Fort Gratiot - The Sentinel of the Shore

Fort Gratiot - The Sentinel of the Shore. .

"On Friday we brought our flagstaff into the garrison. It took 61 men to carry it." , Journal entry, December 29th 1828 , 2nd Lt. Samuel Heintzelman

, During the War of 18 12, the Great Lakes played a strategic role in moving troops and materials along the Canadian / U.S. border. In 1814, on the hill in front of you, the United States Army established Fort Gratiot to protect military vessels traveling Lake Huron and the St. Clair River., Constructed under the guidance of Captain Charles Gratiot, the original log structures were surrounded by earthworks and a palisade wall. The fort was abandoned by 1821 and was then occupied by a missionary school that taught English, reading and writing to the Chippewa., Hostilities between settlers and Native Americans in the Michigan Territory (Wisconsin) led to the re-occupation of Fort Gratiot in 1828, but by that time the original fort was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. The earthworks were leveled, a stockade wall was installed and new buildings were constructed with more durable materials. The new fort was completed by 1830., During the Civil War, the fort was used for training. The 27th Michigan Infantry was organized at Fort Gratiot and fought at places like Vicksburg, Mississippi and Petersburg, Virginia. After the war, the need for military forts on the Great Lakes began to fade. Fort Gratiot closed for good in 1879, with the site and buildings being sold off at auction., [Captions:] , Inside Fort Gratiot, looking North. The horseshoe shape configuration included a commanding officers office (foreground left) officers quarters, company quarters (background), quartermasters office, guard house, powder magazine and subsistence storehouse., Soldiers from Company A, 43rd Infantry prepare for inspection around 1867. The soldiers are in parade dress, which included long frock coats, Hardee Hats and Model 1866 Allin Conversion Rifles., When Fort Gratiot was abandoned in 1879, the military land and buildings were auctioned off. One building that survived was the post hospital. The photo above shows the hospital outside the fort in 1867. After 1879, it was cut in half, moved to St. Clair Street and became two separate houses. It was rediscovered in the 1980's and was saved by the Port Huron Museum. It has been restored and sits in Lighthouse Park, just west of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse.