Fort Barrancas (1)
Fort Barrancas (1) (1839-1947) - Present day Fort Barrancas is a Third System masonry fort designed by Joseph G. Totten who became the Chief Engineer of the Army. Located in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. The fort was constructed between 1839-1844 and deactivated 15 Apr 1947.
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Fort Barrancas (1) History
Fort Barrancas is one of four fortifications designed to defend the Pensacola Harbor and navy yard along with Fort Pickens, Fort McRee and the Advanced Redoubt. The Advanced Redoubt is located near Fort Barrancas and was designed to stop land movement of enemy troops toward the naval yard. Fort Pickens and Fort McRee were located on islands in the Harbor.
Fort Barrancas is really two fort sites that are very close to one another and linked by a tunnel. The first site is actually Fort Barrancas built on the remains of a series of earlier forts including:
- Fort San Carlos de Austria (1698-1719) Spanish
- Royal Navy Redoubt (1763-17??) British
- San Carlos de Barrancas (1787-1839) Spanish/British/American
- Fort Barrancas (1839-1947) American
The second site is below Fort Barrancas and is known as the Water Battery but was also known as:
- Bateria de San Antonio (1787-) Spanish/British
- Fort San Carlos () Spanish/American
- Water Battery () American
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)
Florida left the Union 10 Jan 1861 and secessionists seized Fort Barrancas, Fort McRee and the Advanced Redoubt, only Fort Pickens remained in Union hands and it effectively blocked Confederate use of Pensacola Harbor. <
Current Status
Part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. A $1.2 million, eighteen-month restoration project led to its reopening in 1980.
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Location: Pensacola Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida Maps & Images Lat: 30.347839 Long: -87.297561 |
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 147-149
- Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W., Fortress America: The Forts That Defended America, 1600 to the Present, DaCapo Press, 2004, ISBN 0-306-81294-0, page 222-223
Links:
- North American Forts - Fort Barrancas
- Andy Bennett - Fort Barrancas
- NPS Site
- Wikipedia - Fort Barrancas
Visited: 16 Dec 2009
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