Emanuel Raymond Lewis wrote a wonderful history in Seacoast Fortifications of the United States, An Introductory History, in which he describes how during the 1800s one system (generation) of forts along the Eastern seaboard was constructed and then became obsolete - until finally with the introduction of aircraft fixed fortifications of this kind were all obsolete. Given how tight the US government was with a penny in those years, it's not surprising that the early forts especially were soon empty shells. And the whole US Army just as the Civil War began was barely 15,000 men.
Emanuel Raymond Lewis wrote a wonderful history in Seacoast Fortifications of the United States, An Introductory History, in which he describes how during the 1800s one system (generation) of forts along the Eastern seaboard was constructed and then became obsolete - until finally with the introduction of aircraft fixed fortifications of this kind were all obsolete. Given how tight the US government was with a penny in those years, it's not surprising that the early forts especially were soon empty shells. And the whole US Army just as the Civil War began was barely 15,000 men.
We have three forts up here that guard the entrance to the Puget Sound: Fort Worden, Fort Casey, and Fort Flagler. They look just like these.