Guardian of the Sound

GUARDIAN OF THE SOUND

A Pictorial History of Fort H.G. Wright Fishers Island, New York by Pierce Rafferty and John Wilton

In-depth photographic and historical portrait of a coast defense fortification at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound.

Hardbound, 256 pages 8 in x 10.5 in; dustjacket; articles and essays illustrated by drawings, maps and photographs plus 217 pages of photos. ISBN 0966419200

This exceptionally well-produced book was released at a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Fort H. G. Wright held on Fishers Island in 1998. Painstakenly assembled from private collections and military archives, the primary focus is on historic photographs that document the Fort from the turn of the 20th century to the late 1940s. Coast defense enthusiasts will not be disappointed: there are 200-plus pages of images that provide a crystal clear window onto the Fort's armament, architecture and personnel. The photos were printed with care on quality paper resulting in an industry award shortly after publication. Also included are essays on the Fort's history, a concise chronology, maps and an extensive article entitled "The Coastal and Harbor Defenses of Long Island Sound" by William C. Gaines. As one reviewer put it: "The authors have made a book that will set well on any military bookshelf."

QTVR: Virtual Tour of Battery Marcy Battery Marcy

Review by Col. Alexander M. Holder, Jr. in Coastal Defense Study Group Journal

Adobe Acrobat format: Title pages and index (140K) Introduction (601K)

Sample pages: Photo pages 1 thru 16 (360K) Photo pages 33 thru 64 (1MB)

Pages 208 thru 218: "The Matter of Proceedings to Acquire Land on Fishers Island" (125K) by Pierce Rafferty

Pages 219 thru 236: The Coastal and Harbor Defences of Long Island Sound (280K) by William C. Gaines

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