Saturday, April 4, 2020

Lower Battery

Groton, CT  2020

After the Battle of Groton Heights, the fort was abandoned by Benedict Arnold.  The fort was rebuilt and was manned for a number of conflicts, including the War of 1812 but never saw any other action. During the 19th century, the lower battery was built for 20 cannons. The smaller brick building is the shot furnace, where cannonballs were heated to high temperatures, transferred to cannons using tongs, then fired.  The red-hot cannonballs would ignite the wooden ships.  The larger stone  building is the fort's powder magazine.  The fort became obsolete in 1906 and the area designated a state park in 1953.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for the explanation. The little brick structure looks like a barbecue, and I guess it is in a way, just not for food.

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