USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > South Boston > History of South Boston (its past and present) and prospects for the future, with sketches of prominent men > Part 24
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A new commander, Capt. Roger Clap, was then appointed, being commissioned August 10, 1665, and shortly after his appointment the Court did much to improve the work.
The promptness with which the Court acted was evidently a result of the intelligence that the Dutch naval commander, De Ruiter, had arranged to sail from the West Indies for Boston, to attack the town. De Ruiter sailed with this intent, but was driven off the coast by con-
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trary winds, and instead of coming here he put into Newfoundland and did considerable damage there.
Captain Clap was greatly responsible for the many improvements made, however, as he was much interested in the Castle and en- deavored in every possible way to have it kept in proper condition. As a result of his efforts, coupled with those of other influential citizens, the Court provided for a constant garrison which was to com- prise a captain, a lieutenant and officers of lower rank, besides a squad of sixty-four men. In the appointment, the Court designated that Boston was to supply thirty men, Charlestown twelve, Dorchester twelve and Roxbury ten.
It seemed at this time that the fort, having been so well provided for, would eventually become a first-class defensive work, but it was visited by fire March 21, 1672, which resulted almost in the total destruction of the place. The powder and the officers' and soldiers' property were saved.
Despite this severe catastrophe the smouldering enmities between Holland and England stimulated the Court the following day to issue orders for a contribution of fifteen hundred pounds to replace the work, " as speedily as possible," bearing out this fact.
On May 7, of the same year, the Court issued the following order : " Having considered the awful hand of God in the destruction of the Castle by fire, do order and appoint, first : That there be a small regular piece erected where the old Castle stood (not exceeding sixty feet square within, or proportionable), for the defence of the battery and entertain- ment of such garrison as may be met ; secondly, that the charge be defrayed by the late subscriptions and contributions to that end and what shall be wanting to their works be levied by a public rate, wherein those who have already contributed shall be considered according to what is already declared. And for the management of this affair and to conclude the matter and form of the said Castle and bring the same to a complete end as speedily as may be, the honored Governor, John Leverett, Esq., Captain William Davis, Captain Roger Clap, Captain Thomas Savage, and Mr. John Richards are appointed and empowered as a committee; and what shall be concluded from time to time, by any three of this committee, the honored Governor being one, it shall be accounted a valid act to the ends aforesaid."
Much credit is given Governor Leverett for the interest and care he manifested in its construction as well as the uninterrupted progress of the work, for, on October 7, 1674, the work had been completed, and the following order was passed by the General Court : "It is ordered that the whole Court on the morrow morning go to the Castle to view it, as it is now finished, and see how the country's money is laid out thereupon, and that on the country's charge."
This, as shown by a later record, was done, and the work met with general favor. Captain Roger Clap again assumed command and the
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new defensive work, which had received the name of Fort William and Mary, in honor of the new king and queen of England, remained in his charge until 1686. This fort occupied the site now held by the present Fort Independence.
An appropriation of two hundred pounds, to be used in repairing the Castle, was made in May, 1678. In May of the following year a committee visited the work and in its report gave a description of the armament. There were twenty-three mounted guns above on the Castle and seven below in the battery and they reported that five small guns were wanted to clear the curtains above. From another record it appears that Captain Clap had a very small force of men at that time, there being but six, including himself and his gunner. How such a number of guns could be operated by so small a force the records do- not reveal.
Again matters took an uninterrupted course regarding the Castle until King James II. commissioned Joseph Dudley over his New Eng- land dominions. Shortly after he deposed him and appointed Sir Edmund Andros in his stead. This was in 1686, and Captain Roger Clap, being unwilling to serve under the usurper, resigned his command and Captain John Pipon was appointed to the position. He remained in command until April, 1689, when he was relieved and Captain John Fairweather was appointed April 19, 1689, to fill the position.
Simon Bradstreet was appointed Governor, May 24, 1689, and a new charter was granted. Matters at the fort continued to run along without change, with the exception that from 1689 the fort came more directly under the dominion of the reigning monarch of England, it having been taken out of the hands of the people during Andros' brief governorship, and from that time on it was in charge of the Governor, or in his absence, the Lieutenant-Governor, or Deputy Governor, as he was sometimes called.
