| Copyright 2008 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |
Fort McRee - Pensacola, Florida
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| Site of Fort McRee The sand point visible in the distance in the right of this photograph was the site of Fort McRee, the lost fort of Pensacola Bay. |
Fort McRee - Pensacola's Lost Fort
When U.S. engineers devised a plan for defending Pensacola Bay,
they planned the construction of two forts on opposite sides of the
entrance to the bay. One of these, Fort Pickens, still stands on the
western end of Santa Rosa Island. The other, Fort McRee, stood on
Foster's Bank opposite Fort Pickens, but has long since vanished.
Constructed between 1834 and 1839, Fort McRee (sometimes
incorrectly spelled "Fort McRae") was an unusually designed fort
mounting numerous pieces of heavy artillery on multiple levels. The
fort's design could best be described as almost like a stubby
boomerang when viewed from above. The walls were curved and
the fort was rounded at both ends, allowing it to bring maximum
firepower to bear on the channel leading into Pensacola Bay.
Confederate troops seized the fort in January of 1861 and quickly
went to work mounting guns aimed across the channel at Fort
Pickens, which remained in the possession of the Union army.
During the Battle of Pensacola Bay in November of 1861, the fort
was caught in a crossfire between Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa
Island and the ships of the Union navy firing from offshore. The
Union artillery inflicted heavy damage on Fort McRee, dismounting
guns and collapsing walls. The heaviest Confederate casualties of
the battle were suffered when a magazine collapsed, burying
soldiers in the rubble.
The fort was further damaged in a second bombardment in January
of 1862 and was virtually useless by the time Union troops
reoccupied Pensacola in May of that year.
During the years after the war, the tides and waves completed the
process that had been started by the Union artillery. Only portions of
the fort remained standing by the end of the 19th century and even
those were leveled by the hurricane of 1906.
The area around the ruins of the fort continued to serve military
purposes up through World War II. New concrete batteries were
constructed there, some of which still remain. Fort McRee itself,
however, is gone. Some of its ruins are likely buried in the dunes
that cover the site, but little remains on the surface to indicate that
this was a site of such importance during the Civil War.
The site of Fort McRee is now part of Gulf Islands National
Seashore, but can only be reached by boat or on foot. There are no
facilities at the site, but it does provide a spectacular view of
Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
they planned the construction of two forts on opposite sides of the
entrance to the bay. One of these, Fort Pickens, still stands on the
western end of Santa Rosa Island. The other, Fort McRee, stood on
Foster's Bank opposite Fort Pickens, but has long since vanished.
Constructed between 1834 and 1839, Fort McRee (sometimes
incorrectly spelled "Fort McRae") was an unusually designed fort
mounting numerous pieces of heavy artillery on multiple levels. The
fort's design could best be described as almost like a stubby
boomerang when viewed from above. The walls were curved and
the fort was rounded at both ends, allowing it to bring maximum
firepower to bear on the channel leading into Pensacola Bay.
Confederate troops seized the fort in January of 1861 and quickly
went to work mounting guns aimed across the channel at Fort
Pickens, which remained in the possession of the Union army.
During the Battle of Pensacola Bay in November of 1861, the fort
was caught in a crossfire between Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa
Island and the ships of the Union navy firing from offshore. The
Union artillery inflicted heavy damage on Fort McRee, dismounting
guns and collapsing walls. The heaviest Confederate casualties of
the battle were suffered when a magazine collapsed, burying
soldiers in the rubble.
The fort was further damaged in a second bombardment in January
of 1862 and was virtually useless by the time Union troops
reoccupied Pensacola in May of that year.
During the years after the war, the tides and waves completed the
process that had been started by the Union artillery. Only portions of
the fort remained standing by the end of the 19th century and even
those were leveled by the hurricane of 1906.
The area around the ruins of the fort continued to serve military
purposes up through World War II. New concrete batteries were
constructed there, some of which still remain. Fort McRee itself,
however, is gone. Some of its ruins are likely buried in the dunes
that cover the site, but little remains on the surface to indicate that
this was a site of such importance during the Civil War.
The site of Fort McRee is now part of Gulf Islands National
Seashore, but can only be reached by boat or on foot. There are no
facilities at the site, but it does provide a spectacular view of
Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
| Fort McRee in 1861 This 1861 photograph shows the interior of Fort McRee before it was heavily damaged in the Pensacola Bay bombardments. |
| The Forts of Pensacola in 1861 Fort McRee appears here as the small fort symbol opposite the entrance of Pensacola Bay from Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island. |
