Gage, Fort
Fort Gage was built in 1758 in Warren County, in the Town of Lake George, about one mile south of Lake George Village. Fortified during the early fighting of the Seven Years’ War, from 1758 to 1759, Fort Gage served as a supply base for Fort William Henry. The bastion was also used as Lord Howe's advance guard for Abercrombie's troops in 1758. It was named for Brigadier General Thomas Gage, who was second in command under Amherst in 1759.
Gages' Redoubt
General Gages' Redoubt, 1759, Essex County, Crown Point. Gage's Light Infantry Redoubt is outworks of Fort Crown Point to the South West on the lake shore. Named for General Thomas Gage of the 80th Light Armed Foot. See Fort Crown Point.
Gaines, Fort
Fort Gansevoort was built in 1812 in Manhattan, New York. It was located at the foot of Gansevoort Street, along the Hudson River in New York City. The fort was referred to as the "White" Fort due to its whitewashed exterior. It was armed with twenty-two cannons, a shot furnace, arsenal, and a barracks, and was demolished sometime between 1849 and 1854. The fort was named for Peter Gansevoort, who served as a Colonel in the
Ganagharaga Fort
Ganagharaga Fort, 1756, Onondaga County, Syracuse. Located about Southwest corner of Route 173 and Route 11. Built by Sir Johnson for protection of Onondaga Indians (see Fort French).
Gansevoort, Fort
Fort Gansevoort was built in 1812 in Manhattan, New York. It was located at the foot of Gansevoort Street, along the Hudson River in New York City. The fort was referred to as the "White" Fort due to its whitewashed exterior. It was armed with twenty-two cannons, a shot furnace, arsenal, and a barracks, and was demolished sometime between 1849 and 1854. The fort was named for Peter Gansevoort, who served as a Colonel in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Despite being built during the early weeks of the War of 1812, the fort did not see combat during the conflict.
Gardiner, Fort
Gardiner, 1756, Orange County, Gardinersville. Cpt. Richard Gardiner, Frontier Guard, constructed a 100 foot square palisade containing multiple dwellings.
George, Fort
Fort George (1), originally known as Fort Amsterdam upon its completion in 1626, was renamed Fort James by the British in 1664, upon the British Empire’s conquest of New Netherland. It was later renamed Fort William Henry in 1691 and Fort Anne or Queen's Fort in 1703. It was briefly reoccupied by the Dutch in 1673-74 and renamed Fort Willem Hendrick. It was renamed Fort George in 1714. The fort was partially destroyed by a fire in 1741 and was captured by the forces of the Continental Army in August of 1775. The fort’s northern bastions and ramparts were destroyed in February 1776, and in 1790, the structure was fully dismantled. Fort George (2) was built in September of 1755 in Oswego County, New York. It was located in what is now Montcalm Park, at the intersection of Montcalm and West 6th Street. Along with Fort Oswego and Fort Ontario, Fort George was part of a formation of British fortifications in the region. It was sometimes referred to as New Fort Oswego, Fort Rascal, and West Fort. The structure was a 170-foot-long square which boasted a hospital, along with a barracks. The ramparts were planned to be 20 feet thick and 12 feet high. However, in the Spring of 1756, the construction was only partially completed. It was destroyed by French forces in August of that year, and only Fort Ontario was rebuilt in 1759. In 1755, the village of Lake George, also known as Fort George (3) was established in Warren County to the south-east of Fort William Henry. The village was established following the Battle of Lake George that occurred during the same year. In 1759, improvements to the village began as the settlement became a base of operations for the forces of British General, Jeffery Amherst, to mount an advance against the French at Fort Ticonderoga. By May of 1775, the village was captured by Colonel Romans of the Continental Army. The village was abandoned in 1777 during the advance of British general John Burgoyne and was reoccupied after the Battle of Saratoga until it was surrendered again in 1780. Today, only the ruins of the bastion remain. Click on the following images to enlarge them. (4) - In 1777, on Staten Island, a British fortified encampment was built at St. George. Today, the site can be found to the east of Broadway at 192nd Street and Audubon Avenue, on the west bank of the Harlem River. In November of 1776, the Continental Army established two redoubts at this location, but were later overrun by the British and Hessian forces during the empire’s invasion of New York. In 1778, the British expanded existing fortifications to include a blockhouse. In the Winter of 1779, Fort George was connected to Fort Tryon. The site of Fort George was briefly named Fort Clinton, but the change was soon reverted. Today, the site is home to George Washington High School.
