By the 1850s, sleepy little Yerba Buena had become the bustling seaport of San Francisco. Gold had been discovered at Sutter's Mill, and the port where all this was shipped out was San Francisco. It had become a very wealthy city, and had a great deal of monetary turnover - lots of money and extremely high prices for all types of goods. Spain, Russia, and England were looking very lustfully at the city.
The Fortifications Board, led by Joseph Totten, saw the importance of the city - as well as other West Coast ports - and devised an elaborate plan of defense. The entrance of the bay was defined by two promontories, Lime Point to the north and Fort Point to the south. The latter got its name from the ruins of an old Spanish fort that had stood on that point of land, though the old fort was no longer viable. These two points had light-colored rocky cliffs that reflected the setting sun, giving a golden glow. That, combined with the fact that this was the narrows through which all the California gold was shipped, led to this channel being called the Golden Gate.
This narrows was the logical place for the primary defense of the harbor, as the one-mile-wide strait was easily defendable by the cannon of the day. The only issue was the dense San Francisco fog that rolled in most evenings. On a foggy night, a sailing ship just might be able to slip through the strait undetected. The solution was the defensive strategy called the "triangle defense." Forts would be built on Lime Point and Fort Point defending the narrows, and a third fort would be built off the city on Alcatraces Island. If a ship should slip past the defenses of the narrows, it could not sit off the city and bombard it - the ship would be under the guns of the island fort.
While the preliminary survey called for two forts at the narrows, Lieutenant Ledbetter's final survey revealed that more solid ground existed on the southern side of the narrows that originally believed. It was then decided that the fort at Fort Point be enlarged to house more seacoast cannon and the fort on Lime Point be downgraded to a battery. Thus the triangle defense would comprise two forts and one battery.
Because of the importance of the city, a secondary defense was designed. It was to consist of three batteries - a secondary triangle defense. These three batteries would directly defend the city, with one located on Black Point (also called Point San Jose), one located on Angel Island, and the third battery located on Yerba Buena Island. By the opening shots of the Civil War, these defenses were in place - or in the case of two of the batteries - underway.
The Fortifications Board, led by Joseph Totten, saw the importance of the city - as well as other West Coast ports - and devised an elaborate plan of defense. The entrance of the bay was defined by two promontories, Lime Point to the north and Fort Point to the south. The latter got its name from the ruins of an old Spanish fort that had stood on that point of land, though the old fort was no longer viable. These two points had light-colored rocky cliffs that reflected the setting sun, giving a golden glow. That, combined with the fact that this was the narrows through which all the California gold was shipped, led to this channel being called the Golden Gate.
This narrows was the logical place for the primary defense of the harbor, as the one-mile-wide strait was easily defendable by the cannon of the day. The only issue was the dense San Francisco fog that rolled in most evenings. On a foggy night, a sailing ship just might be able to slip through the strait undetected. The solution was the defensive strategy called the "triangle defense." Forts would be built on Lime Point and Fort Point defending the narrows, and a third fort would be built off the city on Alcatraces Island. If a ship should slip past the defenses of the narrows, it could not sit off the city and bombard it - the ship would be under the guns of the island fort.
While the preliminary survey called for two forts at the narrows, Lieutenant Ledbetter's final survey revealed that more solid ground existed on the southern side of the narrows that originally believed. It was then decided that the fort at Fort Point be enlarged to house more seacoast cannon and the fort on Lime Point be downgraded to a battery. Thus the triangle defense would comprise two forts and one battery.
Because of the importance of the city, a secondary defense was designed. It was to consist of three batteries - a secondary triangle defense. These three batteries would directly defend the city, with one located on Black Point (also called Point San Jose), one located on Angel Island, and the third battery located on Yerba Buena Island. By the opening shots of the Civil War, these defenses were in place - or in the case of two of the batteries - underway.