The "All Forted Out: Part II" Story

Fort Charlotte

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my brochure I picked up during my recent trip to Fort Charlotte on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas.  The fort was probably the most interesting one to visit and by far the largest.  Place covered over 100 acres.  This fort was built for war.  

The outside of the fort.

Nassau was the political capital of the Bahamas, and this fort was the colony's military head- 
quarters.  It was intended as the region's main base for soldiers, their ammunition and the supplies that supported them.  The fort was built on a hill overlooking the far west end of the harbor.  Who built it and how they built it are details that no one seems to know.  

An old post card showing Fort Charlotte.  Notice the
walkway that had to be used to cross the moat.

It is believed that both men and women, black and white, free and slave had a hand in the building the fort.  Fort Charlotte actually is comprised of three forts: Fort Charlotte, Fort Stanley and Fort D'Arcy.  Fort Stanley was build to control the western end of the ridge and add firepower toward the sea.  Fort D'Arcy was added to house the powder magazine and ordinance.  The magazine was constructed below grade and had a thick stone roof on it to shield it from incoming rockets.  It also had a device that could periodically turn the powder kegs over to prevent them from caking.  The moat was always dry, but originally plans had been for prickly pear plantings to create a hindrance to an attacking enemy.  In 1794 the troop barracks were completed with a kitchen and garden.  The soldiers who lived at the fort often became bored and  homesick.  Many were scared of catching deadly fevers.  

Fort Charlotte's Military Camp training.

To relieve their boredom, they scribed graffiti on the walls of the fort. It appears throughout the fort. The fort is extremely fortified, but was never needed in battle.  The last fort on the island is Fort Montagu which we never had a chance to visit.  Our vacation was allegedly geared towards the beach and ocean, so spending time visiting places that were built for war just didn't seem right.  But, I did find some extremely old photos of Fort Montagu I thought I would share with you.  

Fort Montagu

The fort was built of limestone and is the oldest of the three forts being built in 1741.  It is on the eastern end of Nassau harbor along the waterfront.  It was built to defend the British possession from the Spanish invaders.  Fort Montagu is best known because it is the site of the United States Marine Corps' first military action. In 1776 Continental Congress ordered Commodore Esek Hopkins to take a fleet of eight ships to capture a large supply of gunpowder the British had stored on New Providence Island.  

A water view of Fort Montagu.

The Bahamian militia retreated to Fort Nassau, so Fort Montagu fell unopposed. It turned out the 200 barrels of gunpowder were stored at Fort Nassau and the Bahamian governor was able to load them on merchant ships before the marines arrived there the next day.  

1960 shot of Ft. Montagu with a cannon.

The Marines did bring back thousand's of round shot for Gen. George Washington's troops.  As you can see, the Bahamas carries a wealth of history, but my interest was in relaxing in the shade on a beach chair with my Kindle in one hand and a colored drink in the other.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.