January 6, 1861 - Florida Seizes the Apalachicola Arsenal

Officer's Quarters

January 6, 1861

Having learned from an intercepted telegram of orders from Washington for the tiny four man garrison of the Apalachicola Arsenal, a U.S. facility in Chattahoochee, Governor Madison S. Perry of Florida ordered state militia troops to seize the complex.

Built in 1834-1839, the arsenal was an impressive compound of brick buildings arranged around a four-square acre parade ground. These structures included an armory, tower, officer's quarters, barracks, workshops and storage facilities, all connected and surrounded by a 9-foot high, 30-inch thick brick wall. There were also two external magazines where gunpowder was stored. These were located outside the main wall, apparently for safety purposes. The name of the facility came from its proximity to the Apalachicola River, not from the city of Apalachicola at the mouth of the river.

Aerial View of Apalachicola Arsenal

Receiving his orders in person from Governor Perry, Colonel William Gunn of the 7th Regiment, Florida Militia, returned to his home in Quincy on the night of the 5th and called out the Quincy Young Guards, a company in his regiment. Leaving immediately for Chattahoochee in a long parade of horse drawn carriages, the men arrived outside the arsenal during the night.

Marching through the gates at 7 a.m., the state troops took possession of the compound but found Ordnance Sergeant Edwin Powell unwilling to hand over the keys to the armory and magazines. When ordered to do so by Gunn, he requested permission to telegraph his superiors in Washington. Hoping to avoid violence, the colonel agreed:

The arsenal has been taken possession of by the State this morning, 7 o'clock. My forces too weak to defend it. I have refused keys of magazine and armory. Answer with instructions.

Powell received no reply to his telegram and it is unclear if it was immediately delivered. He then requested permission to send a letter to Washington, with a copy of Governor Perry's orders enclosed, but was told that it would not be delivered. Unwilling to take responsibility for giving up the keys to the magazines and armory, he continued to refuse Gunn's demands.

Apalachicola Arsenal

Unsure of what to do, the colonel telegraphed the governor to explain the situation. Perry replied with direct orders for the Young Guards to compel the surrender of the keys. Gunn explained the situation to Powell, who then addressed the formation of militiamen drawn up on the parade ground:

Officers and Soldiers: Five minutes ago I was the commander of this arsenal, but in consequence of the weakness of my command, I am obliged to surrender - an act which I have hitherto never had to do in my whole military career. If I had a force equal to or even half the strength of your own, you would never have entered that gate until you walked over my dead body. You see that I have but three men. These are laborers, and cannot contend against you. I now consider myself a prisoner of war. Take my sword.

The state officers quickly returned Powell's sword to him and according to eyewitnesses the assembled troops gave "three cheers for the gallant Powell."

Florida had taken its first military action of the war with the dramatic but bloodless seizure of the Apalachicola Arsenal. With its capture, the state took possession of more than 5,000 pounds of gunpowder and 173,000 prepared cartridges, as well as a 6-pounder cannon and a few dozen antiquated muskets.

To learn more about the arsenal, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arsenal1.

January 6, 1861 - Florida Seizes the Apalachicola Arsenal

January 6, 1861

Having learned from an intercepted telegram of orders from Washington for the tiny four man garrison of the Apalachicola Arsenal, a U.S. facility in Chattahoochee, Governor Madison S. Perry of Florida ordered state militia troops to seize the complex.

Built in 1834-1839, the arsenal was an impressive compound of brick buildings arranged around a four-square acre parade ground. These structures included an armory, tower, officer's quarters, barracks, workshops and storage facilities, all connected and surrounded by a 9-foot high, 30-inch thick brick wall. There were also two external magazines where gunpowder was stored. These were located outside the main wall, apparently for safety purposes. The name of the facility came from its proximity to the Apalachicola River, not from the city of Apalachicola at the mouth

Saving...

of the river.

Receiving his orders in person from Governor Perry, Colonel William Gunn of the 7th Regiment, Florida Militia, returned to his home in Quincy on the night of the 5th and called out the Quincy Young Guards, a company in his regiment. Leaving immediately for Chattahoochee in a long parade of horse drawn carriages, the men arrived outside the arsenal during the night.

Marching through the gates at 7 a.m., the state troops took possession of the compound but found Ordnance Sergeant Edwin Powell unwilling to hand over the keys to the armory and magazines. When ordered to do so by Gunn, he requested permission to telegraph his superiors in Washington. Hoping to avoid violence, the colonel agreed:

The arsenal has been taken possession of by the State this morning, 7 o'clock. My forces too weak to defend it. I have refused keys of magazine and armory. Answer with instructions.