Gibson, Fort
In 1795, the state of New York acquired Oyster Island, now known as Ellis Island, and built a defensive structure called “Fort Gibson”, in honor of Colonel James Gibson, who lost his life in the siege on Fort Erie. However, the ownership of the island was disputed, and legislation was passed to acquire it through condemnation in 1807. The following year, the issue was settled by the Federal Government when it purchased the island for strategic purposes. Following the sale of Ellis Island, the War Department constructed a twenty-gun battery, a magazine, and a barracks. Although the fort did not see combat during the War of 1812, it was used as a garrison and housed prisoners of war during the conflict. In 1861, the fort was dismantled, and was replaced by a naval magazine. During the Civil War, the island served as an ammunition supply depot for Union forces. In 1890, the island was selected to become a new immigration station, which resulted in its munitions being removed in order to make way for the construction of the immigration facility. From 1939 to 1946, a temporary Coast Guard training station was established in the immigrant building on the island during the Second World War.
Gibson's Battery
Gibson’s Battery was built in 1812 in Erie County, Buffalo, and was used or two years during the War of 1812. The fort was located just South of Ferry Street on a high bank and was armed with three cannons. To its South was Fort Tompkins (3), and to the North was Dudley's Battery. Note: See Buffalo Batteries for a complete listing of batteries in this area.
Glen Blockhouse
Glen Blockhouse, 1780s, Montgomery County, Fultonville. Erected in the Town of Glen near close of Revolutionary War. Site on NY Route 5S at Fultonville.
Golgotha, Fort
In 1782, British forces constructed Fort Golgotha in Huntington, in Suffolk County, New York. The fort’s construction was headed by Colonel Thompson, a Tory with a British commission, who dismantled the Old First Presbyterian Church and used the wood to build the fort on Burying Hill. The cemetery at the site was leveled and was replaced with a six-foot earthwork spanning two acres. During the American Revolution, the fort never saw combat, and was eventually torn down after just two years of operation in 1784. The cemetery was then restored, and the location now hosts an archaeological site.
Gookin's Battery
Gookin's Battery was a military fortification in Erie County, Buffalo, that was active from its construction in 1812, to 1814. The fort sat upon a high bank to the south of the future site of Fort Porter and was armed with a single 24-pounder cannon. To the south of Gookin's Battery was the Terrace Battery, located south of the present-day water works, and to the north of the Old Sow.
Governor's Island
Governor's Island, located in Brooklyn, hosted many fortifications due to its strategic location in New York Harbor. The island was initially occupied by the Dutch in 1624, who hid within the walls of the Nooten Eylandt Fort. Later, the island was utilized by American forces as a battery in 1776 and was garrisoned by the British from 1776-1782 following the empire’s occupation of the city. Fort Jay was built in 1794 and subsequently upgraded in 1803, and then renamed “Fort Columbus”. It was later reverted back to Fort Jay in 1904. Castle William was constructed in 1811 and used for the incarceration of Confederate prisoners from 1862 to 1870. The South Battery was built in 1812 and there was an Army Arsenal on the island from 1833 until 1920. In 1840, a blockhouse was built as well. Governor’s Island was also used as the headquarters for the Second Corps Department of the East and later the First United States Army. It was later used as a USCG Regional Headquarters until its closure in 1996, with its future disposition uncertain.
Grand Island Nike Base
The Grand Island Nike Base in Niagara County, Grand Island, was a launcher and integrated fire control area for Nike-Ajax missiles during the 1950s and 1960s. The integrated fire control area south of White Haven Road is presently known as “Town Nike Base Park”, and serves as a senior citizen center, while the launcher on Stanley Road and West River Parkway was converted into an ecological reserve. (Reworded existing paragraph into narrative form)
Gray, Fort
Fort Gray in Niagara County, Niagara Falls was located on the top of the Lewiston Escarpment opposite Queenstown and was named for its builder, Colonel Nicholas Gray. It was built on the site of an unnamed French blockhouse/storehouse from 1751, that had also hosted the construction of an unnamed British fortification from 1764. Fort Gray was attacked and destroyed in December 1813, during the War of 1812.
