Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present (New Edition) [Paperback]

J. E. Kaufmann (Author), H. W. Kaufmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2007

From the earliest colonial settlements to Cold War bunkers, the North American continent has been home to thousands of forts and fortress structures. Fortress America surveys the broad sweep of fortifications throughout North America-from seacoast forts of the late eighteenth century to wooden inland forts built to defend against Native American, English, French, or Spanish attack; from Civil War-era coastal and inland waterways forts to the Great Plains’ forts of the Old West; from World War II subterranean bunkers to Cold War concrete missile silos. The text of Fortress America is complemented with never-before-published photographs, and extraordinary drawings, cut-aways, and diagrams illustrating the design and structure of American forts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Comprehensive...Well-illustrated...A quite readable narrative."--"California Territorial Quarterly"

About the Author

J.E. Kaufmann is the author of six books on fortifications. He and his wife, H.W. Kaufmann, live in San Antonio, Texas. H.W. Kaufmann is the wife of J.E. Kaufmann, the author of six books on fortifications. They live in San Antonio, Texas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306815508
• ISBN-13: 978-0306815508
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulling the Long Story Together, August 29, 2005

By 

Chris Sterling "Castle maven" (Annandale, VA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present (Hardcover)

I found this a fascinating book---the third in a series from these authors (the others deal with German World War II fortifications, and with modern European fortifications). Each takes the same format of effectively combining text, maps, plans, drawings,and photos to provide a picture of what was built, where, by whom, and why. This particular volume has the longest historical reach, ranging from the first Spanish forts in North America right up to current efforts. Here we get a good sense of everything from dusty 19th century frontier army encampments to cement coastal fortifications of the early 20th century. The authors make clear how fortification design changed and why, as well as the relation of forts to the historical concerns of the time. In all, very useful and insightful reading whether for the arm chair or touring. There is no better overall history.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, but something was missing, January 16, 2005

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FORT (Tampa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present (Hardcover)

The book gives a decent review of the fortifications found in the U.S.and some in Canada but in some cases descriptions appear to be lacking. I found a CD from E-Bay auctions that has the same title: Fortress America: Addenda. THe publisher is listed as Merriam Press. It is an addenda of a few hundred pages that includes material left out of this book with many photos and illustrations plus more complete descriptions of events, people, etc. missing from the book that makes a great supplement to the book. I have not been able to find the CD on Amazon. With or without the addenda, it is a decent introudction the fortifications in America covering from the first English settlements through much of the Cold War era.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introductory work, February 13, 2006

By 

Fort Geek "Fort Geek" (NE US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent introduction into the world of American fortifications combining history with a light technical description of the fortifications and their development. This vast topic is reduced to a readable history showing the role the fortitications played in various periods of peace and war. The section on the American Revolution was one of my favorites, but the Civil War was also good. The text covers from the arrival of Europeans to the missile age with a new type of defense line made of a chain of radar stations. There are many finely drawn illustrations and photos of varying quality. This book is a great starting point for the non-fortifications "freak". As a member of the Coast Defense Study Group and CAMP I can only praise this work as a major contribution to the field since it so nicely puts everything together for beginner and expert.