But little mention is made of the fort up to 1701, when, being in a decayed condition, an order was issued that the old works be torn down and new ones erected in their stead. Col. William Wolfgang Romer, the king's engineer, a man of undoubted engineering skill, had charge of the work and under his direction the new structure, constructed chiefly of brick and cemented together with mortar made with lime obtained from burnt oyster shells, was erected on the top of the hill between the east and west heads.
Col. Romer placed over the entrance to the new fort a white tablet twenty-five inches square which bore a Latin inscription, translated as follows : " In the thirteenth year of the reign of William the Third, most invincible King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, this forti- fication (called Castle William from his name) was undertaken; and was finished in the second year of the reign of the most serene Ann, Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland, and in the year of our Lord 1703.
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" Built by Colonel William Wolfgang Romer, chief military en- gineer to their royal majesties in North America."
The left hand portion of this stone is in a good state of preserva- tion still, although the remainder has long since disappeared. It is understood that a small portion of the wall of this fort was retained when the present work was constructed, but it is completely hidden from view by the large granite blocks. This ancient relic, it is under- stood, comprises a small section of the rear wall.
The fortification of 1701 proved to be a work of defense worthy of the title, for it remained, with occasional repairs, in an excellent state of preservation until the Evacuation of Boston by the British in 1776, at which time it was badly injured by fire set by the retreating red- coats, the guns being dismounted and spiked and other damage done by them before they' left, forever.
Captain Zachariah Tuttle, a military officer and also a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, was commander of the new fort from 1710 to 1720. In this year it was found necessary to secure the east and west ends of the island from the action of the sea and a committee was accordingly appointed to investigate, and the following report was submitted November 15, 1720: "We have re- viewed the works and find them well finished, and find it absolutely necessary that the east and west heads be well secured by good sub- stantial wharves, and that there be new coverings for the guns at the lower battery to be ready for service." The report was subsequently accepted, and later the heads were protected by driving piles and the erection of wharves, and white oak carriages were made for the guns.
Captain Tuttle remained in command of the fort until succeeded by the Hon. William Drummer, Deputy Governor, and he in turn was succeeded by Captain John Larrabee, who was appointed commander in 1725.
Many committees visited the Castle about this time, and on one occasion, in 1732, Governor Jonathan Belcher, Lieut. Governor Spencer Phipps, with many gentlemen, escorted several sachems of the Cagna- waga Indians to the Castle, and when Lieut .- Gov. Phipps presented his bill to the Court, it refused payment, " for that it was not lodged within the time prescribed by law."
A proposition was offered in 1735 for the building of a new bat- tery. A committee was appointed and submitted its report June 30, 1736, the substance of which was, that they found the works, including the platforms, carriages, copings and all wood work well done and in good repair, but the brick work was in poor condition, the mortar being soft and not holding to the stone properly.
The new battery was soon under construction, the site selected being at the end of the island about one hundred and fifty feet from the old work, and it was joined to the main fort by a platform and palisades. Committees frequently visited the Castle about this time
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and many references are made in the old records regarding preparations for attack, the increase in armament and the enlistment of men.
In the spring of 1757 the King's council gave the command of the Castle to Sir William Peperell, who, on the arrival of Sir Thomas Pownal, August 3 of the same year, delivered the keys to him with some ceremony. Governor Pownal was a man who evidently took much interest in his new field of labor and was somewhat of an artist, as shown by his view of Boston drawn from Castle Island in 1757.
Some old charts of this time exhibit a pentagonal plan of the works, but if Governor Pownal's drawing is correct the works were quadrangular in form. The buildings were two stories in height, hav- ing large windows, and a striking feature of the picture was the large chimney which reached far above the buildings themselves. This latter was blown down during a storm, October 23, 1761. A view of a few years later shows the work and also the old beacon pole on the easterly side of the hill, which was used for signaling to the city proper.
