Fort Totten: 1862, Queens County. Started in 1857 with plans prepared by Cpt. R. E. Lee, constructed in 1862 as a Civil War-era military installation constructed to defend the eastern approach to New York Harbor via the East River, but not completed. Named for Joseph Gilbert Totten, a Military Engineer from New Haven in 1788. Improved about 1900 with long range coastal guns and became the chief fort for protection of the "back door" to NYC opposite Fort Schuyler. During the civil war the unfinished fort was used to store weapons and training occurred of recruits on the grounds.

(July 2013) Enlarge Fort Totten interior. Fort Schuyler sits on one end of where Long Island Sound meets the East River. The opposite fort across the way is the unfinished Fort Totten which is in Queens

(July 2013) Enlarge Today the grounds around Totten are used to train NYC EMT's and firefighters

(July 2013) Enlarge Basically Totten is two rows of casemates and only half of the 2nd tier casemates were roofed over

(July 2013) Enlarge Casemates

(July 2013) Enlarge ( 1 ) The U.S. Army, and I believe it was during the Civil War, fired Parrott guns from within the fort against the walls. The first two pictures are shells lodged into the stone. In the third picture (next page) the blackening and cracks were caused by cannon balls. I think after what happened at Fort Pulaski the U.S. Army realized these stone forts were truly obsolete and tests like this seemed to confirm it

(July 2013) Enlarge ( 2 )