Unlikely Allies: Fort Delaware's Prison Community In The Civil War by Dale Fetzer - There's a Book About It on Waymarking.com

Pea Patch Island, as it was known to the locals, was a private hunting ground for Dr. Henry Gale. In 1794, the French military engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant surveyed the island as an ideal location for a river defense fort. The US military offered Gale $30,000 for the island, but Gale refused. The military then appealed to the Delaware State Legislature, and the island was seized from Dr. Gale on May 27, 1813.

Construction began in 1817, but a fire destroyed the original structure. By 1833, the original structure was torn down, and the fort that stands today began construction between 1848 and 1859. At the time, it was the largest fort in the United States. The fort is surrounded by a deep moat, with revolving cannons on all sides.

In 1862, during the Civil War, the island was used as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war. Originally, the fort was designed to hold 2,000 prisoners, but by 1863, the number had surged to over 10,000. Wooden barracks were built on the parade grounds to house the prisoners, 212 men to each, and 54 barracks. Some 2,900 prisoners died at Fort Delaware as a result of disease.

The State of Delaware acquired the fort in 1947 and opened Fort Delaware State Park. Access tot he island is by ferry only, leaving from Delaware City in Delaware or Fort Mott in New Jersey. Volunteers at the park, dressed in period garb, reenact life at the fort in 1864. Each "character" is based on a real person who was housed here. Artillery and 19th century lifestyle demonstrations are conducted throughout the day. Vistors can walk through the fort, including the officers quarters, mess hall, kitchens and cannon turrets.

As you can imagine, there is much suspected paranormal activity on the island. Ghost Hunters and even Britain's Most Haunted have done specials on the fort.

The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

ISBN Number: 0811732703 Author(s): Dale Fetzer

Visit Instructions:
Please log this if you have read the book this location relates to and please provide feedback about the book. Thanks!

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   07/31/2021 bluesnote visited it