Fort Barrancas - Civil War

Civil War

In 1861, during the American Civil War, there was a company of 50 U.S. soldiers stationed at Fort Barrancas, under the command of John H. Winder. On January 8, Florida state troops under Colonel William Henry Chase demanded that the federal troops surrender the fort, which was met by warning shots meant to repel the militia. As Winder was not present (and would later be promoted to General in the Confederate Army), Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer was acting commander. Lt Slemmer knew that Fort Pickens was easier to defend, so he spiked the guns at Barrancas, loaded ammunition and supplies on a flatboat, and moved his company across the bay to Fort Pickens which was held by the Union throughout the Civil War.

Confederate soldiers from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi were then stationed at Fort Barrancas. While a small company of soldiers could man the fort successfully, additional sand batteries were constructed along the coast, and operated by these soldiers. General Braxton Bragg took command of Confederate Pensacola on March 11, 1861, and continued work on the batteries. On October 9, a Confederate force of 1000 troops landed east of Fort Pickens, but was repelled by Union forces. Fort McRee and Fort Barrancas exchanged heavy cannon fire with Fort Pickens on November 22–23, 1861 and January 1, 1862. However, in May 1862, after hearing that the Union Army had taken New Orleans, Confederate troops abandoned Pensacola.