Florida - Battle of Santa Rosa Island
Battle of Santa Rosa Island
Federal Mortar at Fort Pickens
Guns like this mortar on the
northeast bastion of Fort Pickens
made taking the fort a tricky
proposition at best..
Land Face of Fort Pickens
Although primarily designed to
defend Pensacola Bay against a
naval attack, Fort Pickens would
have been extremely difficult to
take from the land as well.
The white sand beaches of Santa Rosa
Island were the scene of a ferocious night
battle in 1861.
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For the first six months of the Civil War,
Union and Confederate forces eyed
each other warily across the sparking
waters of Pensacola Bay. The war had
almost started here, but the last minute
"Fort Pickens Truce" had halted the
looming conflict and maintained the
status quo - until the North violated it by
reinforcing Fort Pickens.
In Sepember, the Federals took
offensive action by destroying the
Confederate warship Judah then being
prepared for action at the Pensacola
Navy Yard.
In response, Confederate General
Braxton Bragg ordered a retaliatory strike
on Fort Pickens itself. Moving under
cover of night, Colonel R.H. "Dick"
Anderson ferried his men across the bay
and moved west down Santa Rosa
Island in three columns.
Anderson's men pulled off a surprise
attack and overran the outlying camps of
Colonel Billy Wilson's New York
Zouaves. Unable to stay organized,
however, the Confederates were forced
to retreat when Union resistance
stiffened. They suffered heavy casualties
from Northern sharpshooting as they
reboarded their transport, but ultimately
made it back across the bay.
The site of the Battle of Santa Rosa
Island is now preserved in the Fort
Pickens area of Gulf Islands National
Seashore.
NOTICE:
The Fort Pickens area remains
closed due to damage
sustained to roads and other
infrastructure during Hurricane
Ivan. For more information,
please follow this link:
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