Fort Montagu is a small fort of four cannon located off East Bay Street, Nassau. The fort was constructed to defend the British possession from Spanish invaders after Governor John Tinker saw that there was only one fort on the island (Fort Nassau). Tinker knew that one fort wasn’t enough defence and had military engineer Peter Henry Bruce construct another one at the eastern end of the island.
Construction for the fort began in 1741 and finished in 1742. The fort is made out of limestone and when it was built, it had 23 cannons and over 95 barrels of gun powder.
The fort played an important role during the American War of Independence, as it was the United States Marine Corps’ first successful Amphibious assault during the Battle of Nassau. The Americans seized the fort and Fort Nassau eventually surrendered.
In 1782 a fleet of over 80 Spanish ships approached Fort Nassau. The fort promptly surrendered to the Spanish.
Postcards
1965 – Calypso Distributors Ltd (P17300 Series – Type A)
