January 18, 1861 - U.S. Troops show confidence in Florida

Fort Jefferson (NPS Photo)

January 18, 1861

On this date 150 years ago, U.S. forces showed growing confidence in their ability to hold three key forts on islands along the Florida coast.

At Fort Jefferson, the largest masonry fort in the western hemisphere, 64 soldiers and four officers came ashore from the chartered steamship Joseph Whitney. Commanded by Brevet Major Lewis G. Arnold, they had left Fort Independence at Boston Harbor eight days earlier in a secret mission to land combat troops at Fort Jefferson before state troops from Florida could move to seize the massive fort.

Sometimes called the "Gibraltar of the Gulf," the fort was still unfinished and covered more than 13 acres, but was in a sufficient state of completion and was so remote that it would be all but impossible for secessionist forces to attack it. The fort is now part of Dry Tortugas National Park and is located 70 miles off Key West.

Fort Taylor (Florida State Archives)

At Fort Taylor in Key West, meanwhile, U.S. troops commanded by Captain John M. Brannan felt their position was one of growing strength. They had been mounting heavy guns and had plenty of water, food and ordnance supplies. The fort had such an abundance of artillery, in fact, that arrangements were immediately made to ship some of the 10-inch Columbiads there out to Fort Jefferson to assist in defending that work.

Fort Pickens

At Pensacola Bay on the same day, Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer of the First U.S. Artillery received a third demand that he surrender the fort to forces of the State of Florida. The lieutenant was growing more confident in his ability to hold the fort, however, as work to mount artillery to defend it against any attack by Southern militia had been going forward with great speed. Slemmer now knew that it would be a bloody proposition for the troops of Colonel William H. Chase to attack Fort Pickens, but as he had done before, he requested time to consider the surrender demand. He would soon decline for a third time to give up the fort.

If you are interested in following a day by day accounting of the military events surrounding the Secession of Florida, please visit our sister blog: http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com.

January 14, 1861 - Fort Pike Seized and Fort Taylor Occupied

Fort Taylor (Florida State Archives)

January 14, 1861

As the military situation in the South continued to grow more tense, moves were made on January 14, 1861 - 150 years ago today - involve key forts in Florida and Louisiana.

In Florida, Captain J.M. Brannan of the First U.S. Artillery moved his company from the Key West Barracks into Fort Taylor on the night of January 14th.  Begun in 1845 and still under construction, the fort was a strong work with three tiers of artillery that commanded the harbor at Key West. The movement was made at the request of Captain E.B. Hunt of the engineers, who was supervising work on the fort, following the secession of Florida and reports of seizures of other forts and arsenals throughout the South.

Fort Taylor is now a part of the Florida State Park system and is open to the public daily. To learn more, please visit www.floridastateparks.org/forttaylor.

In Louisiana on the same day, state militia forces occupied Fort Pike. Built in 1819-1826, the strong masonry fort guarded the Rigolets, a channel that connected Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, providing water access from the Gulf of Mexico to the "back door" of New Orleans. The importance of this channel had been made clear by British operations at the time of the Battle of New Orleans (1814-1815) and the U.S. had moved quickly to strongly fortify the Rigolets.

Fort Pike is now a Louisiana State Historic Site and is open to the public by appointment. To learn more, please visit www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ifortpike.aspx,

January 13, 1861 - Key West Lighthouse, Florida

Key West Lighthouse

January 13, 1861

As the Southern states seceded, as many coastal facilities as possible were seized by state forces. Such targets included the lighthouses that dotted the Southern coastline.

Southern forces seized most of the lighthouses and very few remained in Union hands throughout the war. One of these was the Key West Lighthouse in Key West, Florida. Built in 1847-1849 to replace an earlier structure that had been destroyed by a hurricane, the lighthouse was one of two that guided ships through the treacherous waters around Key West.

Because the U.S. Army never gave up Key West and the South never launched a major effort to take the island, the Key West Lighthouse continued to operate during the war years, when virtually every other lighthouse on the Southern coast was darkened to prevent Union warships from using them to assist in navigation.

The only confrontation that took place over the Key West Lighthouse, in fact, involved not soldiers but its cantankerous keeper, 92-year-old Barbara Mabrity. She had served as keeper of the light since it was built in the 1840s (and of the previous tower as well) and had spent 32 years of her life on the U.S. payroll. During the war, however, she infuriated local officials by making comments against the Union. Mabrity was fired and replaced as a result of those comments.

If you would like to learn more of the history of the Key West Lighthouse, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/keywestlighthouse.