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BY COMTE LA CHASSE

An essay describing the evolution of the defenses of San Francisco, from a primitive Indian fort to the most scientifically defended post on the continent.

OREWARNED, forearmed, as

Francisco, and an efficacious mode of forewarning was the constructing of the adobe fort and stockade that formed the defenses of the primitive lay-clerical-military inhabitants. Not for long, however, were these rudimentary fortifications deemed effica

Fexpressed by the Latin caption cious against a possible foe, and this

of this treatise, was the watchword of the early settlers of San

conviction was the more forcibly impressed on the Government offi

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cials because of the richly-laden vessels that plied between San Francisco and the peoples outside the imaginary barrier of the Golden Gate. To render this fancied obstacle a real one, the construction of the old brick fort at Fort Point was commenced and completed, and, doubtless, was gazed upon by the inhabitants and immigrants with wondering awe.

This was the nucleus, however, around which, as time lapsed and necessity manifested their need, grew and ramified what are probably to-day the most perfect, effective and ingenious defenses of any harbor on the continent of the United States. Of the location of the submarine mines and their potentiality it is impracticable to write because nothing can be found out concerning them but of the system of forts encircling the bay the following map will efficiently locate the integers:

By references to the map it will readily be seen that the first defense on the southerly side of the bay is Fort Miley, near Point Lobos, which has two batteries, Chester and Livingston; then the Presidio is the next military reservation and post on the same shore line and here is situated Fort Winfield Scott -the old Fort Point, whose antique armament has been replaced by weapons of modern construction

and

demonstrated efficiency-and at the Presidio are located batteries Baldwin, Blaney, Boutelle, Cranston, Crosby, Godfrey, Howe, Lancaster, Saffold, Sherwood, Slaughter, Stotsenburg and Chamberlin.

Prior to the inauguration of the Spanish-American war, the normal. garrison at the Presidio and subsidiary posts was some 1,200 troops, and these were principally infantry with a small proportion of cavalry and artillery, the latter augmented from time to time as the need for manning the ordnance installed became clamorous. At the time of the Spanish-American war the

troops at the Presidio were maintained at an average of 6,500 as the garrison for the post itself, and through that post, and by the military executive and administrative departments of the Department of California, were handled, equipped and transferred to the Philippines one hundred and seventy-five thousand men, the average number of casual troops that were customarily encamped at the Presidio being from fifteen to twenty thousand. Thus

the Presidio is extremely advantageous as an offensive as well as defensive post, as its utilization for the mobilization and shipment of these large numbers of troops displays, plays, and with the experience gained during this exigent service much larger bodies could now be handled more efficaciously and promptly. The garrison at the Presidio and subordinate posts at present comprehends some four thousand men, and is principally artillery, the post being the headquarters of the Artillery District of San Francisco; the Presidio garrison itself comprehending about 2,000 troops, and the remaining posts as follows: Fort Mason, 150 men; Fort McDowell, 325 men; Camp of Recruits and Casuals at Angel Island, 300 men; Alcatraz Island, 350 men; Fort Miley, 250 men; Fort Baker, 350 men; Benicia Barracks, 215 men, and, customarily, at the Presidio General Hospital, 170 men and troops transitorily at the Presidio, 1,000 men.

The garrisons at the various posts where the artillery defenses are located should be augmented by at least 50 per cent, and the personnel. of the soldiers should be advanced by the increase of their pay whereby men would be induced to enlist who have a more scientific education, the matter of manning the marvelously intricate and delicate mechanism of the present ordnance demanding mathematic ability and applied technical skill. With the present troops

at these posts, a siege of long duration would wear them out physically, their unremittent tour of duty necessary to be performed would be so exhaustive, exigent service making the forts short-handed.

The next post en tour around the bay is Fort Mason (at Black Point) where is Battery Burnham; then Angel Island, known also as the Depot of Recruits and Casuals, and having Fort McDowell as the military entrepot, and Batteries Drew, Ledyard and Wallace. On this island also is the quarantine station and camp, and Alcatraz Island has communication with this post by telephone. Alcatraz Island is simply a prison post, with a capacity for three hundred prisoners, and is also what is known as a "saluting station," where salutes are fired on the arrival of any individuals or ships in the bay who are entitled by national or international law to receive this honor. The formidablelooking but really inefficacious guns that frowned from Alcatraz (guns always frown) have been dismantled and disposed of.

