Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-11-30
The Pensacola Forts. Description Of
Fort Pickens and the Rebel Works.


The PENSACOLA FOrts-s Description OF
Fort Pickens and the Rebel Works.
FORT P1cKKNs.
Fort Pickens, the largest and most import
ant Of the forts, is q strong work, standing on
the western end Of Santa Rosa Island. IL was
built to protect the Pensacola Navy Yard and
the main entrance to the harbor. OF its inte-
rior, the best and most recent description was
contained in letter Of DR.. Russell, the London
Tines correspondent, dated May 10th. He
says n.ho,
pital is situated in the bomb proof inside. The
parade of the fort was full Of men, and at
coup dol it was evident that great efforts had
been made to prepare Fort Pickens for O des-
perate deieDses The parade ground has been
judiciously filed with deep holes, like inverted
cones, in which shells will be comparatively
inocuousj and, warned by Sumter, every thing
has been removed which could prove in the
least degree oombustible. The officer en- duty
led me straight across to the opposite angle OF
the fort. As the rear Of the classmates and
bomb proofs along this side will be exposed to
a pluDging fire from the opposite side, very
ingenious screen has been constructed by plae'
irg useless gun platforms and parts OF car
risges at an angle against the wall, aud piling
them up with sand and earth for several feet in
thickness. passage is thus left betTeen the
base of the wall and that Of the screen, through
which man can walk with ease.
COLONEL BROWN, TIE coMMANDANT.
"rurning into this passage we entered lofty
bomb proof which was the bed room OF the
commanding officer, and passed through into
tho casemste which serves as his headquarters.
Colonel Harvey Brown received me with every
expression Of politeness aud courtesy. He Is
a tall, spare, soldisrly. looking man, with
face indicative of great resolution and energy,
as we'll as of sagacity and kindness, and his
attachment to the Union was probably one Of
the reasons Of his removal from the commend
Of Fort Hamilton, New York, to the charge Of
this very important fort. He has been long in
the service, and he belonged to the first class
of graduates who passed at West Point after
its establishment in 1918. After a short and
very interesting conversation he proceeded to
show me the works, and we mounted upon the
pa1apet, accompanied by Captain Barry, and
went over all the defenses. Fort Pickens has
q regular Fashioned trace, in outline an oblique
and rather narrow parallelogram, with the OBJ
tuse angles facing the sea at one side and the
land at the other. The acute angle, at which
the bastion toward the enemy's batteries is
situated, is the weakest part Of the work; but
il was built for sea defense, as have already
observed, and the trace was prolonged to oh.
tain the greatest amount Of Ere on the sea APP
proaches. The crest of the psrapet is covered
with very solid and we'll. made merlons Of
heavy sand. bags; but one face and the gorge
of the bastion are exposed to an endlsding
FIRE from Fort McRae, which the Colonel said
he intended to guard against if he got time.
can the guns seemed in good order, the car
fiages being well constructed, but they are
mostly of what are considered small calibers
nova days, being 80 FOUNDERS, with some AZ
Founders ard 24-pouuders. There are, how
ever, four heavy columbiads, which command
the enemy's works on several points very COM
pletely. It struck me that the bsstion guns
were rather crowded. But, even in its present
sate, the defensive preparations are most ere lit
able to the officers, who have had only three
weeks to do the immense amount of work be-
fore US. The brick copings have been removed
from the parapets, and strong sand.bag ira.
verses have been constructed to cover the gun
ners, in addition to the rat holes at the bas
tions. More heavy guns are expected, which,
with the aid of few more mortars, will enable
the garrison to hold their own against every
thing but q regular siege on the land side, and
SO long as the feet covers the narrow neck Of
the island with its guns, it is not possible for
the Corfederates to effect lodgment. If Fort
McRae were strong and heavily armed it could
inflict great damage on Fort Pickens; but it is
neither one nor the other, and the United States
| officers are confident that they will speedily
render it quite untenable
"The Jouches a feu of the fort may be put
down at forty, including the available pieces
in the casemates, which sweep the ditch and
the faces of the curtains. The walls are of the
| hardest brick, of nine feet thickness in many
| places, and the crest of the parapets on which
the merlops and traverses rest are Of turf
| From the walls there is splendid view of the
| whole position, and I found my companions
were perfectly we'll acquainted with the
strength and locus of the greater part Of the
eDemy's works. OF course I held my peace
but was amused at their accuracy. There
are the quarters of our friend, General Bragg,
| There is one of their best batteries, Just be.
hind the Lighthouse The tall chimney of the
Warrington Navy.yard was smoking away
Justify. The Colonel called my attention to it
| 'Do you see that, sir2 They are casting sho
there. The sole reason for their "forbearancs'
is that Navy yard. They know full we'll tina
if they open a gun upon us We will lay ths
ward and all the work in ruins Captain
Vogdes subsequently expressed some uneasi
ness on point as to which could not hsv
relieved his mind very effectually. He ha
seen something which led him to apprehen
that the Confederates had strong intrenche
camp in the rear of their works. Thereupon
was enabled to perceive that in Captain
Vogdes' mind there was strong intention t
land and carry the enemy's position. Why
otherwise, did you care about an intrenche
camp, most excellent engineer"
THE REBELS WORKS.
The works ofthe Confederates may be divide
into three parts. They describe an arc abou
Fort Pickens, stretching from south to north
east. First, to the south, comes Fort McRa
one mile and quarter distant from Picken
and therefore in fair range of Colonel Brown
best guns. Next comes Fort Barrsncas, bt
tween which and McRse are, however, sewers
lighter earthworks. Barrancas is supposed [
be the most mischievous work opposed to Fo
Pickens. After some more earthworks come
the Navy yard, where, also, heavy guns al
mounted. No point along this line of works
distant more than a mile and q half from Il
guns Of Pickens. In May last DIR. Russo
spoke thus Of these works, in which he four
the famous
RATHoLEs.
"There are only five 'heavy' guns in all Il
works, but the mortar batteries, three in nun
ber, of which one is unfinished, will prove vel
! damaging, although they will only contai
nine or ten mortars. The batteries are a
sand bag and earth works, with the exceptic
of Fort Barrancas. They are made after a
sorts of ways, and are of very different degre
!, of efficiency. In some the magazines will con
to a speedy destruction; in others they are WI
| mada goma are of the fnaat Whita sand NJ