Gulf Islands – Fort Barrancas

Situated on the bluffs overlooking Pensacola Bay, Fort Barrancas was built between 1839 and 1844 with the goal to protect the Bay and the Pensacola Navy Yard. The third fort established on the bay, it was constructed over the ruins of a 1798 Spanish fort named Fort San Carlos de Barrancas. Situated below the barrancas (Spanish for bluffs) was a 1797 water battery named Bateria de San Antonio which was modified to serve as a water battery for the new fort, and connected by a tunnel. To the north was the advanced redoubt, constructed to defend the northern side of the peninsula on which the navy yard was located.

Today, Fort Barrancas is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, which stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and includes everything from the picturesque white beaches of Florida postcards to maritime forests, bayous, and marine habitat. In the Pensacola Bay area there are multiple parcels that are part of Gulf Islands NS, among others including Naval Live Oaks, and two of the forts that historically fortified the Bay: Fort Pickens and Fort Barrancas. The third Pensacola Bay fort, Fort McRee, is the only one of 42 Third System Forts built between 1816 and 1870 to have completely disappeared. Other Third System Forts include Fort McHenry outside Baltimore, Maryland and Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC.

If you plan on visiting the Fort, be aware that it is located within the Naval Air Station Pensacola, an active military base. All civilian visitors must enter through the West Gate (beware your GPS directions!) and must show proper identification; please see the Park Service website for more details.

After a short stop at the Visitor Center we followed the trail located behind it up a hill. At first all we could see was an American flag, but as we reached the ridge we could suddenly see it all: the fort and water battery, Radford Boulevard winding its way back to the Pensacola Lighthouse, and the blue waters of the bay.

Crossing the drawbridge we entered the main portion of the fort. During the Civil War Forts Barrancas and McRee (as well as the Advanced Redoubt and the navy yard) were occupied by Florida and Alabama militia. The fort was used to organize and train Confederate soldiers, and the cannon were used in a bombardment of Fort Pickens on November 22 & 23 in 1861. When the Confederate army evacuated Pensacola in May of 1862 it was reclaimed by US troops, and the only other action it saw was an attack on the Advanced Redoubt by the Confederate on October 8, 1863.

The boys enjoyed exploring the various rooms and tunnels, and soon we crossed the parade ground to enter the tunnel that leads to the water battery. The battery was originally constructed by the Spanish, who had learned from one of the least known but most significant battles of the American Revolution (when the Spanish took Pensacola from the British) that Royal Navy Redoubt’s position up on the bluff had rendered its fire ineffective. The water redoubt’s design was such that cannon projectiles from the battery would ricochet off the surface of the bay to hit ships at the water line, causing maximum damage. The water battery is the third oldest standing fortification in Florida; only Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas in St. Augustine are older.

To tour the advanced redoubt visitors have to hike up the ½ mile Trench Trail or drive up to the second parking lot. Fort Barrancas was a powerful defense against a naval attack on the bay, but was exposed to a land attack as the Spanish learned in 1818 when Andrew Jackson was able to plant artillery on a nearby hilltop within range of their fort. Designed to defend against a land assault, the fort was designed to be held by a small body of infantry with a few field guns. By the time construction was finished in 1870, it was already outdated.

Fort Barrancas also quickly became obsolete because of new developments to cannon and naval war vessels, but in 1902 it was equipped with a Fire Commander’s Station to help direct artillery fire from Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key. The Coast Artillery Corps manned the defenses until World War II, after which Fort Barrancas was declared surplus in 1947. After becoming part of Gulf Islands National Seashore it underwent extensive restoration, which was completed by the National Park Service in 1980.

While at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, make sure to also visit the Pensacola Lighthouse. For more on the Gulf Island National Seashore and area, please see my posts:

   Naval Live Oaks

   Fort Pickens
   A fascination with aviation in Florida's panhandle