Civil War
Ironically, the Third System forts, built to protect the U.S. coastline from foreign aggression, were never fired on by another country, but some were attacked by American rebel forces. The Civil War started in April of 1861 when Confederate cannon fired on Fort Sumter, a Third System fort built on an island to defend the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. The bombardment of hot cannonballs and exploding shells caused flames to rage through Fort Sumter, and the federal troops stationed there surrendered.
Within a week of the attack on Fort Sumter, the mayor of New London sent the city guards to man Fort Trumbull, which had no troops in residence at the time. In July, a company of the 3rd U.S. Infantry arrived to man the post. By late 1862, Fort Trumbull served as a recruiting station for all troops leaving from Connecticut. Fort Trumbull never faced any Confederate forces because they never advanced as far north as New England.
During the war, some of the troops stationed at the fort gained a reputation for rowdy behavior when soldiers became involved in tavern brawls and street fights in town.
Mark Twain, the famous author and Connecticut resident, used Fort Trumbull as the setting for a short story about spying during the Civil War. The fictional commandant of Fort Trumbull narrates the story, which is called “A Curious Experience” and was published in 1881.
Marker can be reached from East Street, on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