CASTLE WILLIAM. 1757.
Besides the works already described, there was a block house at the north-westerly part of Castle Island, near the west head, while south of it, at the extreme westerly end, was the wharf, and at the southerly end was the old block house (thus named to designate it from the more modern structure). Both buildings were used at different times by the officers and men as a barracks. The north- easterly side, directly above East head, was occupied by Shirley's Battery, in close proximity to which were the two small wharves that stretched toward Point Shirley. This battery, which was of consider- able size. commanded Pulling Point Gut.
From the history of the Castle one can trace the progress of events that actually lead up to the Revolution and the final overthrow of Britain's rule in the colonies. After Governor Pownal received the
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keys of the Castle, Captain Hutchinson was appointed to command and apparently remained in charge until 1770, when the colonies were placed under martial law, and, by orders of General Gage, Captain Hutchinson was compelled to give up his position. During his com- mand, however, there were many important changes in the Castle.
In 1764 the commander was created a port and quarantine officer, this act probably being introduced as a means of keeping the king better informed on the amount of commerce and thereby making him so familiar that he could better levy and collect taxes. Thus matters progressed at the Castle until 1768.
In this year, owing to the arrival of two British regiments from Halifax, by orders of General Gage, the military governor at that time, we find Governor Bernard and the King's council retiring in fear to the Castle to escape 'the wrath of the people. The trouble between the soldiers and the people continued, and, as it was evident that it would be but a short time before there would be open conflict, an order was issued in 1769 for an increase in the armament at the Castle.
The following year General Gage removed Captain Hutchinson from command at the Castle, and March 6, 1770, the remainder of the garrison was removed and succeeded by Captain Dalrymple and the Twenty-Ninth Royal Regiment. From this time on, only the most trusted soldiers of the King were allowed to garrison the Castle.
Though matters in Boston were assuming a more serious aspect daily, practically nothing of importance occurred there until after the evacuation of Boston. During the siege it is recorded that the gunners of the King occasionally bombarded Nook Hill with but little effect, and not infrequently did they turn their fire upon the house of Mr. Blake, at City Point, as he was known to be a patriot.
Being in the possession of the King's soldiers, vessels with sup- plies for the troops in Boston had no hesitation about passing in and out of the harbor, and in this regard it proved a benefit to the redcoats. When, after Washington had fortified Dorchester Heights and Nook Hill, and it became imperative for Lord Howe to drive him out or quit Boston, the Castle proved a welcome spot for Lord Percy and his followers, who were ordered to make an attack upon the place March 5, 1776.
Percy left Boston with his command presumably to make the attack, but, instead, went to the Castle, stating that he would cross over to the Heights under cover of darkness. This night attack was never made, however, for, during the afternoon, a severe storm came up which lasted through the night, reaching the height of its fury at mid- night and driving two or three of his vessels ashore.
Through it all the Continental forces had been busy, and, when morning dawned, their works had been pushed forward to such an extent that the destruction of the British army was threatened unless it left Boston, and the evacuation was consequently decided upon.
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HISTORY OF SOUTH BOSTON.
On that memorable morning, March 17, 1776, the vessels of Admiral Shuldham sailed down Boston Harbor, bearing besides Lord Howe, who took passage with the Admiral, the British soldiers and more than a thousand tories. As Castle Island was passed some of the transports were left behind to take off Capt. Dalrymple and his men as well as Lord Percy and his troops, who were to have made the attack on the Heights.
They, evidently, took their time about embarking, for on the night of March 20, 1776, they destroyed the Castle by setting it on fire. The following abstract from the diary of Dr. Warren regarding the incident is interesting : " March 20, 1776. This evening they burn the Castle and demolish it by blowing up all the fortifications there ; they leave not a building standing."
This action was evidently deliberate as several of the vessels of the fleet anchored off Nantasket head, apparently to await the outcome and the arrival of the vessels bearing the men from the Castle. They were discovered there and driven off by a band of armed men gathered from the surrounding towns.
