How to Use the Context Inquiry Question Map Readings Images Activities Table of Contents Setting the Stage Pensacola, Florida, is located on one of the best deep water harbors on the Gulf Coast.
Large ships can pass through the entrance and enter the protected bay.
The Spanish, French, English, and the Americans recognized that Pensacola Bay s entrance provided the key to the defense of Florida s panhandle. When Spain ceded Florida to the United States in 1819, the U.S. Navy selected Pensacola Bay as the site for a navy yard. The strategy was to build up defenses that appeared so formidable an enemy would be deterred from attacking. At Pensacola this buildup was successful as no foreign country ever did attack the forts. The American Civil War, however, made for a different story.