. The magazine of American history with notes and queries. gineer who had done good service under Napoleon ; and Lieu-tenant-Colonels William McRee and Joseph G. Totten, of the corps ofengineers. President Monroe, taught by the faithful admonitions of experience,in his first inaugural message, March 4, 1817, took occasion to call attentionto the absolute necessity of fortifying our coasts and frontiers, even thoughit might be at a very heavy expense, as the only certain security againstthe cost, anxiety, distress, and destruction of property which a superiornaval force, with a few thousand tro
. The magazine of American history with notes and queries. gineer who had done good service under Napoleon ; and Lieu-tenant-Colonels William McRee and Joseph G. Totten, of the corps ofengineers. President Monroe, taught by the faithful admonitions of experience,in his first inaugural message, March 4, 1817, took occasion to call attentionto the absolute necessity of fortifying our coasts and frontiers, even thoughit might be at a very heavy expense, as the only certain security againstthe cost, anxiety, distress, and destruction of property which a superiornaval force, with a few thousand troops on board, might at any time im-pose upon us. He urged, also, the formation of an army competent, notonly to garrison and preserve these fortifications, but to meet the firstinvasion of a foreign foe. The board of engineers, April 7, 1820, submitted its project for thedefense of Narraganset Bay, to which there are three entrances. TheEastern, or Sakonnet Passage, was already closed by the Stone Bridge, op- 488 DEFENSES OF NARRAGANSET BAY, RHODE ISLAND. FORT ADAMS. BRENT ON JS »iW in 1798=1800. a0?» if-pi**. r=/so: Seed* afsection-j^fS, OJ1. -ilTLf^AJi posite Tiverton ; the Western Passage was to be shoaled with a sunkendyke, below Dutch Island, in such manner as to allow coasters freely topass over it, but to exclude all vessels of war ; and the Middle or MainPassage, was to be barred effectually by permanent fortifications on Bren-tons Point, the Dumplings Rock, and Rose Island, while Forts Greene andWolcott were to defend the inner waters about Newport. From the reportof this board we learn the condition and value, in 1820, of the then exist-ing fortifications, which had been built in 1795-1800, to be as follows: Fort Adams,* which crosses its fire with Fort Wolcott, and defends onthat point the entry to Newport harbor, gives also some fire on the Mid-dle Passage into Narraganset Bay. The trace of this fort is so irregular,and its angles are so multiplied for no p
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