Ginny's Journeys Ginny's Adventures 2009

Fort Pickens Oct 31, 2009

Fort Pickens was named after southern Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Pickens, while the building of it from 1829 - 1834 was supervised by a West Point graduate named William Chase. He was a northerner, but became a local landowner, slaveholder, and businessman. The fort was built by slaves brought in from New Orleans who made and laid the 6 million bricks here! There were 3 other forts built in the area at this time to protect the U.S. naval shipyards on the mainland. (Remember the live oak groves used for ship building?)

A ranger explained much about the history of this fort and it is very interesting. It was very crowded with Union men and arms during the Civil War. But while there were 800 men here, there were 5 times that many Confederate men on the mainland in and around Fort Barrancas. The forts sent cannonballs at each other but they fell short, as they were built to hit ships trying to come into the port! So, they gave up that fight. The Union ended up taking over the other forts as they were well trained for war while the Confederates were farmers with only hunting rifles to defend themselves with - the Union troops took most of the cannons, guns, and ammunition from the other forts when Florida seceded from the Union before war came and concentrated themselves at the biggest and most strategic fort.

Geronimo and other Apaches were held prisoner here for a couple of years after being caught in Arizona! Most Indians were sent to Fort Marion in St. Augustine, but Pensacola citizens petitioned to have Geronimo's band sent here. President Cleveland approved it for the men only. That broke a promise to Geronimo that his band will remain with their families where ever they went. Tourists were allowed to come see Geronimo by paying for a pass to take a boat to the Fort. While here, the Indians worked hard and didn't get into trouble or try to escape. Their families finally joined the men for the last 9 months. Then they were sent to Alabama for a few years before finally ending up in a reservation in Oklahoma.

Fort Pickens underwent many changes as technology and better ways of defending ourselves were developed. After the traditional cannons came disappearing cannons. They rested behind and below walls. Once they were armed and ready to be fired, mechanisms raised the cannons, they were fired, and the recoil brought them back down behind the wall. Once planes could fly over and see the artillery, the arms had to be camouflaged and buildings made in the land around them. I can't relate to this part of fort stuff, so that's enough of that. This and Fort Barrancas and Redoubt are now relics kept intact by the National Park Service to preserve our history. Fort McRee to the west is now gone as the sands of time have shifted!!