Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present

by H.W. Kaufmann and J.E. Kaufmann

Book Overview

From the earliest colonial settlements to recent Cold War bunkers, the North American continent has been home to thousands of forts and fortress structures. Seacoast forts were the nation's primary means of strategic defense from the 1790s until World War II. Almost every seaport on both coasts had at least one fort to protect it at one time or another. Inland forts were built to defend against attacks by Native Americans, or to defend against the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306812940
• ISBN13: 9780306812941
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.2" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Detailed fort histories

This book is for those who can tolerate technical reading. It is extremely detailed in describing the aspects of the different forts built in America from the 1600s' to modern times. At times, the book becomes difficult to follow as they jump from fort to fort in different regions. The book has excellent illustrations and photos of the forts, along with maps of where they were located over the years. It doesn't describe the battles in detail, just overall descriptions and quick accounts. Good book to borrow from the library as it is an excellent reference book.

Excellent Introductory work

This book is an excellent introduction into the world of American fortifications combining history with a light technical description of the fortifications and their development. This vast topic is reduced to a readable history showing the role the fortitications played in various periods of peace and war. The section on the American Revolution was one of my favorites, but the Civil War was also good. The text covers from the arrival of Europeans to the missile age with a new type of defense line made of a chain of radar stations. There are many finely drawn illustrations and photos of varying quality. This book is a great starting point for the non-fortifications "freak". As a member of the Coast Defense Study Group and CAMP I can only praise this work as a major contribution to the field since it so nicely puts everything together for beginner and expert.

Pulling the Long Story Together

I found this a fascinating book---the third in a series from these authors (the others deal with German World War II fortifications, and with modern European fortifications). Each takes the same format of effectively combining text, maps, plans, drawings,and photos to provide a picture of what was built, where, by whom, and why. This particular volume has the longest historical reach, ranging from the first Spanish forts in North America right up to current efforts. Here we get a good sense of everything from dusty 19th century frontier army encampments to cement coastal fortifications of the early 20th century. The authors make clear how fortification design changed and why, as well as the relation of forts to the historical concerns of the time. In all, very useful and insightful reading whether for the arm chair or touring. There is no better overall history.

Excellent Survey of North American Fortifications

This is an excellent survey of the history of fortifications in North America, from colonial times through the cold war. The reader is given a basic introduction to the different types of forts built in the US and Canada, and the changes that took place over the centuries in fortification design. The author describes not only well known forts, but he also covers many lesser known fortifications. The book is well illustrated with many plans, drawings, maps and photos. There is a glossary, and an informative appendix of tables.