During the Civil War, thousands of Confederate soldiers, diplomats, and politicians were imprisoned behind the walls of Fort Warren on Georges Island. Today, the fort is home to the only Confederate monument in Massachusetts, but not for much longer.
The Confederates on Boston Harbor
- John Adams writes to Abigail in 1776, saying “I can think of nothing but fortifying Boston Harbor.”
- The diary kept by Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens while he was a prisoner at Fort Warren.
- Captain JW Alexander’s escape from Fort Warren.
- Debunking the Lady in Black, Fort Warren’s ghost story.
- Baltimore’s chief of police is locked up at Fort Warren.
- An overview of the Maryland secessionists arrested by Union officials.
- Philadelphia secessionist William Winder comments on conditions at Fort Warren.
- May: New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu explains why his city removed its Confederate monuments.
- June: Governor Baker supports removing Boston’s Confederate monument.
- August: The monument is boarded up.
- August: A descendant of one of the Confederates urges removal.
- October: The monument will be moved into storage.
This Week in Boston History
- October 23, 1855: A huge agricultural exposition in Boston’s South End.
- October 24, 1690: The Massachusetts militia besieging Quebec give up and start heading home.
- October 25, 1848: Massachusetts finally has adequate fresh water, as the city celebrates water from Lake Cochituate.
- October 26, 1782: John Adams complains about the Paris fashion industry.
- October 27, 1964: A speech at Boston College supporting urban renewal in the Back Bay.
- October 28, 1646: John Eliot preaches the first Christian sermon to the Massachusett people at Nonantum in their own language.
- October 29, 1901: “Nightmare Nurse” Jane Toppan, a serial killer believed to have murdered over 100 people, is arrested.