At Fort Pickens

[18thVirginia]

For years we've planned a trip to Fort Pickens, which is several hours from home, but it seemed like every time we thought about going there a severe weather event intervened, a hurricane, a tropical storm, the Great Flood a couple of years ago. So, this past weekend, we were in Pensacola for a high school football game, woke up the next morning and snuck over to the Fort. Here are some photos.

I know everyone has seen photos of Pickens, but I'm still so excited we finally were able to go there without a weather catastrophe, that I'm sharing them.

 

[War Horse]

Awesome 18th Virginia, but I don't see any photos. I would love to view them.

 

[StephenColbert27]

Same, no photos.

 

[18thVirginia]

For some reason, I'm unable to upload them tonight. Will try tomorrow.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I know what you're doing. It's like a teaser, right? Like when the new Batman movie is due out, keep us pinned to our seats?

OK, intermission , in lieu of the comedian coming out, keeping the audience engaged before a main act- 18th's visit to Fort Picken.

" When Florida seceded from the Union in January 1861, state officials quickly ordered Florida troops to seize key federal forts and arsenals throughout the state. At Pensacola, federal troops moved from the mainland to the more defendable Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island. Florida troops, supported by soldiers from Alabama, demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens. Federal Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer refused to give up the fort.


Thus, in early 1861 the war could have easily started at Fort Pickens, Florida, rather than at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. However, a truce was worked out at Pensacola in which the North agreed not to reinforce the fort, and the South agreed not to attack it. Immediately following the southern bombardment of Fort Sumter, on April 12, 1861, Union forces landed near Pensacola to reinforce Fort Pickens. The standoff at Pensacola continued for several months. Union forces conducted a raid in which they burned a southern ship, and in early October the Confederates launched a large, nighttime raid on Santa Rosa Island. "
http://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/exhibits/permanent/civilwar/03.cfm

Did not know that!

Apache prisoners at Fort Pickens. Geronimo was there, not certain if he is included in this pic or not.

These guns are heavy artillery in Pensacola aimed at Fort Pickens

 

[18thVirginia]

This is the entrance to the Fort. The sally port had large wooden doors.

 

[18thVirginia]

This end of the Fort was blown off in a fire during the late 1800s that exploded 8,000 pounds of powder and sent bricks flying into Pensacola.

 

[18thVirginia]

Built in 1834, Fort Pickens is the largest of 4 forts designed to guard Pensacola. 21.5 million bricks were used to construct the fort and slave stone masons were imported from New Orleans to do the construction work.

 

[18thVirginia]

Officer's Quarters, next to the sally port at the entrance

 

[18thVirginia]

Cannon behind the officer's quarters.

 

[18thVirginia]

Fort Pickens remained one of the 4 forts in the South in Union hands throughout the Civil War.

 

[18thVirginia]

I know what you're doing. It's like a teaser, right? Like when the new Batman movie is due out, keep us pinned to our seats?

OK, intermission , in lieu of the comedian coming out, keeping the audience engaged before a main act- 18th's visit to Fort Picken.

" When Florida seceded from the Union in January 1861, state officials quickly ordered Florida troops to seize key federal forts and arsenals throughout the state. At Pensacola, federal troops moved from the mainland to the more defendable Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island. Florida troops, supported by soldiers from Alabama, demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens. Federal Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer refused to give up the fort.


Thus, in early 1861 the war could have easily started at Fort Pickens, Florida, rather than at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. However, a truce was worked out at Pensacola in which the North agreed not to reinforce the fort, and the South agreed not to attack it. Immediately following the southern bombardment of Fort Sumter, on April 12, 1861, Union forces landed near Pensacola to reinforce Fort Pickens. The standoff at Pensacola continued for several months. Union forces conducted a raid in which they burned a southern ship, and in early October the Confederates launched a large, nighttime raid on Santa Rosa Island. "
http://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/exhibits/permanent/civilwar/03.cfm


Did not know that!



Apache prisoners at Fort Pickens. Geronimo was there, not certain if he is included in this pic or not.
View attachment 80203

Thanks, JPK Huson. My latest photos have only been able to be loaded through photo bucket, which has gone from being a nice site to one with the most aggravating ads and difficulty to upload to. Along with an improved iPhoto which seems almost impossible to navigate, it's maddening to get the photos from my camera to CWT.

Here's the area where Geronimo and family were held within the Fort.

 

[rickvox79]

Awesome pictures! I've mentioned it before on here but I grew up living just outside of Pensacola and I actually work about 15 minutes from the Fort. I would highly recommend "The Civil War on Pensacola Bay, 1861-1862" by John Driscoll. It really gives a lot of interesting information on the build up leading to the war and how close it came to starting in Pensacola. A lot more intrigue going on than I ever realized. Gotta give Lt. Adam Slemmer credit, he was under a lot of pressure from all sides in what became enemy territory for the Union, but was still able to stand fast and hold onto the fort long enough until more help arrived.

 

[18thVirginia]

Thanks, rickvox. I know you've posted a lot of photos of Ft. Pickens in the past, but I'm still so excited that after years and years, we were finally able to go there that I uploaded these, some of which are repetitions of your earlier ones. And I'd agree, Ft. Pickens has a lot more interesting history than one would think. There was also a terrific ranger tour the day we were there.

 

[18thVirginia]

This shows the reverse arches on the floor, which were engineered to minimize settling in the sand and maintain the strength of the entire structure. The "island" on which Pickens is located is basically a large sandbar.

It is sometimes difficult to see the original bottom level of the fort due to the 10 feet of sand that was dumped around the Fort when the Army later built a bulkhead all around Fort Pickens. According to the ranger, the original architect of the fort designed a drainage system which was ruined by the excess sand, leaving the fort flooded during hurricanes or large storms.

 

[donna]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing. I know you had a wonderful visit there.

 

[18thVirginia]

Looking out toward the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[18thVirginia]

This is looking back toward the entrance from the top level where the previous photo was taken. The Fort had a 3 1/2 acre parade ground in the center. In the late 1800s, the latest fortification was constructed of concrete inside the parade ground--known as Pensacola Battery. It's the black area at the bottom right.

 

[18thVirginia]

Stairs from the upper bastion where you saw the cannon above, you can see Battery Pensacola in black on your left.

 

[18thVirginia]

Where the gunpowder was stored, next to the sally port and entrance to the fort.