The fort that stood here on Ellis Island was part of two defensive triangles which made it almost impossible for enemy ships to approach New York City. Any ship entering the upper harbor first had to pass the guns of Fort Wood on Liberty Island and then pass through the crossfire from Fort Gibson on the west and from Castle Williams on Governor's Island to the east. In the unlikely event that a ship was able to slip through this gauntlet, it would then face an even greater challenge - passing through the second triangle, formed by Ellis Island, Governor's Island, and the Battery of lower Manhattan. Within this second triangle, the farthest a ship could be at any time from the guns of one of these harbor defenses would be 1,000 yards. No enemy ever tried to penetrate this extraordinary defense system.

"It would be difficult to go into either the North or East River, without passing within point blank shot . . . of some one of them . . . it is not a very bold assertion to say that no ship that sails on the Ocean would engage on such terms."- Col. Jonathan Williams

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Jersey City, NY  |  Hudson County  |  07305  |  New York  |  United States of America

Fort Gibson: The New York Harbor System
The American Immigrant Wall of Honor ?
Fort Gibson: The Other Ellis Island Story
Fort Gibson: Uncovering the Past
Fort Gibson: Ammunition to Immigration
Fort Gibson: Oyster Banks to Batteries
The American Immigrant Wall of Honor ?
The South Side of Ellis Island
The New Ferry Building - Ellis Island
The Historic Trilogy

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.