Fort Wadsworth

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Fort Wadsworth
Part of Harbor Defenses of Southern New York
Staten Island, New York
Battery Weed at Fort Wadsworth
Fort Wadsworth Show map of New York City Fort Wadsworth Show map of New York Fort Wadsworth Show map of the United States
Coordinates	40°36′18″N 74°03′24″W / 40.60500°N 74.05667°W / 40.60500; -74.05667
Type	Gateway National Recreation Area unit
Site information
Controlled by	U.S. Army until 1979 (?) U.S. Navy 1979-1995 National Park Service 1995-present
Site history
Built	1663 (Dutch blockhouse)

Fort Wadsworth is a former United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper and Lower bays, a natural point for defense of the Upper Bay, Manhattan, and beyond. Prior to its closing in 1994, the fort was claimed to be the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the United States. It comprises several fortifications, including Fort Tompkins and Battery Weed and was given its present name in 1865 to honor Brigadier General James Wadsworth, who had been killed in the Battle of the Wilderness during the Civil War. Fort Wadsworth is now part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area, maintained by the National Park Service.