The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-11-04
A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH OF
PENSACOLA AND FORT BARRANcAs

prepared by Major Bennett Of TT. Barrancas)
Pensacola Bay probably discovered by Pam
flo de Narvaez in the year 1923. In 1910 NAL
donado. the commander the fleet that brought
De Soto to the Florida coast entered the harbor.
which he named Puarta dAuchusi. and his rec
ornmendation De Soto designated it as a of
supplies for his expedition into the interior In
1859 a permanent settlement attempted by
Tristan de Luna, who renamed the harbpr Santa
Maria, but two years later this settlement
abandoned. In 1896 another settlement made
by Don Andres d'Arriola who built Fort San Carlos
near the site of the present Fort Barrancas. and
who seems to have named the place Pensacola,
probably after the town of Peniscola the Med
iterranean coast of Spain province of yalencia)
In 171s. Spain and France being at war. Pensacola
was captured by Sieur de Bienville, the French
governor of Louisiana Later in the year it
was successfully retaken by Spanish force from
Habana and recaptured by vienvie, who burned
the town and destroyed the fort. In 1928. three
years after the close of hostties Benvile felin-
pushed possession. The Spanish then transferred
their settlement to the west end of Santa Rosa
Island but after destructive hurricane in 1854
they returned to the mainland. In 1853, when the
F1oridas ceded Great Britain, Pensacola
became the seat of administration for Florida,
and most Of the Spanish inhabitants removed to
Mexico and Cuba. During the of American
Independence the town place of refuge for
many loyalists from the northern colonies. On the
9th of May 1881, it captured by Bernardo
de Galvez. the Spanish governor at New Orleans.
Most of the English inhabitants left trade
manned in the hands of English merchants. During
the Of 1912 the British made Pensacola
of expeditions against the Americans and in 1914
q British fleet entered the harbor to take formal
possession. In retaliation General Andrew Jack
son attacked the town. driving back the British.
In 1913. the ground that the Spanish encouraged
the Seminole Indians in their attacks upon the
American settlements in the vicinity, Jackson again
captured Pensacola and in 1921 Florida finally
transferred to the United States. but civil govern
ment not established until 1922
Fort Pickens built Santa Rosa Island be-
tween 1926 and 1874; Fort McRae was built on the
opposite side of the channel between 1888 and 1912
and Fort Barrancas and Redoubt built the
mainland between 1889 and 1874
When Florida passed ordinance of secession
on January 10TH 1861, Fort Barrancas
manded by Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer; the garri-
son consisted of about As artillerymen of the Reg
ular Army. This small force Joined by about
equal force of sailors from Navy Yard
when it seemed probable that the Navy Yard would
be siezed by the Confederate forces. Lieutenant
Semmer took his small command to Fort Pickens
and held that Fort until renforcements arrived I'M
der the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harvey
Brown. At least serious attempts Were made
to capture Fort Pfckens by the Confederate forces
but they not successful. the plans for the
capture of Fort Pickens the Confederates built
line Of batteries extending from point the
present navy hospital to the Lighthouse. In spite
of heavy commandments from these batteries, and
Santa Rosa Island a point near the present
Life Saving Station Fort Pickens held by the
Union forces until the end of the
It is interesting fact that much of the beau
tiful masonry the inside of the old forts
erected by labor; late 1912 old negro
lived Fort Barrancas who very proud of
the fact that when boy he received a whipping
from his master because he lay down and went to
sleep in a shady spot when he should have boon
carrying to the other Slaves who work.
ing the forts.