Powell received no reply to his telegram and it is unclear if it was immediately delivered. He then requested permission to send a letter to Washington, with a copy of Governor Perry's orders enclosed, but was told that it would not be delivered. Unwilling to take responsibility for giving up the keys to the magazines and armory, he continued to refuse Gunn's demands.

Unsure of what to do, the colonel telegraphed the governor to explain the situation. Perry replied with direct orders for the Young Guards to compel the surrender of the keys. Gunn explained the situation to Powell, who then addressed the formation of militiamen drawn up on the parade ground:

Officers and Soldiers: Five minutes ago I was the commander of this arsenal, but in consequence of the weakness of my command, I am obliged to surrender - an act which I have hitherto never had to do in my whole military career. If I had a force equal to or even half the strength of your own, you would never have entered that gate until you walked over my dead body. You see that I have but three men. These are laborers, and cannot contend against you. I now consider myself a prisoner of war. Take my sword.

The state officers quickly returned Powell's sword to him and according to eyewitnesses the assembled troops gave "three cheers for the gallant Powell."

Florida had taken its first military action of the war with the dramatic but bloodless seizure of the Apalachicola Arsenal. With its capture, the state took possession of more than 5,000 pounds of gunpowder and 173,000 prepared cartridges, as well as a 6-pounder cannon and a few dozen antiquated muskets.

To learn more about the arsenal, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/arsenal1.

January 4, 1861 - Seizure of the Mount Vernon Arsenal, Alabama

Mount Vernon Arsenal in 1935

On January 4, 1861, the Southern states continued to prepare themselves for independence. In Alabama, state troops seized the U.S. Arsenal at Mount Vernon (30 miles north of Mobile).

With a history dating back to 1828, the Mount Vernon Arsenal was a unique horseshoe-shaped complex that featured a primary arsenal building, barracks, workshops, officers' quarters, stables and other structures. The entire complex was enclosed by a strong brick wall and had served as a major source for small arms during the Creek War of 1836 and the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). In addition to being a major depository for weapons, the arsenal also was a manufacturing point for small arms ammunition. As such, it was of critical importance to Alabama as that state moved closer to secession from the Union.

Arsenal Wall in 1935

On December 20, 1860, Congressman David Clopton of Alabama had requested that the War Department provide him with the plans of the arsenal. This request remained in limbo for two weeks until Acting Secretary of War J. Holt refused to comply with the request, citing "interest of the service."

On the same day, having received intelligence from Washington that the U.S. Army was considering moving additional troops to the Mount Vernon Arsenal and forts at Mobile Bay, Governor A.B. Moore of Alabama ordered state militia forces to take possession of the posts. Alabama forces arrived at the gates of the arsenal at dawn on January 4, 1861, 150 years ago today. The following report was filed by Captain Jesse Reno, the U.S. Army officer commanding the arsenal, to Captain William Maynadier of the Ordnance Bureau in Washington, D.C.:

MOUNT VERNON ARSENAL, January 4, 1861.

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that this arsenal was taken possession of by four companies of volunteers from Mobile at daylight this morning. I did not make, nor could I have made, any resistance, as they had scaled the walls and taken possession before I knew anything about the movement.

   The governor has demanded all the public property, and his men now have entire possession of the arsenal.

   …As it was impossible for me to hold this place with my seventeen men, I trust that the Department will not hold me responsible for this unexpected catastrophe.

Aerial View of the Arsenal Today

In an unusual move, Governor Moore wrote to President James Buchanan on the same day to inform him of his reasons for ordering the seizure (Abraham Lincoln had not yet taken office). Telling Buchanan that he had ordered the taking of the arsenal, Moore explained that he had received intelligence that U.S. forces were preparing to reinforce the arsenal and other forts in Alabama and willing to shed the blood of Alabama citizens in order to do it:

…The purpose with which my order was given and has been executed was to avoid and not to provoke hostilities between the State and Federal Government. There is no object, save the honor and independence of my State, which is by me so ardently desired as the preservation of amicable relations between this State and the Government of the United States. That the secession of the State, made necessary by the conduct of others, may be peaceful is my prayer as well as the prayer of every patriotic man in the State.

Alabama's Secession Convention would soon meet and vote to take the state out of the Union, but at the time of the seizure the state was still part of the United States.

The Mount Vernon Arsenal today forms a significant portion of the Searcy State Hospital. Many of the buildings and walls remain intact and the original form of the complex is still quite visible.