Black Point Fortifications (1797 - 1909)

Black Point Fortifications (1797 - 1909). . , Defending from an Enemy that Never Came , Both Spanish and American militaries defended the deep water harbor just east of here with artillery mounted on this strategic bluff overlooking the harbor and bay. Neither ever fired a shot in anger; perhaps because of these defenses? , The Spanish first installed artillery here in 1797 to deter invasion by English, Russian or other potential enemy ships. In 1863, as the Civil War raged back East and concerns of Confederate or British raids mounted, Major General Henry Halleck ordered this bluff re-fortified with heavy artillery. A dozen large guns were placed at Black Point batteries to augment guns at Fort Point, Angel Island, and Alcatraz Island., What are the impacts of protecting the things we value?, (Captions:) , Six 10-inch caliber cannon like the one you see mounted here today in the West Battery were aimed at the Golden Gate. They could shoot 128 pound cannonballs up to 2 miles. Six cannons in the East Battery were aimed north to overlap with fire from Alcatraz Island., When the Spanish American War broke out in 1898 Black Point’s Civil War batteries were in poor shape. Rather than repair their cutting wooden platforms two concrete gun mounts were built beside the West Battery. Two Rodman canon like the one you today were placed on the new platforms to protect against attack from Spanish ships., The guns here fired salutes during special occasions, but never fired on an enemy vessel. San Francisco harbor was never raided during the Civil War or later, and eventually the cannon were removed. In the 1990s the battery was restored. ,