mines Post Garrison Construction

Construction also proceeded on the garrison portion of the fort. Above is a view of units gathered on the parade ground in 1907. The company barracks are at the top left, the hospital is in the foreground, the officers’ cottages are to the right, and the gun emplacements are in the distance.

The Barracks

By 1910, four barracks had been constructed next to the parade ground. The Hospital and Medical Staff

The medical staff (circa 1920)

The original hospital building (circa 1907) The Mess Halls

Each company had it’s own mess hall. Who had the best cooks was a big debate. The Guard House The Y.M.C.A.

The Fire House

Officers’ Cottages Water Towers Post Theater

Fort Avenue Post Exchange Houses Transportation

It Was Still Mules, Horses And Wagons The Harbor Ferry

The Army Quartermaster Corps ran a passenger and freight ferry between the various forts in Baltimore Harbor. She was named the Sprigg Carroll in honor of a noted Civil War general. Most of the supplies for all of the forts were transported on the Sprigg Carroll and other service boats. The Trolley

No. 26, and later on, No.38 made stops near the gate of the fort. Long waits for the trolley was one of the major complaints of the troops. The First World War Brings New Units To Fort Howard 1918 – Newly formed infantry and artillery units were mustered at Fort Howard to train and prepare for departure to the war in Europe. Below, the 58th Artillery is marching out the pier to board a ferry for the short trip to Locust Point. There they boarded a train to where they embarked

on the U.S. Navy Transport “Leviathan” for the voyage to France.

Pvt. Jacob Button Private Button was in the 58th Artillery pictured on the previous slide. His son, Jacob Jr. is shown below holding his father’s uniform jacket. Jacob Jr. is a volunteer at the VA Clinic located at Ft. Howard. The Fort Newspaper

For almost a year, during 1918 and 1919, Fort Howard had a weekly newspaper printed and distributed to the troops. It was called The Projectile and it ran stories regarding the war in Europe, Fort Howard history, unit comings and goings, special events and barracks gossip. It ceased publication soon after the armistice when the entire editorial staff was either transferred or mustered out of the army. “we welcome you…”

A message to new recruits printed in The Projectile in 1918 TECHNOLOGY OVERTAKES FORT HOWARD THE FORT’S GUNS

For twenty years, Fort Howard stood guard over Baltimore, but eventually, changes in weapon technology rendered her guns obsolete. In 1920, the construction of Ft. Story at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and advances in long range artillery made Fort Howard and the other Baltimore Harbor forts redundant. By 1927, all of the coast artillery batteries at Fort Howard were gone. A period newspaper explained, “If a modern Battleship of an enemy nation, bent upon the destruction of Baltimore, ever got through the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Fort Howard would not likely stop her. Guns at Fort Howard had a maximum range of 15,000 yards when they were installed, while a 16 inch gun such as those carried on modern Battleships, hurls its projectiles more than 40,000 yards. That is one FORT STORY of the reasons why the War Department is doing away with the artillery at Fort Howard.”

INFANTRY TAKES OVER AT FORT HOWARD

In 1920, Fort Howard became the headquarters for the U.S. Army 3rd Corps.

In 1926-27, Gen. Douglas MacArthur commanded the 3rd Corps.

Here, Gen. MacArthur addresses the troops at Fort Howard in 1926. Home Of The 12th Infantry Regiment Soldiers of the 12th at Fort Howard in 1936

The 12th was the last army unit to leave the fort in 1940 Equipment and Gear

12th Infantry Service Company Wagon

A maintenance kit is displayed for inspection. Note the horseshoes and bridles.

The 12th Infantry On The Move

Summer maneuvers included 100 mile hikes and bivouacs in Timonium and at Fort Hoyle in Harford County. Expelling the “” From Washington

The “Bonus Army” 1932 – The 12th were thousands of Infantry Regiment WWI veterans who stationed at Fort gathered in Howard took part in Washington to the expulsion of the protest the delay in “Bonus Army” from paying them the Washington D.C. bonus promised to those who fought in General MacArthur that war. Many of ordered tanks, cavalry the veterans brought and tear gas be used their families and to remove the camped out near the protesters. Capital Building.

Presidential Honor Guard

The 12th Infantry served as honor guard at many presidential functions. Units would board trucks for the ride to Washington and stand in formation at the White House regularly. Last Reunion of Gettysburg Veterans

A 12th Infantry trooper talks shop with a Civil War veteran

The 12th Infantry was sent to the 75th reunion of Gettysburg veterans. They set up the tents, supplied the food and helped the old soldiers get around. Above, the 12th marches into Gettysburg on July 1, 1938. Citizen’s Military Training Camp

Every July, throughout the 1920’s and 30’s, a Citizen’s Military Training Camp was conducted at Fort Howard. Young men who attended for four years and met the program’s requirements would be offered an officer’s commission in the U.S. Army. Veterans Administration Hospital 1940 - 2002

1940 – The War Department turned over jurisdiction of the fort to the Veteran’s Administration and all remaining army units were transferred to . The hospital was completed in 1943 on the post garrison area of the fort. The rehabilitation facility which had 154 hospital operating beds also provided rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine, substance abuse rehabilitation, sub-acute care, and outpatient services. It operated a 47 bed nursing home care unit that was closed in 2002 with the opening of the new nursing home in Baltimore. Most of the other services that were available at Fort Howard have been moved to other facilities.

Army Intelligence School 1950’s - 60’s Part of the fort was used as an auxiliary training area by the US Army Intelligence school at . A replica of a Vietnamese village complete with tunnels was built for counterinsurgency training. Training at Fort Howard ended in 1971 when the intelligence school moved to Arizona. Recent History

1975 - The portion of the Fort that contains the coastal gun batteries was declared surplus and became a Baltimore County Park.

Present - The VA still owns the majority of the property. There are still some historic buildings on the VA portion of the site, built between 1898 and 1943. Most of the structures on site are abandoned with the exception of the out-patient clinic.

Faces of Fort Howard The Commander

While there were many commanding officers at Ft. Howard, one stood out for his longevity and contributions to the history of the fort. Colonel A. M. Mason came to Fort Howard as a lieutenant in 1901. He rose through the ranks to commandant in 1918. His favorite saying “Do It Now” became the slogan of the fort.

Col. A.M. Mason, The Officers This gathering of artillery officers is pictured on the parade ground around 1917. Enlisted Men

This artilleryman (circa 1905) is wearing his dress uniform and holding a 1903 Springfield rifle. Sgt. Michael “Spike” Kelly Michael Kelly enlisted in the army in 1888 and his first duty station was Fort Robinson, Nebraska. While there, he took part in the suppression of the 1890 Indian uprisings including the “Battle of Wounded Knee”.

In 1896, Sgt. Kelly left the army and enlisted in the Marine Corps. During the Spanish War he served on the U.S.S. Indiana and was decorated for his actions during the “Battle of Santiago Harbor”

In 1906, his disappointment in the $14 bounty he was awarded by the navy for his heroics led to his leaving naval service and reenlisting in the army’s Coast Artillery Corps.

A 1919 article in The Projectile called the 31 year service veteran a “soldier of the old school”. The Band The Fort Howard Band Did Concerts Several Nights A Week “an amazing animal…”

“Some of the post characters included Frank, a white mule who pulled the lawnmower and ate the Sun comic section. He was an amazing animal who knew all the bugle calls by note and upon hearing “Recall From Duty” would burst for his stable.” (From the memoirs of Lt. Dan Riley)

“A Snakeskin From Panama”

Believe it or not, that’s the caption for this picture taken just outside the front gate around 1916. Several units from Fort Howard did stints in Panama (protecting the brand new canal) and in Mexico (chasing Pancho Villa). The snakeskin is probably a souvenir of one of those expeditions. Off Duty

A group of artillerymen relax at a local watering hole. Two of the “clubs” located near the post entrance were Dark Town and Jone’s. The Post Theater

Outlaws of the Orient came out in 1937 Fishing Off The Pier

“We were finished with our duties every day at 11:30 AM except K.P. and Guard Duty. We would go fishing and crabbing and then cooked them at our club outside the for t.” (From the memoirs of Pvt. Martin Rock) The Buddies The “Goldbrick”

Goldbrick was an army slang term for a soldier adept at avoiding strenuous duty Payday Card Games

A Private’s pay in 1918 was $30 a month. Girlfriends and Wives

“Life at Fort Howard was exceedingly pleasant. Young ladies came down from the city for tennis and swimming, for teas, dancing, and parties at the Sparrow Point Country Club. When there were football games at the Naval Academy, officers and their dates piled onto the post launch and cruised happily to Annapolis.”

(From the memoirs of Lt. Dan Riley) Children At The Fort THE END