The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-12-18

Both the old and the new defenses
which stand guard over the entrance
to the harbor of Pensacola are objects
of interest; the old Notifications on
account of the part they had played
in the past history of the United
States and the modern ones for the
part they may play in the future his
tory Of the nation.
AS a part of the rather elaborate
system of coast defenses constructed
before the Civil war, there were
erected at Pensacola three forts. On
the western end of Santa Rosa Island
work was constructed called Fort
Pickens, and opposite it, across the
| channel, another fertilization was
erected and named Fort McRee. Pass
ing between these two forts the chan
mel runs northward about three quar-
| tiers Of a mile toward the mainland.
where stands little old Spanish fort
OF stone called by the musical name
OF Fort San Carlos de Barrancas, and
overlooking it. few yards above, is
the more modern Fort Barrancas built
of brick. About three hundred yards
to the south of these the channel
turns abruptly eastward, and a mile
further on sweeps by the navy yard
and again northward seven miles to
the city of Pensacola. From Fort
Pickens across the channel to McRee
Is about 23O0 yards, from Fort Pickens
to Barrancas about $500 yards, and
from Pickens to the navy yard some
5000 yards. These distances are in
teresting In that they were to be
the ranges used in the subsequent
COMPARTMENTS which took place dur
ing the civil war
Forts Pickens and MoRee.
At the outbreak of the war Fort
Pickens was an old fertilization of
massive proportions whose plan, like
that of most of the old forts along
our coast, showed the Influence of
the French idea. of fertilization very
plainly. The engineers of NapoleOn's
army, after the downfall OF their peer
less leader, scattered over the world
and have left their influence upon the
military history of most nations,
among these nations being our own
Fort Pickens was an enclosed fOrtifi-
cation with five bastions, the whole
being built OF brick and earth. The
walls were of brick enclosing arch
ed classmates in which the guns We're
mounted. On top Of these classmates
the earthen parapet was constructed
| and part of it on the interior slope
cut away to form a banquette on
which more guns were mounted. The
fort was surrounded by counterscarp
and glacis. and the whole was, in
those days, very fOrmil liable work
For McRee, opposite Pickens, was a
round casemate. fort. and Fort Bar
rancas belonged to little more mod
ern type of fortification. At the out.
Of ri
possessed no guns. Old Fort San Car
los was an abandoned work even
then.
At Opening Of the Civil War.
For many months just prior to the
war Company G, First Artillery, oc-
cupied Barrancas Barracks, a cluster
of buildings about 200 yards east of
the forts. The company was com
| manded by Captain Winden. who cast
his fortunes with the newborn Con-
federacy, and the command then de
vOlved upon Lieutenant o. J. Stem
mer. Fort Pickens was not, at that
time, garrisoned, its sole occupant
being an ordnance sergeant. A force
of armed men began to collect in the
woods north of Fort McRee and Lieu.
tenant Slemmer, deciding that discre-
ton was, at this time, the better part
of valor. crossed the channel with his
command and occupied Fort Pickens
He had with him seventy-seven men.
The Confederates in this vicinity
were, at this time commanded by Ma
| jor Chase, a gallant officer, formerly
of the Engineer Corps of the United
States army A kind Of semi-truce ex-
listed between Major Chase and Lieu
tenant Slemmer to the effect that
neither you'd begin hostilities until
they were begun elsewhere.