Fort McRee

Fort McRee (1834-1947) - Constructed between 1834-1839 as a Third System brick, three tiered fort with an outlying water battery on Foster Bank, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. Named for Col. William M. McRae Apr 1840. Also known as Fort McRae. Fort McRee was deactivated in 1947 and transferred to the Navy.

Fort McRee 1928

Fort McRee History

Part of the Harbor Defense of Pensacola.

After the Mexican War Fort McRee, Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens were garrisoned only during drills, maneuvers and target practice from the barracks at Fort Barrancas, this continued up to the start of the U.S. Civil War.

U.S. Civil War (1861-1865)

In January 1861, just before the start of the U.S. Civil War, 1st Lt. Adam J. Slemmer and the 50 men under his command were forced to abandon Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee to sessionists of the Florida and Alabama militia. Lt. Slemmer and his men spiked the guns at Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee and removed to Fort Pickens where they were reinforced by additional Union forces. In May 1862 Confederate forces abandoned all of the Pensacola area fortifications and they remained under Union control for the remainder of the war. Fort McRee was almost destroyed in the Federal bombardment and was not rebuilt. After the war, the bricks from Fort McRee were used in the reconstruction of other buildings and the fort deteriorated.

Endicott Period (1890-1910)

Fort McRee Endicott Period Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery Slemmer	2	8"	Disappearing	1898-1899-1900-1918	$ 113,806	Part buried
Battery Center	4	3"	Masking Parapet	1899-1901-1901-1920	$ 20,604	Part buried
Source: CDSG

World War I

In 1918 Battery Slemmer's guns were removed and sent to Europe to be mounted on railway cars. In 1920 Battery Center's guns were removed.

Fort McRee Plan 1922

World War II (1941-1945)

Battery 233, a single battery of two 6" guns, was begun at Fort McRee but by the end of the war it still did not have the gun tubes installed and was never armed.

Fort McRee World War II Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery 233	2	6"	Shielded Barbette (SBC)	1943-1943-1944-NA	$ 284,499	Gun tubes never received
Source: CDSG

Current Status

Part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. No period guns or mounts in place.

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Location: Foster Bank, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida Maps & Images Lat: 30.32586 Long: -87.316546 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 33'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 183
• Weaver, John R. II, A Legacy in Brick and Stone: America Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, Redoubt Press, McLean, 2001, First Printing, ISBN 1-57510-069-X, page 163-165

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort McRee
• Pensapedia - Fort McRee
• Wikipedia
• CDSG

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Fort McRee Picture Gallery

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