This destruction was felt to be a severe blow to the Colonial forces at the time, it being feared that the British might return and destroy the town, but a detail of men was sent from Dorchester Heights, by Washington's orders, to take possession.
They crossed what is now Pleasure Bay in several small boats, and landed. Upon reaching the ruins, they began at once to place them in condition to protect Boston, should the British return.
Besides the general destruction wrought, the men under Col. Crafts found that the cascabels and the trunnions on the guns had been broken off, while the guns themselves had been spiked. By diligent work they soon had the works in a fairly tenable condition, and after the walls had been rebuilt and strengthened, the battered and broken armament was given attention.
That sterling patriot whose name has been immortalized by Long- fellow in the story of his midnight ride - Paul Revere - was one of the detachment engaged in the work, and it was through his knowledge and inventive genius that the guns were repaired, carriages constructed and the pieces remounted. He replaced the broken and battered cascabels, bored primer vents, and in many ways aided in repairing the damage. As a result the fort was soon in good condition.
The fort was manned by detachments from several military regi- ments and with Crafts' artillery train. It then received the name of Fort Adams, and was placed in command of Colonel John Trumbull, who gained an international reputation later as a painter, by his historic pictures of the Revolution, in the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington.
In 1779 the next occurrence of note was the raising of a company of artillery for special service at the Castle, of which General John Hancock was made captain, adding another distinguished name to the
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list of gallant commanders. He was succeeded by each successive governor, beginning with James Bowdoin, in 1787; John Hancock again, in 1793 ; Samuel Adams, in 1797, and Increase Sumner, its last governor-captain.
October 2, 1798, after having existed for 164 years under colonial, provincial and state rule, Castle Island, the fort, twenty buildings, ordnance and stores were ceded to the United States. There was a proviso made, however, in which, by an act passed November, 1785, all persons sentenced to hard labor should be allowed to be kept on the island with a sufficient guard, and thus matters remained until the erection of the state prison in Charlestown in 1805.
The year after it was ceded to the United States, 1799, President John Adams visited the place, and as the government was then con- templating the erection of a new and more substantial fortification at the island, he named the work Fort Independence. Work on the new fort was commenced May 7, 1800, and progressed without delay until its completion in January, 1803.
As a recent writer says, " It was well for Boston that so good a defence stood ready to meet any attack during the period that suc- ceeded the next decade." It was known that the British anticipated making an attack on Boston during the war of 1812, and this writer continuing says : " Doubtless Fort Independence won a bloodless vic- tory at this time, being strong and ready for an attack, and it is prob- able that this resulted in keeping the enemy at a proper distance."
Reference has been made to dueling at the Castle, but the only one recorded is that in which Lieut. Robert F. Massie was killed. It is understood that duels were frequent, but evidently not fatal. Lieut. Massie's remains were buried at the island and a small marble monu- ment was erected by his brother officers to mark the spot. The south panel read :
NEAR THIS SPOT ON THE 25TH, DECR, 1817, FELL LIEUT. ROBERT F. MASSIE, AGED 21 YEARS. On the west panel :
Here honour comes, a Pilgrim gray, To deck the turf, that wraps his clay.
On the north :
BENEATH THIS STONE ARE DEPOSITED THE REMAINS OF LIEUT. ROBERT F. MASSIE OF THE U. S. REGT. OF LIGHT ARTILLERY.
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On the west :
THE OFFICERS OF THE U. S. REGIMENT OF LT. ART'Y ERECTED THIS MONUMENT AS A TESTIMONY OF THEIR RESPECT & FRIENDSHIP FOR AN AMIABLE MAN & GALLANT OFFICER.
There also stood a short distance from the west face of the fort a slate headstone inscribed :
HERE LYES THE BODY OF MR. EDWARD PURSLEY. HE DEPARTED THIS LIFE AUG. 3IST 1767 AGED 60 YEARS AND 4 MONTHS.
