Joseph Totten, Fort Adams, and America's Third System of Coastal Fortifications

Joseph G. Totten, a notable 19^th century civil engineer, spent almost a quarter of his professional career in Rhode Island. From 1825 to 1838, Totten, a young Corps of Engineers officer, supervised the construction of Fort Adams, the third largest coastal fortification in the United States, at the entrance to Narragansett Bay near Newport, Rhode Island. His experience there not only provided the nation with a first-of-its-kind coastal fortress, but also enabled him to become the proponent and designer of what has come to be known as the "third system" of the nation's coastal fortifications. Following his assignment at Fort Adams, Totten was appointed Chief of Engineers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He served in that capacity for more than 25 years—more than twice as long as any other Chief of Engineers. This paper provides an overview of Joseph Totten's work, with emphasis upon his work at Fort Adams and the relationship between that work and the development of the nation's third system of coastal fortifications.