Fort Slocum, New York was a US military post which occupied Davids Island in the western end of Long Island Sound in the city of New Rochelle, New York, from 1867 to 1965. The fort was named for Major General Henry W. Slocum, a Union corps commander in the American Civil War.

History

Civil War

Military use of the island dates from 1861, when the 3rd Regiment (63rd New York Infantry) of the Irish Brigade established Camp Carrigan. In 1862, Davids Island was leased by the U.S. Government. This marked the first use of Davids Island by the Regular Army. At that time, De Camp General Hospital (named for Dr. Samuel G. I. de Camp)

Originally, De Camp General Hospital treated only Union soldiers, but following the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the War Department opened it to care for hundreds of wounded Confederate soldiers. Even though a prison camp had been established on Hart Island in 1865, A ferry connection was established during the war from Neptune Island, under the control of Simeon Leland.

Post Civil War

At the end of the war, Congress authorized the island's purchase for military purposes and it was conveyed to the United States as the Davids Island Military Reservation in 1867. From this date, the Federal government operated its own ferry to and from Neptune Island. In July 1878 Davids Island was made a principal depot of the U.S. Army General Recruiting Service, taking over this assignment from Governors Island. This marked the beginning of the installation's longstanding mission as a recruitment and training center.

Late 19th century through 1916

As the post on Davids Island grew, in the 1880s the Army invested in new brick construction of more than 20 new buildings, including officers' quarters, enlisted men's barracks, mess halls, hospital buildings, and support facilities. It was later converted to a coastal artillery defense post and was eventually given the name Fort Slocum after Major General Henry W. Slocum, U.S. Volunteers in 1896.

Battery Haskin was named for Joseph A. Haskin, a general who served in the Mexican War and Civil War, whose son, Major William L. Haskin, commanded Davids Island 1894–1896. Battery Overton was named for Captain Clough Overton, a cavalry officer in the Spanish–American War. Battery Kinney was named for Joseph Kinney, an officer killed in the War of 1812, and Battery Fraser was named for Upton S. Fraser, an officer killed by the Seminoles in 1835. However, Fort Slocum retained all its guns until World War I.

World War I

After the American entry into World War I Fort Slocum became one of the busiest recruit training stations in the country, processing 100,000 soldiers per year and serving as the recruit examination station for soldiers from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the New England states. Between 1917 and 1919, over 140,000 recruits passed through the post. Recruit Week in December 1917 brought so many recruits to Fort Slocum that an overflow had to be housed in New Rochelle. From 1955 to 1960, Fort Slocum housed part of Nike Ajax air-defense missile battery NY-15. The missiles were stored on launch rails and in underground bunkers on nearby Hart Island, with the radar and control base situated on Davids' Island.

After closure

Fort Slocum was deactivated on November 30, 1965. During the decades that followed, the facilities of the former Army post were neglected and deteriorated severely and continued to occupy Davids Island into the beginning of the 21st century. The ruins were among the factors complicating redevelopment of the island. Beginning in 2004, however, Congress appropriated funds to remove the ruins through a Defense Department program that assists communities in reusing former defense facilities. During the summer of 2008, the city of New Rochelle demolished all remaining structures on the island, including the iconic water tower on the northern end of the island, with plans to turn the island into a park.

"Sound off, one, two"

The famous "Sound off, one, two" military cadence was invented at Fort Slocum in May 1944, attributed to Private Willie Lee Duckworth of Sandersville, Georgia.

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Other uses of the name

Fort Slocum was also the name of a Civil War fort in the Defenses of Washington, D.C., although it was named for a different Slocum (Colonel John S. Slocum of Rhode Island, killed at the First Battle of Bull Run). The Library of Congress web site contains two photographs titled Officers, 4th U.S. Colored Infantry, Fort Slocum, April, 1865. Since that regiment was never stationed north of Baltimore, Maryland, it is likely that the Fort Slocum referred to was the one in Washington, D.C.

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Image:Fort Slocum Gun Squad.jpg|Rifle squad

File:Fort Slocum Shacks.jpg|early barracks

Image:Fort Slocum Medical Corps.jpg|Medical corps posing on 15-inch Rodman gun

</gallery>

See also

  • Davids Island (New York)
  • Hart Island, New York
  • List of Civil War POW prisons and camps
  • Seacoast defense in the United States
  • United States Army Coast Artillery Corps

References

  • Maps of Fort Slocum
  • 1920 map of Fort Slocum, Fort Totten, and Fort Schuyler (PDF)
  • Fact Sheet - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, December 2007
  • Fort Slocum, Davids Island - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2008-06-18