Existing comment:
Ravelin Magazine:
Near the end of the Civil war, several large cannon were mounted on the ravelin above, and in the adjacent water battery. The commanding officer ordered that 1,000 rounds of ammunition be kept nearby for each gun. In 1866, this magazine and two others were built to safely store the additional gunpowder.
The covered entrance with its angled stairway was designed to prevent enemy projectiles from reaching the explosives. Three feet (1 m) of concrete and up to 16 feet (5m) of earth were laid over the arched brick vault.
In addition to the underground magazines, there are two above-ground brick magazines at Fort McHenry -- one inside the star fort, and one 250 yards (225m) to the west.
Gunners took care to keep their powder dry and away from flames. Powder kegs were probably stored as wooden racks where they could be periodically rotated to prevent caking Ferrous metal objects which could produce sparks were prohibited in the magazine. |