Great Redoubt, The
The Great Redoubt in Saratoga County was a British system of fortifications built during the Revolutionary War's Battle of Saratoga in 1777. The forts were built for the purpose of providing protection to the nearby hospital, artillery park, supply centers, and float bridge located on the river flats. After American attacks on the Balcarres and Breymann Redoubts on October 7th, the British fell back and entrenched themselves within the walls of the Great Redoubt. They withdrew further to Old Saratoga and surrendered on October 17th.
Greenburgh, Camp
Camp Greenburgh in Westchester County, Hartsdale, on Ridge Road was a temporary Revolutionary War headquarters for the French Army in 1777.
Greenbush Cantonment
Greenbush Cantonment was built in Rensselaer County, in East Greenbush, and was active from 1663 to 1690, and was used once again between 1812 and 1831. In 1863, a small, stockaded fort was built three miles east of the village of Greenbush. In 1812, the US government purchased 400 acres of land nearby to provide a space for the construction of a headquarters for the Northern Division of the United States Army. Construction began in May of that year. The cantonment could accommodate over 4,000 troops and boasted a 100-bed hospital. It came equipped with eight barracks, three ninety-foot-long buildings for its officers, two large commissary buildings, an arsenal, an armory, guard houses, stables, a farrier, a magazine, general and field grade quarters, and laboratories. It was declared surplus in May 1819 and in May of 1831, was sold by the government to Hawthorn McCulloch, who established his house in the Northeast Officer's Quarters. The, the only remaining building is an officer barracks, as the Red Mill School occupies the former parade grounds. Today the former Cantonment is known as the McCulloch Mansion.
Greene, Fort
(1) Fort Greene was a star-shaped fort built in Brooklyn, New York. It was constructed during the Revolutionary War in August of 1776 and was named for General Nathanael Greene. It was the largest fort in the borough and hosted its own army regiment. It was located above present-day Bond Street between State and Schermerhorn and was part of a line of entrenchments used during the Battle of Long Island. The fort had a well as well as two magazines, was armed with six guns, and was surrounded by a wide ditch lined with pointed stakes end to end. After the British captured the fort, along with the city, Fort Greene may have been renamed to “Fort Sutherland” in November 1778. Improvements were made in 1782, and the fort was subsequently maintained for decades until was used again in the War of 1812, at which point it was renamed Fort Masonic. (2) Fort Putnam was a fort built in 1776 in Brooklyn and was later used during the War of 1812. It is now located in Fort Greene Park. The fort was garrisoned by up to five companies at its peak. Fort Putnam, which was eventually known as Fort Greene after its reconstruction in 1812, was originally named for Colonel Rufus Putnam.
Grenadier's Battery
Grenadier's Battery was a circular defensive structure built in New York, in April of 1776 and was located on the bank of the Hudson River near Washington and Harrison Street. It featured breastworks along the river to Hubert Street. In 1780, while in British hands, the battery was reconstructed into a redoubt and renamed Foundry Redoubt. The redoubt was abandoned in 1783 after the United States defeated the British in the Revolutionary War.
Grenadier's Redoubt
Grenadier's Redoubt: 1759 Essex County, Crown Point. Outworks to the East of Fort Crown Point on the lake shore. See Fort Crown Point.
Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base was a military base constructed in Rome, New York, in 1941. The airbase spanned a whopping 2,488 acres of land, and despite its size, its construction took less than a year; The process began in May of 1941, before the base opened its doors by February of 1942. The base brought in several different commands and combat units throughout its history, but despite its legacy status, Griffss was identified for closure in 1993. The airfield was closed five years later in 1998, but the Rome Laboratory and the North American Air Defense Sector mission (assigned to the New York Air National Guard) remain on the site to this day.
Guenther, Camp (F. L.)
Camp (F. L.) Guenther: 1901, Erie County, Buffalo. Military encampment on Pan-American Exposition Grounds.

Special Recognition

This section was made possible by the hard work and diligent research of Col. Michael J. Stenzel, NYG. Col. Stenzel spent many years compiling the information contained on these pages.