Fort Adams

Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island, established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification, and named for then-incumbent President John Adams. Its first commander was Captain John Henry, who was later instrumental in starting the War of 1812. The current Fort Adams was built 1824–1857 under the Third System of coastal forts. Today, the fort is part of Fort Adams State Park.

History

The first Fort Adams was designed by Major Louis de Tousard of the Army Corps of Engineers. After some additions in 1809, this fort mounted 17 cannon and was garrisoned during the War of 1812 by Wood's State Corps of Rhode Island militiamen. The Secretary of War's report for December 1811 describes the fort as "an irregular star fort of masonry, with an irregular indented work of masonry adjoining it, mounting seventeen heavy guns. ... The barracks are of wood and bricks, for one company".

After the War of 1812, there was a thorough review of the nation's fortification needs and it was decided to replace the older Fort Adams with a newer and much larger fort. The new fort was designed by Brigadier General Simon Bernard, a Frenchman who had served as a military engineer under Napoleon. Bernard designed the new Fort Adams in the classic style and it became the most complex fortification in the Western Hemisphere. It included a tenaille and crownwork, a complex outer work on the southern (landward) side, designed to break up and channel an assault force. In the US, it is rivaled in size only by Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia and Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas in Florida.

Rockford, Ohio

Rockford is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,120 at the 2010 census.

Early history

Deep into remote times dip the history of what once was Shanesville, later Shane's Crossing, and last by Post Office Department decree, Rockford. This community is rich in lore and legend.

There is no doubt that the high ground adjacent to the St. Marys River at Rockford served as a camping ground and village site for Native American tribes long before Columbus discovered America. Weapons, tools, arrow heads and stone axes tell of long occupancy.

From time immemorial the St. Marys River has been a busy thoroughfare for traders, trappers, and adventurers. Trails along the banks of the rivers were used greatly, one of these became known as the Piqua-Fort Wayne Trail, which crossed to the north side of the river here, a part of the journey from the Great Lakes to the Ohio River.

The earliest records of the history of Rockford and community, begins with that of Anthony Madore, a French-Indian who ran a trading post located just north of the Junction of Routes 118 and 33, and east of the Rockford American Legion home. It is not known how long Madore owned the post, but he died around 1815.