This latter is the oldest memorial found on the island, the little graveyard at the west of this tablet containing no inscriptions previous to 1850. All of these have since disappeared with the remains, all having been exhumed and re-interred at Governor's Island when Castle Island was opened to the public. It was thought by many that possibly the remains of some of the old commanders of the Castle might have been buried on the island. This is uncertain as the only one whose last rest- ing place is known is Captain Roger Clap, whose remains are interred in the Chapel Burying Ground. Captain John Larrabee died February II, 1762, at the age of seventy-six, but his last resting place is unknown.
After the War of 1812 little worthy of note transpired at Castle Island until 1833, when the fort now on the island, which at that time had been under contemplation, was begun. The feature regarding the new fort was, that it was constructed by a native engineer, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, while all its predecessors had been planned and con- structed by foreigners. It was but a few years when the work was completed, and the name given the preceding fort by President Adams was transferred to the new structure, and it has been known as Fort Independence since that time.
This fort formed one of Boston's main defences during the Civil War, and, though garrisoned and ready for an attack at that time, it was never called upon to do any service outside housing deserters from the Union lines.
It remained a garrisoned fort up to 1876, when the government, evidently realizing that its close proximity to the city proper made it comparatively useless as an effective military work against long range guns, decided to abandon it and the garrison was accordingly withdrawn.
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HISTORY OF SOUTH BOSTON.
Thus, through the advent of ten-mile guns and their weighty missiles, coupled with equally great improvements in other modern weapons of war, Castle Island, as a point of military importance, sank into insignifi- cance. Since the withdrawal of the garrison the government has intrusted the care of the island to an ordnance sergeant.
Castle Island from this time forward received but little attention, and its ultimate uses were difficult to anticipate. Finally, in 1891, a far seeing mind conceived the excellent idea of adding it to Boston's park system.
On the Island, looking South,
Castle Island. Outer Works, East. VIEWS ON CASTLE ISLAND.
Entrance to the Fort.
With this intention in view, application was made to the national government, resulting in the city being given full use of the island, with the proviso that the government could reclaim it at any time.
It was accepted, under these conditions, and shortly afterward a bridge was built from Marine Park to the island, giving easy access to it, and with its completion, the island, for the first time in its history, was devoted to public use. Other improvements were made, and it gradually became one of the most attractive parts of the entire park system.
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HISTORY, OF SOUTH BOSTON.
Thus it remained until IS98, when, at the breaking out of the Spanish-American War, it was reclaimed by the national government and converted into a mine and torpedo station.
On April 6, 1898, Sergt. John P. Hart and four men of the engi- neer corps were sent to Castle Island to prepare for the work on hand. The work began April S, a squad of twenty-five men from the elec- trical corps being added to the engineers. The mines, explosives, cables, etc., were sent in consignments to the island as the work pro- gressed. The plugs for the mines were first loaded, and while this work was progressing the mooring lines and electric cables were being prepared by other members of the corps. This finished, the work of loading the mines began.
In all, 252 of these terrible engines of war were prepared for Boston Harbor, and a large num- ber of others were loaded and shipped to other seacoast cities. Of the 252 mines for Boston Harbor 23I were loaded each with 100 pounds of dynamite, of seven- ty-five per cent. nitro-glycerine, and the remaining twenty one contained 250 pounds of dynamite of ninety per cent. nitro-glycerine. This latter is so powerful that the manufacture of anything of a higher grade is considered beyond the danger limit.
EXPLODING MINES OFF CASTLE ISLAND 1898.
Under Sergt. Hart's direc- tion, and with the assistance of Messrs. Finn of the engineers office, and Dow of the electrical department, the work progressed without delay or accident, and when the corps had finally completed its work, the 252 mines were in their proper position beneath the waters of Boston Harbor, being set out in twelve grand groups, each group constituting twenty-one mines. Each group was in direct commu- nication with headquarters at the the island, and any or all of the mines could, should the occasion require it, be discharged by the turning of a switch.
At the conclusion of the war the same corps raised the mines, brought them to the island, and the work of unloading them began. This task was far more dangerous than the loading, but the work pro- gressed until the afternoon of December 6, 1898, when from some unknown cause about 1,300 pounds of the explosive was discharged, killing four men.
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