Newport in Newport County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Life in Fort Adams
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
1. Life in Fort Adams Marker
I did not have far or long to look, because, being the junior officer of the garrison I could displace no other, and besides, there was but one casemate available for me to choose from . . . A good sweeping and a little glazing of broken windows made it quite comfortable. I took a share in an active young Irishman, wild and fresh from the Emerald Isle, whom two or three officers had in common as a servant. He soon had a roaring fire in my open grate and this quickly ate up the mould and moisture incident to a casemate long out of use.
Other officers during this period were less pleased with casemate quarters. Casemates, after all, were designed to house cannons, not people. Less than a year before Tidball’s arrival at Fort Adams, General Winfield Scott had petitioned Congress to build more comfortable quarters for officers serving in coastal fortifications, describing the “most unwholesome casemates” as “miserable places”.
[ Along Bottom of Marker : ]
1 Colonel • 6 Captains • 3 Lieutenants • 38 Sergeants • 39 Corporals • 269 Privates • 7 Cooks • 10 Musicians • 4 Mechanics • 2 Hospital Stewards • 27 Wives • 95 Children • 2 Mothers • 1 Sisiter • 21 Servants
this page online
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535 Residents Total
Fort Adams Cemetery Contains
158 Men • 33 Women • 81 Children • 15 Unknown
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287 Deaths Total
Erected by Fort Adams State Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.
Location. 41° 28.754′ N, 71° 20.211′ W. Marker is in Newport, Rhode Island, in Newport County. Marker can be reached from Fort Adams Drive, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located inside Fort Adams. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Newport RI 02840, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Building a Fortress (within shouting distance of this marker); Returning Old Glory 2001 (within shouting distance of this marker); Defending Narragansett Bay (within shouting distance of this marker); Going Great Guns (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Adams Foundation (within shouting distance of this marker); Erich A. O’D. Taylor (within shouting distance of this marker); The Irish Connection to Fort Adams (within shouting distance of this marker); Understanding the Fort (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport.
More about
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
2. Life in Fort Adams Marker
The tree shown in a photo on the marker can be seen here.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
3. Marker in Fort Adams
The casemate quarters are seen here behind the marker.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, October 8, 2011
4. Casemate Quarters
The casemates where soldiers were quartered at Fort Adams have fallen into a state of disrepair and are in the process of being restored.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 583 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