The next post in the riparian routine is Fort Baker, located at Lime Point, and there situated are Batteries Duncan, Kirby, Spencer, Wagner and Bates. Contiguous thereto is Fort Barry at Point Bonita, and the latter has Alexander, Mendell, Guthrie, O'Rorke and Rathbone as its batteries. These were accounted as one post until December 27, 1904, when general orders from the War Department divided the military reservation at Fort Baker into two forts by the true north and south line running through Point Diablo. The eastern portion to retain the name of Fort Baker and the western portion (known as Point Bonita) to be named Fort Barry.

Some years since there was some pneumatic or dynamite guns carefully sheltered and hidden from espionage at the Presidio. In the

language of the lamented Jim Fisk: "They have gone where the woodbine twineth." The fiasco of the Vesuvius during the SpanishAmerican war will suggest the expediency for this action.

in

The officers who have been command of the military headquarters at San Francisco during the various changes made in the fortifications and the mutations of departmental or divisional authority, so far as can be learned are: BrigadierGeneral Stephen W. Kearny, from February to May 31, 1847; R. B. Mason, Colonel First Dragoons, May 31, 1847 to April 13, 1848; Bennet Riley, Lieutenant-Colonel Second Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General from April 13, 1848, to February 23, 1849; Persifor F. Smith, Colonel Mounted Riflemen, Brevet Major General, U. S. Army, from February 23, 1849, to April 15, 1851; Washington Seawell, Major Second Infantry, from April 29, 1851, to July 9, 1851; Ethan A. Hitchcock, Colonel Second Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General, from July 9, 1851, to October, 1853; Major General John E. Wool, February 17, 1854, to February 10, 1857; Thomas F. Fauntleroy, Colonel First Dragoons, from February 19, 1857, to April 29, 1857; Newman S. Clarke, Colonel Sixth Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General, from Apri! 29, 1857, to October 31,1 1858; Benjamin I. Beall, Lieutenant Colonel First Dragoons, from October 17, 1860, to January 14, 1861; Albert S. Johnson, Colonel Second Cavalry, Brevet Brigadier General, from January 14, 1861, to April 25, 1861; Edwin B. Sumner, Brigadier General, U. S. Army, from April 25, 1861, to October 17, 1861; George Wright, Colonel Ninth Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers, from October 17, 1861, to July 1, 1864; Irvin McDowell, Brigadier General U. S. Army, from July 1, 1864, to August 30, 1865; Major General Henry W. Halleck, from August 30, 1865, to June 1, 1869:

cials because of the richly-laden vessels that plied between San Francisco and the peoples outside the imaginary barrier of the the Golden

Gate. To render this fancied obstacle a real one, the construction of the old brick fort at Fort Point was commenced and completed, and, doubtless, was gazed upon by the inhabitants and immigrants with wondering awe.

This was the nucleus, however, around which, as time lapsed and necessity manifested their need, grew and ramified what are probably to-day the most perfect, effective and ingenious defenses of any harbor on the continent of the United States. Of the location of the submarine mines and their potentiality it is impracticable to write because nothing can be found out concerning them but of the system of forts encircling the bay the following map will efficiently locate the integers:

By references to the map it will readily be seen that the first defense on the southerly side of the bay is Fort Miley, near Point Lobos, which has two batteries, Chester and Livingston; then the Presidio is the next military reservation and post on the same shore line and here is situated Fort Winfield Scott -the old Fort Point, whose antique armament has been replaced by weapons of modern construction and demonstrated efficiency-and at the Presidio are located batteries Baldwin, Blaney, Boutelle, Cranston, Crosby, Godfrey, Howe, Lancaster, Saffold, Sherwood, Slaughter, Stotsenburg and Chamberlin.

Prior to the inauguration of the Spanish-American war, the normal garrison at the Presidio and subsidiary posts was some 1,200 troops, and these were principally infantry with a small proportion of cavalry and artillery, the latter augmented from time to time as the need for manning the ordnance installed became clamorous. At the time of the Spanish-American war the

