Graves at Fort Gadsden
Little remains of the cemetery
where the 270 victims of the
explosion may be buried.
Little remains of the cemetery
where the 270 victims of the
explosion may be buried.
Earthworks of Fort Gadsden
These earthen ramparts were
part of Fort Gadsden, a U.S.
Army and Confederate post.
These earthen ramparts were
part of Fort Gadsden, a U.S.
Army and Confederate post.
Fort Gadsden and the "Negro Fort" on the Apalachicola
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Fort Gadsden Historic Site, Florida
| Site of the "Negro Fort" A landmark in American history, the site of the "Negro Fort" on the Apalachicola is preserved at Fort Gadsden Historic Site. |
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On July 27, 1816, at the culmination of an
invasion of Spanish Florida, a pair of U.S.
Navy gunboats attacked a powerfully-built fort
on the Apalachicola River.
Built by the British during the War of 1812, the
post was called the "Negro Fort" by the U.S.
Government. Inside its walls were 300
African American men, women and children
and around 20 Choctaw warriors. Some
were free residents of Florida, but others had
escaped from slavery and came here to live
in freedom.
Troops from the 4th U.S. Infantry, reinforced
by hundreds of allied Creek warriors,
surrounded the fort and demanded its
surrender. The occupants of the "Negro Fort"
refused to give up, warning that they had
been placed in charge of the post by the
British and would fight to the death to defend
it. Over their walls they raised the English
Jack and a solid red flag, indicating a fight of
no quarter.
The gunboats closed in and opened fire. The
occupants of the fort fired back. A massive
battle appeared in the making, but disaster
struck. The fifth shot from the gunboats, a
cannon ball heated red hot to set the fort on
fire, fell into one of the main gunpowder
magazines.
In a blinding flash, the fort exploded. The
commander of the American troops reported
that the "explosion was awful and the scene
horrible beyond description." It was one of
the deadliest shots in American history.
Of the 320 men, women and children in the
fort, 270 died instantly. The rest were taken
prisoner and most carried back to Georgia
and returned to slavery. It was a major
moment in black history and one of the most
tragic events in the history of the United
States.
Sadly, the Fort Gadsden Historic Site in
Florida's Apalachicola National Forest is one
of the nation's least known major historic
landmarks. The site is located about 30
miles north of the Gulf Coast near the
community of Sumatra.
invasion of Spanish Florida, a pair of U.S.
Navy gunboats attacked a powerfully-built fort
on the Apalachicola River.
Built by the British during the War of 1812, the
post was called the "Negro Fort" by the U.S.
Government. Inside its walls were 300
African American men, women and children
and around 20 Choctaw warriors. Some
were free residents of Florida, but others had
escaped from slavery and came here to live
in freedom.
Troops from the 4th U.S. Infantry, reinforced
by hundreds of allied Creek warriors,
surrounded the fort and demanded its
surrender. The occupants of the "Negro Fort"
refused to give up, warning that they had
been placed in charge of the post by the
British and would fight to the death to defend
it. Over their walls they raised the English
Jack and a solid red flag, indicating a fight of
no quarter.
The gunboats closed in and opened fire. The
occupants of the fort fired back. A massive
battle appeared in the making, but disaster
struck. The fifth shot from the gunboats, a
cannon ball heated red hot to set the fort on
fire, fell into one of the main gunpowder
magazines.
In a blinding flash, the fort exploded. The
commander of the American troops reported
that the "explosion was awful and the scene
horrible beyond description." It was one of
the deadliest shots in American history.
Of the 320 men, women and children in the
fort, 270 died instantly. The rest were taken
prisoner and most carried back to Georgia
and returned to slavery. It was a major
moment in black history and one of the most
tragic events in the history of the United
States.
Sadly, the Fort Gadsden Historic Site in
Florida's Apalachicola National Forest is one
of the nation's least known major historic
landmarks. The site is located about 30
miles north of the Gulf Coast near the
community of Sumatra.
The Apalachicola River
The forts overlooked Florida's
Apalachicola River, one of the
state's major waterways.
The forts overlooked Florida's
Apalachicola River, one of the
state's major waterways.
To learn more about historic Fort Gadsden,
please follow the links below:
British Post on the Apalachicola
Attack on the "Negro Fort"
Fort Gadsden in the First Seminole War
Fort Gadsden in the Second Seminole War
Fort Gadsden in the Civil War
Fort Gadsden Historic Site Today
San Marcos de Apalache - Florida
Historic Sites in Florida
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
please follow the links below:
British Post on the Apalachicola
Attack on the "Negro Fort"
Fort Gadsden in the First Seminole War
Fort Gadsden in the Second Seminole War
Fort Gadsden in the Civil War
Fort Gadsden Historic Site Today
San Marcos de Apalache - Florida
Historic Sites in Florida
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
| Copyright 2008 by Dale Cox All Rights Reserved |
Fort Gadsden Historic Site
The site is now maintained
as part of the Apalachicola
National Forest.
The site is now maintained
as part of the Apalachicola
National Forest.
For directions to Sumatra, Florida, enter your city
here. From Sumatra travel south on Highway 65 to
the sign for Fort Gadsden and turn right.
here. From Sumatra travel south on Highway 65 to
the sign for Fort Gadsden and turn right.