A Walk Through Old Fort Hancock
During the early stages of the American Revolution, General George Washington lacked the resources to defend the harbor of New York City. Thus, a British fleet sailed through an undefended Sandy Hook, New Jersey and occupied New York City in 1776. From this experience the United States learned the importance of defending its shorelines through fortifications.
Fort Hancock is a historic fort that for many years protected the Harbor of New York. It is located on Sandy Hook, New Jersey about 19 miles south of Battery Park on Manhattan. Sandy Hook is a remote, six-mile peninsula that stretches into New York Harbor. Although there were earlier fortifications on the site, including fortifications during the Civil War, Fort Hancock itself was established in 1895 and named for Winfield Scott Hancock, a Union Civil War General, hero of the Battle of Gettysburg, and unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1880. Fort Hancock was utilized in the defense of New York City from the late 19th Century to the early 1970s. The Fort is now part of the Gateway National Park administered by the National Park Service.
This book on Fort Hancock is part of the "Images of America" series which has the commendable goal of presenting the local history of places in the United States through photographs. Thomas Hoffman, a Park Ranger at Fort Hancock since 1975, tells the story of the fort from its earliest days through the beginning of WW II. Hoffman offers a brief written introduction to the history of Fort Hancock followed by 128 pages of photographs with annotations and commentary. It is a fascinating story.
The fortifications at Fort Hancock began well before 1895, and Hoffman begins his account with the early days at Sandy Hook. He gives considerable space to the history of the Harlyburton detachment, a group of 14 British sailors who died at Sandy Hook in 1783 while pursuing deserters from their warship, the H.M.S. Assistance. The sailors were buried at Sandy Hook, and their remains were rediscovered in 1908. A park and a monument at Fort Hancock were built in their memory.
Most of Hoffman's account centers upon the massive weaponry that the military constructed at Fort Hancock beginning in 1898 to protect New York City. The defenses consisted primarily of a string of large disappearing gun batteries, operated by elevators, which protected all aspects of the approach to New York City and which were modernized and expanded over the years. The defenses also included an extensive system of mines. Hoffman has many photographs and descriptions of these weapons, their installation, and the soldiers who manned them.
The book also shows the distinctive architecture that was constructed at Fort Hancock to provide a place for the soldiers to live. Hoffman shows the series of quarters known as "officers row" together with the barracks constructed for enlistees. He offers photos of soldiers going about their duties and their daily lives at Fort Hancock that will be of interest to those readers who have lived themselves in a military installation. With the coming of both WW I and WW II, Fort Hancock expanded dramatically, both to prepare for possible military attack and to train the many new soldiers who swelled the Army's ranks. Hoffman's book documents the expansion of Fort Hancock during these years, as well as visits to the fort from Charles Lindbergh and President Franklin Roosevelt.
Fort Hancock's most active years were those during WW II and its aftermath, when the it was used as a missile site. Hoffman's book only touches these years lightly, focusing instead on the early years of the fort. Perhaps the subsequent history of Fort Hancock will be discussed in a follow-up volume.
I have never visited Fort Hancock or the Gateway National Park, but this book brought an aura of familiarity to the site and made me want to go. Readers who have served at Fort Hancock, or similar sites, or those with an interest in the coastal defenses of the United States will enjoy this fine book.
