Eadweard Muybridge, one of the great pioneers of photography, shot an extensive series of stereoscopic views of life at the military fortifications on Alcatraz. His photos would endure to become the primary pictorial documentation of the military occupation of the island. This photo series from 1870 illustrates the massive armaments at the fort. Featured are the long-range cannons, ordinance, and massive 36,000-pound, 15-inch Rodman guns, which were capable of sinking enormous hostile ships at a distance of three miles.
On January 24, 1859, Army Inspector General J.K.F. Mansfield examined the fortifications and reported: “The workmanship as well as plans for the defenses are excellent.” The island dock was also guarded by massive cannons and protected arsenals. The sallyport entrance had a moat, similar to that of a medieval castle that could only be crossed by drawbridge, and it was arrayed with powerful weaponry aimed at the only access pathway. At the island’s summit was a three-story brick Citadel for soldiers, offering a full 360° view of the island. The Citadel was designed as self-sustaining defensive barrack of four-foot-thick brick construction, with multiple rifle slits in every wall to allow soldiers to fire upon a potential enemy landing party. Adjacent to the Citadel was an underground cistern that could sustain the soldiers with a liberal water supply for several months. The island’s jagged rocky perimeter offered no natural landing points for invading enemies.
The first military command, Company “H” of the Third Artillery, assumed its post on December 30, 1859, with Captain Joseph Stewart as the first commanding officer. In May of the same year, Company “H” was ordered to Carson Valley, Nevada, to quell a disturbance among the Pah Ute and Shoshone Indians, and various other units would assume stations at Fortress Alcatraz. During this same year, the Army would bring the first military prisoners to be confined at Alcatraz.
Alcatraz Island photographed from North Point in 1865.
Alcatraz Island circa 1860.
As is illustrated by these 1870 photographs, the gardens situated next to the Citadel flourished in the rich soil ferried over from Angel Island. These opulent beds were meticulously nurtured by the officers and their families. The formal gardens featured beautiful panoramic vistas of the Bay and they were a popular gathering place for residents.
The original elevation and section plans for the Citadel. This building was designed as a self-sustaining defensive barrack of four-foot-thick brick construction, with multiple rifle slits in each wall to allow soldiers to fire upon enemy landing parties. There were no cannons or heavy armory mounted inside the building. The fortress was to be defended by infantry soldiers with musket rifles, and was accessed by crossing a small drawbridge over a dry moat. The original plans included iron shutters, and large water cisterns to help sustain soldiers for long periods of siege.
The Citadel in 1893 following the Civil War. With no threat of impending attack, the building was converted into apartments for married officers. Cannonballs lined the perimeter as decorative border pieces, and the lawn area where a tennis court can be seen here was once the storage area for ordinance.
General Edwin Sumner
A 1902 photograph showing the pathway leading up to “Officers’ Row.” Note the brick Citadel building in the upper right corner.
The pathway known as “Officers’ Row” as it appeared in 1883. These Victorian-style homes were built in 1880-81, and were reserved for the post’s ranking officers. This photograph was taken from the Citadel grounds, with the descending stairway in the right foreground. Cannonballs are clearly visible as decorative borders along the path.
An engraving from 1883, depicting the original fortification buildings.
The “Great Sham Battle” of July 3, 1876 was meant to celebrate America’s centennial and to provide the citizens of San Francisco with a grandiose display of military prowess. With one stationary and one floating target (an old Navy schooner), the Bay of San Francisco resonated with the massive barrage of firing weaponry. But despite the awesome power of the 15-inch Rodman Cannons firing in sequence from Alcatraz, the idly floating target (carrying tons of explosives and with its hull soaked in coal oil) effortlessly evaded the bombardment. To avoid further embarrassment, a young soldier finally was launched under cover of the billowing smoke to set fire to the vessel.
The caption from the original print reads: “Smoothbore, buried muzzle-first serves as a traffic bumper on the uphill turn.” Comparison of the 1902 image to the modern-day photo taken nearly one hundred years later illustrates the changes in architecture and landscape. In the earlier photograph, note the hospital and lower prison on the downhill roadway. Visible in the modern-day photo is the 250,000-gallon water tower built in 1939 and the Spanish-Mission-style chapel, which was later converted into bachelor quarters for Federal prison officers.
April 12, 1861 marked the official start of the American Civil War between the Northern and Southern States. On April 25 th, General Edwin Sumner assumed command of Alcatraz and prepared for war against the Confederate forces. However, many military advisors remained concerned that the Civil War might create vulnerabilities to watchful foreign powers. Sumner therefore issued orders to fire upon any vessel that flew the Confederate flag or advanced aggressively. Sumner proposed to station 400 men at Alcatraz and to provide ample provisions of food and water to sustain the fort for at least six months. However, the fort would only briefly house a staff of this size in 1862.
On October 1, 1863, a suspicious vessel entered the San Francisco Harbor and approached the Raccoon Straights. Typically a revenue service cutter would greet all vessels entering the Golden Gate, but on this fateful day, the cutter had been assigned to assist a Russian vessel that had run aground. The Commanding Officer at Alcatraz, William A. Winder, had been instructed to confront any vessel that was not registered for entry. His officer reported the sighting of a heavily armed ship being towed by several pilot boats. There was no wind and the ship’s flag was folded vertically with her colors indiscernible. Winder later reported:
I deemed it my duty to bring to her and ascertain her reason of admittance to the harbor. I therefore fired a blank charge, which apparently not attracting her attention. I directed a gun to be loaded with an empty shell and to be fired 200 or 300 yards ahead of her.