Fort Wolcott

This article is about the structure. You may be looking for the memory of the same name from Assassin's Creed III.

ACIII-Wolcott 2 — Connor overlooking the fort's courtyard

Fort Wolcott was a fortification located on Goat Island, having been built to protect the nearby town of Newport, Rhode Island. Throughout history, it underwent several renames.

History

American Revolutionary War

The original fort was built in the early 1700s by the Spanish. It was later expanded by the British in the 1730s, which was when it was named Fort George, after King George II. The fort was captured by Rhode Islanders twice in the 1760s, though they never occupied it for long, during which they used it to fire upon British ships in the harbor.^[1]

The Colonial Assassin Connor visited the location sometime in 1773, in order to obtain a scroll that was in the possession of one of Captain William Kidd's sailors, who had been jailed there. During Connor's infiltration however, a large portion of the fort was destroyed, as a result of the shelling from the Aquila that Connor had ordered on the structure to cover his escape.^[2]

1784, the fort was renamed Fort Washington after George Washington when the Continental Army occupied by the area. It was later renamed Fort Wolcott after the American politician in 1798.^[1]

Modern times

In 2012, Fort Wolcott was used as a simulated location by Abstergo Industries' entertainment branch, in order to influence the general public through the console stage of the Animus technology.^[3]

The fort bore much resemblance to the state it was in before Connor had it destroyed, though it was slightly more spacious, with a larger courtyard. In the courtyard stood a wooden stage with poles, to which hostages were presumably bound to be ridiculed or tortured. The fort featured four main buildings: a storage house, with an office on the upper floor, a smelting chamber, a large tavern and a building housing some market stalls. The wares being sold were primarily spoils from hunting, including meat, fish and skins.^[3]

With the implementation of new technology, simulated locations in the console stage were upgraded to have multiple aesthetic variations. Because of this, Fort Wolcott could be utilized during the day, the night, or midst snowfall.^[3]

Trivia

At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the rebels renamed it Fort Liberty. It was retaken by the British in November in 1776, at which point the name was changed back to Fort George. It kept this name until around 1784, when it was again occupied by rebel forces and renamed Fort Washington; it was later renamed Fort Wolcott after Oliver Wolcott, a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and a governor of Connecticut.
While traversing the dining room, Connor could overhear one of the officers ordering his troops to "hold Fort Wolcott against the rebels, at all costs". Historically, the fort was not named such until 1798.