Fort Hamilton
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- This article is about a United States Army Fort. For the Canadian whiskey post, see Fort Whoop-Up
Fort Hamilton is a United States military base located in Brooklyn, New York. It is located south of Bay Ridge, just below the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (see also Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn).
The first cornerstone was set down on June 11, 1825 and the first garrison flag rose in 1831. The garrison was greatly increased during the Civil War, where the fort was responsible for protecting the harbor from Confederate raids and providing troops to put down the draft riots of 1863.
Fort Hamilton was not named for Alexander Hamilton until the 20th Century.
The original fort later became the Officer's Club and now houses the Community Club. The caponier (a miniature fort guarding the main fort's gate) became the Harbor Defense Museum. Another notable landmark would be the Robert E. Lee House located on the main road, General Robert E. Lee Drive. Along with Colonel's Row (six historical townhouses located across the street from the Lee House), all of these structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The garrison is currently home to the New York City Recruiting Battalion, the Military Entrance Processing Station, the North Atlantic Division Headquarters of the US Army Corps of Engineers, the 1179th Transportation Brigade, and the 722nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron.
External Links
- Fort Hamilton (U.S. Army Garrison)
- Harbor Defense Museum
- Fort Hamilton Family Housing
- North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers