Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-04-25

fedracy, from which, no doubt, privatecrs
will be fted ont for the purpose of preying
upon the commerce in the Gulf Of Mex
leo and the Caribbean Sea.
FORT M'REA.
This work is in possession Of the Flor
ida troops. IL is a powerful and castle
like masonry structure, built on a low
sand pit of the main land, and appears to
rise out of the water. 1t is further sea-
ward than Fort. Pickens, Of which it is
the vis.a-vis across the channel, and a
vessel entering must needs run the gaunt-
let of its guns before approaching the lat
ter, which, however, Of itself, effectually
closes the harbor against the admission of
an enemy of even very heavy force.
The fortifcation is situated on Foster
Bank, and guards the west side of the
mouth of Pensacola Bay. 1t is bas-
toned fort, built of brick masonry, with
walls twelve feet in thickness. 1t is en-
brasured for two tiers of guns, under
bom-proof easements, and has one tier
en- darbete. Its present armament con-
sists of-Lower tier, % forty two pound
crs; second tier, II eight inch columbi-
ads, Is thirty-two Founders; in barbette,
| 62 twenty-four FOUNDERS, 3 ten inch CO.
lumbiads, and in time Of war requires a
garrison of six hundred and fifty men,
The work cost the Federal Government
about 100000. Its guns radiate at ev-
cry point of the horizon. 1t is a very
effective work. The full armament Of the
fort is not complete, but sufficient num-
ber Of guns are in battery to make a very
good opposition to Fort Pickens. Below
this fort is a water battery, which mounts
some eight or ten guns. The interior o
Fort McRea is provided with the necessary
shot furnaces, officers and soldiers guar
ters, magazines, DC.
FORT BARRANcAs.
! Fort Barrancas is on the north of Pen
sacola Bay, and directly fronting the en-
trance to its mouth. The work is erect
ed on the site of an old Spanish fort
The fort is a Fashioned work, built o
heavy masonry, and mounts forty-nin,
guns, and in time of war requires gar
rison of two hundred and fifty men,
The armament of the work is fully mount
ed, and its magazines are in good order
|, In the rear of the fort is redoubt, which
is auxiliary to Fort Barrancas. Som
, extensive repairs have recently been com
) pleted on this redoubt, and the hankin,
howitzers of scarp and counterscarp cal
be mounted with very little labor. Whel
the Florida troops seized the fort ther,
were in it eighteen-pounders, 20 TWEEN
} ty-four Founders, 2 twelve-pounders,
teninch columbiads, A eight inch colum
biads, and 2 twenty-four pound mortars
In the flank defenses, s twenty y-four-pound
howitzers were found. The powder hat
all been removed. The fort contained
! I 2SS eight-inch shells, 993 twenty -four'
pound balls, and all the implements for
!, working the cannon. It's present arma
ment consists of IL thirty two Founders
} eight-inch Paixhans, 2 eight-inch co
: lumbiads, 8 twenty y-four-pounders,
eighteen Founders, 2 twelve Founders,
twrlve pound howitzers, flank defense,
eighteen-inch mortars.
} Fort Barrancas is now in command o
} Captain O'Hara, formerly of the United
States Army. 1t has a garrison of thre
} hundred regularly enlisted men of tn
Confederate States. Captain O'Har
, has, by the most untiring efforts, place,
this fort in proper state of Defense
The guns are all mounted, and the troop
t well drilled as cannoniers. A few day
} ago, Captain O'Hara warned the com
: mander of the United States Steame
n Wyandot to the effect that in future, a
t his vessel makes her trips under flag @
. truce to and from the Pensacola Navy
: yard, he must keep farther off from Fol-
g Barrancas
FORT MARION, AT ST. AUGUSTINE.
Fort Marion is an old Spanish worl,
built of petrifed shell or coral, and
supposed to be the oldest fort on the Con
: tinent. 1t is about forty feet high, an
: is surrounded by ditch twenty feet wide
: which once, at high tide, was filled wit
!; water, but now with weeds and dirt
. There were four watch-towers on tn
l fort, two of which are partially destroy
n ed. 1t is now in very dilapidated con
dition. Upon the inside the weeds ar
y nearly as high as mans head. It's wall
It are twelve feet thick at the base, taper
y ing until reduced to 81 X feet at the to
a of the parapet. The eastern front of til
G work faces the bar to the entrance {
t St. Augustine and other portions of tn
t work, the harbor. 1t is now in posses
), sion of Florida troops.
! UNITED STATES PORTS AT KEY WEST.
Recent events indicate the determine
tion of the United States Government t
f retain full, entire and complete possessio
= of the Notifications on the Florida reefs
~ near Key West. To put these works
. therefore, in a complete condition of dc
fense, they have been recently reinforce
by United States troops, fully provision
i ed fora long siege, and supply of amt
n milton furnished enough to sink half
=, dozen respectable sized navies. Ike
~ West is celebrated as naval station;
! is the headland of the Southern coas
~ situated on the northwest and of an i
~ land of the same name. otherwise Gale
=. Thompson's Island; it is four miles lor
n and one mile wide. 1t has a fine barbo
IA admitting vessels drawing twenty-sev'
~ feet, and is well defended, as we shs
- hereafter describe. 1t is the key to Il
n. northern passage of the Gulf of Mexic
"a as the passage here is safer and niue
~ -. miles nearer than around Tortugas. Il
N thermometer at this place ranges fro
bo fifty to ninety degrees of Fahrenheit