troops at the Presidio were maintained at an average of 6,500 as the garrison for the post itself, and through that post, and by the military executive and administrative departments of the Department of California, were handled, equipped and transferred to the Philippines one hundred and seventy-five thousand men, the average number of casual troops that were customarily encamped at the Presidio being from fifteen to twenty thousand. Thus the Presidio is extremely advantageous as an offensive as well as defensive post, as its utilization for the mobilization and shipment of these large numbers of troops displays, and with the experience gained during this exigent service much larger bodies could now be handled more efficaciously and promptly. The garrison at the Presidio and subordinate posts at present comprehends some four thousand men, and is principally artillery, the post being the headquarters of the Artillery District of San Francisco; the Presidio garrison itself comprehending about 2,000 troops, and the remaining posts as follows: Fort Mason, Mason, 150 men; Fort McDowell, 325 men; Camp of Recruits and Casuals at Angel Island, 300 men; Alcatraz Island, 350 men; Fort Miley, 250 men; Fort Baker, 350 men; Benicia Barracks, 215 men, and, customarily, at the Presidio General Hospital, 170 men and troops transitorily at the Presidio, 1,000 men.

The garrisons at the various posts where the artillery defenses are located should be augmented by at least 50 per cent, and the personnel of the soldiers should be advanced by the increase of their pay whereby men would be induced to enlist who have a more scientific education, the matter of manning the marvelously intricate and delicate mechanism of the present ordnance demanding mathematic ability and applied technical skill. With the present troops

at these posts, a siege of long duration would wear them out physically, their unremittent tour of duty necessary to be performed would be so exhaustive, exigent service making the forts short-handed.

The next post en tour around the bay is Fort Mason (at Black Point) where is Battery Burnham; then Angel Island, known also as the Depot of Recruits and Casuals, and having Fort McDowell as the military entrepot, and Batteries Drew, Ledyard and Wallace. On this island also is the quarantine station and camp, and Alcatraz Island has communication with this post by telephone. Alcatraz Island is simply a prison post, with a capacity for three hundred prisoners, and is also what is known as a "saluting station," where salutes are fired on the arrival of any individuals or ships in the bay who are entitled by national or international law to receive this honor. The formidablelooking but really inefficacious guns that frowned from Alcatraz (guns always frown) have been dismantled and disposed of.

The next post in the riparian routine is Fort Baker, located at Lime Point, and there situated are Batteries Duncan, Kirby, Spencer, Wagner and Bates. Contiguous thereto is Fort Barry at Point Bonita, and the latter has Alexander, Mendell, Guthrie, O'Rorke and Rathbone as its batteries. These were accounted as one post until December 27, 1904, when general orders from the War Department divided the military reservation at Fort Baker into two forts by the true north and south line running through Point Diablo. The eastern portion to retain the name of Fort Baker and the western portion (known as Point Bonita) to be named Fort Barry.

Some years since there was some pneumatic or dynamite guns carefully sheltered and hidden from espionage at the Presidio. In the

language of the lamented Jim Fisk: "They have gone where the woodbine twineth." The fiasco of the Vesuvius during the SpanishAmerican war will suggest the expediency for this action.

in

The officers who have been command of the military headquarters at San Francisco during the various changes made in the fortifications and the mutations of departmental or divisional authority, so far as can be learned are: BrigadierGeneral Stephen W. Kearny, from February to May 31, 1847; R. B. Mason, Colonel First Dragoons, May 31, 1847 to April 13, 1848; Bennet Riley, Lieutenant-Colonel Second Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General from April 13, 1848, to February 23, 1849; Persifor F. Smith, Colonel Mounted Riflemen, Brevet Major General, U. S. Army, from February 23, 1849, to April 15, 1851; Washington Seawell, Major Second Infantry, from April 29, 1851, to July 9, 1851; Ethan A. Hitchcock, Colonel Second Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General, from July 9, 1851, to October, 1853; Major General John E. Wool, February 17, 1854, to February 10, 1857; Thomas F. Fauntleroy, Colonel First Dragoons, from February 19, 1857, to April 29, 1857; Newman S. Clarke, Colonel Sixth Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General, from April 29, 1857, to October 31, 1858; Benjamin I. Beall, Lieutenant Colonel First Dragoons, from October 17, 1860, to January 14, 1861; Albert S. Johnson, Colonel Second Cavalry, Brevet Brigadier General, from January 14, 1861, to April 25, 1861; Edwin B. Sumner, Brigadier General, U. S. Army, from April 25, 1861, to October 17, 1861; George Wright, Colonel Ninth Infantry, Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers, from October 17, 1861, to July 1, 1864 Irvin McDowell, Brigadier General U. S. Army, from July 1, 1864, to August 30, 1865: Major General Henry W. Halleck, from August 30, 1865, to June 1, 1869;

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