5 Great Coastal Forts to Celebrate the Civil War

Where can a history-loving Yankee go to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the end of the Civil War? It’s a tough question. Throughout the southern and mid-Atlantic states, you’re never more than a musket shot away from an old battlefield, but the war never came to the Northeast. More battles were fought in Arizona than in New England. The only Northeast town that can make a claim is St. Albans, VT, where Confederate agents mounted a raid from Canada – but that was more of a bank robbery than a battle. Unless you want to pack up the family and head for Gettysburg, New Englanders seeking a little Civil War tourism this summer will need to think outside of the box. Your best bet is to tour one of the region’s old coastal forts. None saw any actual combat during the Civil War (most never saw any, ever), but it’s hard to beat the kind of pure, time-travel experience these hulking fortresses provide. They quickly became obsolete in the decades following the war, so they remain largely unchanged. When you tour the ramparts, you’re stepping on the same stones New England recruits did as they nervously awaited the order that would ship them away from home to some distant, unknown battleground.

Fort Trumbull State Park The fort that currently resides on the picturesque New London, CT, waterfront is the second to bear the name Fort Trumbull. The first was built on the same site in 1777 to defend the port and the entrance of the Thames River during the Revolutionary War. It failed. In 1781, it was overrun by British forces under the command of none other than Benedict Arnold. The current fort was built between 1839 and 1852 and served as a training center during the Civil War. It also serves as the backdrop for Mark Twain’s Civil War short story, “A Curious Experience.” (864) 444-7591; www.ct.gov/deep/FortTrumbull

Fort Adams State Park Built to protect Newport, RI, between 1824 and 1857, the fort’s biggest claim to fame is briefly housing the Naval Academy in 1861 when it was moved from Annapolis out of fear that Maryland would secede. For the majority of the Civil War it served as a recruitment depot. Today the fort is part of a state park that also contains a 2-mile coastal walking path, which is among the best places to see the sunset in Newport. (401) 841-0707; www.fortadams.org

Fort Independence State Park Once known as Castle Island, this peninsula is now directly connected to the rest of Boston. It claims to be the oldest continuously fortified site in the old British North American colonies. During the Revolutionary War, loyalists fled to the island following the Boston Tea Party and took refuge at the British fort there, then known as Castle William. The current fort was erected between 1833 and 1851 and was a training center during the Civil War. (617) 268-8870; www.bostonfortindependence.com

Fort Constitution State Park This small fort in New Castle, NH, sits on a peninsula that has been in continuous military use since 1632. While the fort itself has been abandoned for decades, it is surrounded by an active Coast Guard station, which continues the legacy. Construction of the current fort began during the Civil War, but was never completed because it’s masonry walls were deemed too weak to stand up to the artillery of the time. (603) 271-3556; www.nhstatparks.orgFort Knox State Park Perhaps the most physically impressive fortress in New England, Fort Knox is a sprawling granite installation in Prospect, ME, that was built between 1844 and 1869 to defend the Penobscot River. The fort was a training post during the Civil War and trained some of the troops that would later comprise the famed 20^th Maine infantry regiment. Visitors are free to roam its catacomb-like halls or get a bird’s eye view of the fort from the Penobscot Narrows Observatory located next door. www.Fortknox.maineguide.com