Fort Basinger (Highlands County, Florida)
Highlands County · Florida · Second Seminole War, Third Seminole War
History & Significance
Fort Basinger was a stockaded fortification with two blockhouses built in 1837 by the United States Army during the Second Seminole War to assist Colonel Zachary Taylor's campaign against Seminole Indians and their allies resisting forced removal to federal territory. Established on December 21, 1837, the fort served as a supply station where Taylor left his sick and surrendered Seminoles under guard.
When Taylor's column engaged the main Seminole force at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee on December 25, 1837, they suffered 26 killed and 112 wounded and retreated to Fort Basinger. The fort survived the Second Seminole War and was used by U.S. Army troops and militiamen during the Third Seminole War (1855–1858).
Today, no remnants of Fort Basinger exist, but its site is marked with a Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials sign in Highlands County. The fort's namesake, Lieutenant William Elon Basinger, is buried in the St. Augustine National Cemetery, and at his funeral Colonel Taylor praised him as "an officer as dear to me as a son."
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Commemorative marker at historic site
- Significant role during Second Seminole War under Colonel Zachary Taylor
- Served as supply garrison and medical facility during Battle of Lake Okeechobee
- Stockaded fortification with two blockhouses, demolished in 1858
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Basinger_(Seminole_War_Fort)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Seminole_War
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/floridas-forts
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=54083