The fort was now armed with 54 cannon and 26 brass mortars. 178–237 115–117, lists the entire inventory takenHopkins' dismissal is recounted in detail by Field, pp.

When the Continental sailors and Marines landed and approached Fort Montagu, the governor ordered a few cannon fired and then fled with the militia. The elements of the fleet then rejoined in Hanover Sound, about six nautical miles east of Nassau. Shape of a paddleboat When Fort Montagu was built during the mid-18th century, it was equipped with 23 cannons to ward off attacks by the Spaniards. Both forts were poorly sited in regard to defending against an amphibious attack. Date of experience: January 2020. From this he learned that their objective was the seizure of powder and military stores.The firing of Montagu's guns had given Nicholas pause for concern, but his men had occupied the fort, and he was consulting with his officers on their next move when Burke arrived. Their mission was to seize gunpowder for use against the British during the Revolutionary War. This and a tip enabled the man in charge to give us a fifteen minute history of the fort. The fort was ordered by Governor In 1782 a fleet of over 80 Spanish ships approached Fort Nassau. There Hopkins held council, and a new plan of attack was developed.A lieutenant named Burke led a detachment out from Fort Montagu to investigate the rebel activity. Construction. Share. The fleet returned to The desperate shortage of gunpowder available to the Browne received further intelligence in late February that a rebel fleet was assembling off the Delaware coast, but apparently took no significant actions to prepare a defense.The fleet arrived at Abaco Island on March 1, 1776. He ordered four guns fired from Fort Nassau to alert the militia; two of the guns came off their mounts when they were fired.When the guns at Fort Nassau were heard by the attackers, they realized the element of surprise was lost and aborted the assault. We visited Fort Montagu and decided to pay the $2.00 admission fee to enter the fort. Bahamas.

New Providence's harbor had two primary defenses, Fort Nassau and Fort Montagu. On March 3, the marines came ashore seizing Fort Montagu at the eastern end of the Nassau harbor, but did not advance to the town where the gunpowder was stored. By 1767 Fort Nassau had again been allowed to deteriorate, and in consequence of representations made to the Secretary of State it was repaired in 1769. Thinking they were opposed, the invaders deployed to attack the fort. The fort promptly surrendered to the Spanish. Fort Nassau was located in Nassau, but was poorly equipped to defend the port against amphibious attacks, as it had walls that were not strong enough to support the action of its 46 cannons. The young people in our group loved it! Klaus G wrote a review Jan 2020. The renovations to Fort Nassau, and a new sea battery, were completed in December, 1744. The Continental forces remained at Nassau for two weeks and took away all the remaining gunpowder and munitions found. Built in 1741 of local limestone, Fort Montagu is the oldest fort still standing on the island of New Providence. Read more. Burke brought this news back to Browne around 4:00 pm.Nicholas' marines occupied Nassau without resistance the next morning after a leaflet written by Hopkins was distributed throughout the town. That night Nassau’s governor had most of the gunpowder loaded aboard ships sailing for St. Augustine. This proved unwise as Fort Nassau's walls were too weak to support the firing of its guns. The force captured two The decision to land at daybreak turned out to be a mistake, as the alarm was raised in Nassau when the three ships were spotted in the morning light, rousing Browne from his bed.

While Fort Nassau was located near the town proper, the newer Fort Montagu covered the harbor's eastern approaches and mounted seventeen guns. The fort played an important role during the American War of Independence, as it was the The fort had not seen action for over 30 years. East Bay Street. Tours are conducted Monday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Prices: There is no admission charge. Nassau Nassau and Paradise Island. However, he first had to do deal with Fort Montague. Yet it was the Americans who attacked it first in 1776 during the Battle of Nassau. Fort Montagu is a small fort of four cannon on the eastern shore of New Providence Island (Nassau) Bahamas. They obligingly repeated to Burke that they had arrived to take the powder and weapons, and were prepared to assault the town. Some early maps of Nassau refer to Fort Montagu as the Eastern Redoubt. They were met en route by a committee of the town's leaders, who offered up the town's keys.Hopkins and his fleet remained at Nassau for two weeks, loading as much weaponry as would fit onto the ships, including the remaining 38 casks of gunpowder.Browne was eventually exchanged for American general While Hopkins was initially lauded for the success at Nassau, the failure to capture The manner by which Hopkins distributed the spoils was criticized,Two ships of the United States Navy have been christened For battles in the same place or in the surroundings, see Field, pp. After a stealth approach failed to reach New Providence from the north (due to the sound of a cannon being fired), Hopkins approached New Providence from the East side of the Harbor. A walk to Fort Montagu. Boulder City, Nevada 12 contributions. Helpful. Peter Henry Bruce oversaw the construction of the fort that began in 1741 to defend the British possession from Spanish invaders. Fort Montagu was designed to guard the eastern entrance to the harbour.