UP & AWAY Bahamasair inFlight Magazine - Jan-Mar 2020 Issue

HISTORIC FORTS

REMAIN TIMELESS

By Kendea Smith Photographs courtesy of Lavette Small (AMMC)

There are few structures throughout The Bahamas that truly tell the story of the country’s history. Luckily, New Providence has managed to maintain and hold dear a few of them—the formidable forts of Nassau. Majestic in stature and circumference, the forts first came about after Christopher Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492.

The European explorer, whom history deems the discoverer of the New World, was so spellbound by the Islands of The Bahamas that he wrote to the King and Queen of Spain expressing his admiration for their beauty. “I wish,” he reported, “to give a complete account to Your Highness and also to find when a fort might be built.” Despite the insistence from the curious navigator, the Spaniards made no attempts to fortify The Bahamas. Instead, the islands lay abandoned for quite some time until they came under the watchful eye of Spain’s then maritime rival—Great Britain.

At that time, Britain’s privateers used The Bahamas as a base to attack Spanish ships; and in return, the Spanish retaliated by attacking the islands in an attempt to destroy the pirates who inhabited New Providence, along with all of the fragile forts that had been built. Despite this, the first application for an official fort did not come until August 23, 1672 from the Governor of The Bahamas to the Governor of Jamaica for a “King’s flag for forte”. Even so, piracy reared its ugly head. Scores of pirates repeatedly attacked New Providence and so did the Spaniards, who were aided by French ships.

In 1684, the Spaniards attacked New Providence, nearly diminishing it. That same year, King Charles II of England intervened and called for pirates to be punished. An act was passed in 1695 for the establishment of the City of Nassau and two years later the first official fort of Nassau was born.

FORT NASSAU

The construction of Fort Nassau may have given some comfort to inhabitants of Nassau at the time, but this was very short-lived. The fort, with 22 cannons mounted, was built on the western side of what is now known as the British Colonial Hilton Nassau Hotel on Bay Street. A large well under the hotel was known as the southwest bastion.

Between 1702 and 1704, combined French and Spanish armed forces surprised New Providence. They found the deputy governor feasting while the fort remained unguarded. The town paid the price and was burnt. As pirates once again took over Nassau, England intervened and sent the first Royal Governor,

Woodes Rogers, to seize Nassau. After successfully doing so, Rogers took great interest in repairing the battered Fort Nassau. However, this did not occur until 1741.

In 1744, the little that was left of the fort was savaged but that was not the last war it would see. By 1776, Fort Nassau, which had already begun to deteriorate, witnessed the war between American colonies and Great Britain in which the Americans won and hoisted the Grand Union Flag (America’s first national flag). Fort Nassau was once again captured for the last time in 1782 when the Governor of Cuba captured it with 5,000 men. The Spaniards regained possession until 1783 when the war between Britain and Spain finally concluded. By 1790, Fort Nassau became obsolete only to be replaced by a new fort directly to its west. Even after it was demolished in 1837, there would be no doubt in the history books that Fort Nassau set a dramatic tone for Bahamian history.

15

up and away

FORT MONTAGU

Named after the Duke of Montagu, Nassau’s most eastern fort’s foundation was laid on June 10, 1741. Made of limestone, the fort was completed in July 1742. At the time, the fort had 23 cannons and 94 barrels of gunpowder.

The fort was invaded March 3-6, 1776 during the Battle of Nassau, where 200 Americans were looking for supplies to gain independence from Great Britain. Since civilians and British soldiers didn’t protest, no one was harmed and the Americans left Nassau two weeks later on March 17.

The fort was again captured in 1782 by Spaniards but regained by the British in the following year. Years later, though abandoned by war forces, Fort Montagu remains the longest standing fort in The Bahamas.

FORT CHARLOTTE

Named in honour of the wife of King George III, Fort Charlotte took the longest to be built among all of the forts in The Bahamas. After Lord Dunmore commissioned it to be built in 1787, the stone structure that boasts a picturesque view of Nassau’s oceanfront did not see its completion until 1819—a whopping 32 years later.

Between that time, the fort saw the raising of both the British and American flags above the French flag in honour of British admiral Horatio Nelson’s victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile. Fort Charlotte was dismantled in 1891 by the order of the War Office. However, during World War I, British officials sent modern cannons, which are still at the fort today.

The stone structure has remained well preserved over 200 years as Lord Dunmore had preserved 100 acres around it so that homes would not be built. There are many legends connected to Fort Charlotte, mostly with stories of underground passages and torture chambers. Today, the fort is the prime location for many national celebrations.

january 2020 16

HISTORIC FORTS REMAIN TIMELESS

FORT FINCASTLE

Built just a stone’s throw away from Government House and nestled on Bennet’s Hill is Fort Fincastle. In 1793, Lord Dunmore named the stone structure after his second title, Viscount Fincastle.

Strategically placed, the fort covers the scope of Nassau and Paradise Island. A light exhibited from this fort until the Paradise Island lighthouse was completed in 1816. The fort was also used as a signal station. Other batteries worth mentioning are the Winton Battery, Potter’s Cay Battery, Old Fort Battery and the Hog Island Battery (Paradise Island).

THE FUTURE

The future of the forts of Nassau appears to be as robust as the cannon-toting structures themselves. According to officials from the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation (AMMC), visitors continue to flock to the forts.

From July 2018 to June 2019, 23,475 visitors came to Fort Charlotte while during the same period 49,176 came to Fort Fincastle and 6,345 visited Fort Montagu.

Officials say that Bahamian heritage is worth preserving and that the AMMC takes seriously its mandate to guard these very important historic sites and to ensure that they are around for future generations to enjoy. UA

17

up and away