New London is a small city right in between Boston and New York. Just two hours from those two big cities, it often gets driven through by tourists heading to the major metropolitan areas or to beach shore destinations like Newport or Cape Cod. New London and the towns surrounding it have half a dozen Civil War destinations that include Fort Griswold and Fort Trumbull. In November, 2023 I visited Fort Trumbull right in the city.
The fort that is still in existence is largely the fort that was built between 1839 and 1852 that stood there during the Civil War. This was the third fort built there and it is in accord with the Third System of defensive fortifications. The site had been defended during the Revolutionary War with a fort built in 1777 that was captured in 1781 by Benedict Arnold. New London was burned by the British. After the war, a Second System fort was placed on the site. Both the first and second forts no longer exist except for a block house constructed in 1794 of granite.
The fort was used as a military base and training site for more than two hundred years. In 2000 it was converted into a 16 acre state park. The park is open year-round, but the visitors’ center and museum are only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Interior tours of the fort take place during that period. Below is the visitors’ center which is where officers’ quarters were.
The fort is in very good condition and the State of Connecticut has spent well restoring the land surrounding the fort. When I went there, a fair number of people were visiting to learn about the history from the markers on-site as well as to walk around and take in the views of the Thames River below the fort and Long Island Sound.
The first site you come across is the old Parade Ground where soldiers have been trained in drill and linear tactics for centuries. When the Civil War broke out, Abraham Lincoln sought to increase the size of the Regular Army. One new regiment, the 14th United States Infantry Regiment, was raised and stationed at Fort Trumbull under the command of John Reynolds. Reynolds was soon promoted to Brigadier General and moved on to becoming commander of the I Corps. Other regiments that were formed in Connecticut came to Fort Trumbull to train and could travel to the theatre of war on the transports that docked in the harbor or on the rail lines that enter the city not far from the base.
You can see the Parade Ground in front of the fort. The small stone building is the oldest building at the park, the Block House. Behind it you can see the masts of the Coast Guard cutter.
Inside the fort there is a reproduction artillery piece with statues representing soldiers firing the gun.
This is a replica 32-pound cannon that would have been employed here during the Civil War. It was manned by a seven man crew.
Fort Trumbull protects New London Harbor. The harbor is deeper than any other in Connecticut, making it a strategic resource in New England. During the decades before the Civil War, New London was one of the three biggest whaling ports in the United States. In 1860, the population of New London had reached over 10,000 people, larger than Atlanta.
Next to the enclosed fort is one of two batteries of guns, this one facing North. This battery of heavy guns could fire on ships coming into the Thames River to attack New London. This battery was built during Reconstruction to accommodate the newest artillery.
The area across the river is where Fort Griswold stood. It had been the scene of fighting during the Revolution with a massacre by the British. During the Civil War, the fort itself was considered useless, however a battery was manned there. The obelisk marks the site of the fort.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle is at a pier off Fort Trumbull. The fort was the Coast Guard Academy for many years. While the campus has moved north on the river, the Eagle still uses Fort Trumbull as its home port. The ship is a 295-foot, three-masted barque that was built in 1936 for Germany. It is now the oly square rigged ship used by the U.S. government. When it is in New London, it can be visited by civilians.
The main edifice is a five-sided fort built under the direction of Captain George Cullum of the Army Corps of Engineers. He also designed the lower battery at Fort Griswold across the river. During the war, he served a brigadier general and in 1864 he was superintendent at West Point. In the 1870s, he married the widow of Henry Halleck.
Here is the view looking South from the fort to the mouth of the Thames and out to Long Island Sound. Beyond that is Plum Island, Fishers Island, and Long Island.
The South Battery was constructed in 1840. A parapet shielded the gunners.
There were six of these Rodman 8 inch smoothbore guns in this battery as well two parrott guns. The Rodman weighs 9,240 lbs.
Every picture of the site throughout history shows New Londoners working and enjoying the channel over which the Rodmans are covering.
The tracks allow for the guns to be aimed.
The pistons under the cannon allow the artillery piece to roll back when the explosion is detonated, and then to roll forward again.
One of the regiments that trained here was the 14th United States Infantry Regiment. After being formed at Fort Trumbull, it joined the Army of the Potomac and fought from the Peninsula to Petersburg.
While the site has a feel of conflict, there are picnic tables and grills for a family lunch.
The painting most associated with Fort Trumbull is this work of Seth Eastman, an army officer in the Civil War who depicted Native Americans in paintings from the American West. In this painting from 1870, the fort is seen a relic from the Civil War Era with civilians enjoying a day outside. Note that beneath the fort you can see the South Battery.
Fort Trumbull is at 90 Walbach Street in New London, CT 06320. If you go to New London by train, it is a half hour walk from the train station or a five minute Uber ride. The exterior of the fort is free to visit, but if you want to go into the museum, it is a six dollar fee.
All color photos were taken by Pat Young. To see more sites Pat visited CLICK HERE for Google Earth view.
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