Fort Pickens (Pensacola Beach, Florida, Florida)
Pensacola Beach, Florida · Florida · Civil War
History & Significance
French engineer Simon Bernard designed Fort Pickens, with construction lasting from 1829 to 1834 and consuming 21.5 million bricks, much of it built by enslaved laborers. The fort served as the largest of four fortifications designed to defend Pensacola Bay and its navy yard.
By the Civil War, the fort stood unoccupied and in disrepair until Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer determined it was the most defensible position in the area. Around midnight on January 8, 1861, his guards repelled a group of local civilians attempting to seize the fort.
When Florida seceded on January 10, 1861, Slemmer destroyed over 20,000 pounds of gunpowder at nearby Fort McRee. In the Battle of Santa Rosa Island on October 9, 1861, Confederates attacked with over a thousand men but were repelled, retreating with 90 casualties.
Fort Pickens was one of only four Southern forts to remain in Union hands throughout the war, alongside Fort Taylor (Key West), Fort Jefferson (Dry Tortugas), and Fort Monroe (Virginia). From October 1886 to May 1887, Apache war chief Geronimo was imprisoned at the fort with several of his warriors. The Army continued using the fort until World War II, when it joined the National Park Service's Gulf Islands National Seashore in 1971.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Pentagonal brick fortification with Civil War-era design and exhibits
- Union stronghold that never fell during the Civil War
- Sandy, coastal setting on Santa Rosa Island with beach access
- Simon Bernard-designed architecture showcasing Third System military engineering
- Over 21 million bricks visible in original 1829-1834 construction
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Pickens
- https://www.nps.gov/places/000/fort-pickens.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/fort-pickens-and-the-outbreak-of-the-civil-war-teaching-with-historic-places.htm
- https://www.pensapedia.com/wiki/Fort_Pickens
- https://visitpensacolabeach.com/experience-the-history-of-fort-pickens-blog/
- https://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/explore/exhibits/permanent-exhibits/world-war-ii/historical-sites/northwest-listing/fort-pickens/