The first fortification on the site was an earthwork fort built in and dismantled in A second "star fort" was built starting in , and it burned on Feb It was made of sandstone brownstone and wooden interior. When it was torn down in , the stone was used to reenforce the sea wall. A dispute between the State of Delaware and the State of New Jersey over the Island was settled and in Congress appropriated one million dollars for the construction of a Third System masonry fort on Pea Patch Island.
During the U. Civil War the fort served as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war. The prison population varied from about in to about 11, in As many as prisoners died of cholera in a single month and by war's end over 2, Confederate prisoners had died on the island. In addition, there were Union guards [26 others are still unknown], and 39 civilian detainees who died at the Fort.
Civil War prison. The post built a bed hospital that was tended by at least four doctors during the war, and possibly up to ten. The engineering department had their own doctor, as did the infantry unit. A dozen confederate surgeons even are documented as voluntarily working in the hospital.
Absent epidemics, the majority of prisoners formed messes, ran businesses, and lived life as normal. The general even was allotted a ship which pumped fresh water from the nearby Brandywine river and brought to the island.
Poor nutrition and a lack of water lead to scurvy, dysentery, and diarrhea. Of course, lice were rampant. Thousands were ill, dozens were dying every day, and according to Dr. Weir Mitchell, in July of , he observed "the living having more life on them than in them. Only upwards of prisoners escaped the island, and most were never seen or heard from again.
A few impersonated Union soldiers and snuck out. Others floated away on life preservers made of pilfered material, and one snuck away on a coal boat. Bribing the guards was common, too - but risky, as you could not count on them to hold their word. Famously, one soldier removed a body from a coffin, snuck over to New Jersey where the dead were buried, and bolted once he arrived. Another, from Florida, claimed to never have seen snow or ice, and convinced the Union guards to allow the prisoners to attempt to skate on the frozen river.
While the guards laughed at the Floridian's attempts to stay on his own feet, he fell, fumbled and slid further from the fort. Once he was out of gunshot range, " he set off down the river like a professional skater and was never seen again. Turns out, burying bodies in remote areas of New Jersey is an idea as old as the country itself.
Almost 3, soldiers perished at Fort Delaware and were buried across the river in New Jersey. The fort is said to be one of the most haunted places in the world - and in October, Paranomal tours are open to the public. Delaware In Your Inbox spinner. A powerful politician named Frank Blair intervened on Harrison's behalf. Harrison was released on Jan. Kevin Mackie has been fascinated by history all of his life and says he hopes to teach the subject someday.
As shown here, Mackie took part in a living history program at Fort Delaware in September , when hew was eight years old. He portrayed John Redd, a non-combatant who was captured at Gettysburg and brought to the fort.
The boy's father died in battle, making him an orphan. Redd is documented as being nine years old in Photo by Anne L. JavaScript is required to properly view this page.
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Main entrance "sally port" to Fort Delaware, post-Civil War, circa —
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