Western Florida

Last Update: 24/MARCH/2007

Camp at Bluff Springs
(1862), Bluff Springs
A Confederate observation camp.

Spanish Stocado
(unknown dates), near Bluff Springs
A Spanish stockade 28 miles north of Pensacola on the Escambia River. Built before the British controlled West Florida in 1763, little else is known of this post.

Camp Powell
(1864), Perdido River
A CSA cavalry camp.

Camp on Perdido Bay
(1861 - 1862 ?), near Gulf Beach
A CSA camp located one-half mile from the Gulf. It was found by Union troops in 1864 already abandoned.

Camp at Florida Point
(1865), near Gulf Beach
A Union camp built on the east-side of Perdido Pass.

Camp Pringle
(1862), Escambia River
A CSA camp located above Pensacola, established after the Union occupied the city. Union troops occupied the camp in 1862 after all Confederate forces left the area for Tennessee.

David Holmes' Fort
(1781), unknown location
A settlers' stockade located 15 miles from Pensacola.

Fort Hodgson
(1864), Gonzalez
CSA Camp Gonzalez (1864) was originally located here, 15 miles north of Pensacola along the Pensacola Railroad at 15 Mile House. The Confederates built the log and earth fort to defend the cavalry camp. The Union captured and destroyed both in 1864.

Camp Milton (2)
(1864), Milton
A CSA camp.

(For Pensacola Bay Defenses please see page 8)

Fort Ayenlade
(1719), Santa Rosa Island
A Spanish fort located on the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island, as it existed at that time. Abandoned or destroyed by the French.

Fort Walton
(1835), Fort Walton Beach
A Seminole War fort was originally located here in 1835.

CSA Camp Walton was built in 1861 on and around an Indian burial mound, now long gone. Abandoned after Pensacola was retaken by the Union in 1862.

Fort Kirkland or
(unknown dates), near Garden City
From the Seminole Wars or the Civil War. Located five miles north of Crestview.

Marianna Fort
(1864), Marianna
A CSA work defending the town, built by Union POW labor. Destroyed by the Union in 1864.

¤¤ TEMPORARY HARBOR DEFENSES of PANAMA CITY

¤¤ St. Andrews Military Reservation
(St. Andrews State Park)
(1943 - 1944), near Panama City
Two 180-degree Panama-mount 155mm guns were once located here. One mount still exists, converted to an observation deck in the park. One WWII building still exists.
(info provided by Bill Gaines of the Coast Defense Study Group)

St. Josephs Bay Forts
(History of St. Josephs Bay Forts)
(1701 - 1704, 1718 - 1723), near Beacon Hill
Spanish Fort San José de Vallardes (1701 - 1704) was first located near Beacon Hill on the mainland, with an outpost at the end of the spit of St. Joseph Peninsula. It was abandoned. The French then built Fort Crèvecouer, a stockade with four bastions, with 50 men, on the mainland near here in 1718, but were forced to leave by the Spanish, who then occupied the abandoned fort and built Presidio de San José (1719 - 1723), garrisoned by 12 men, at the end of the peninsula after Pensacola was captured by the French. Abandoned by the Spanish in 1723 who then returned to Pensacola.

¤¤¤ TEMPORARY HARBOR DEFENSES of PORT ST. JOE

¤¤¤ St. Josephs Bay Military Reservation
(St. Joseph Peninsula State Park)
(1943 - 1944), near Port St. Joe
Two 155mm guns may have been located here (?), but this defense was never officially activated. Panama mounts, therefore, may not have been built. St. Josephs Bay was used as a Harbor of Refuge during the early part of the war. The peninsula was later used for gunnery and bombing practice, and other training exercises until the 1960's.
(info provided by Bill Gaines of the CDSG)

Seminole Wars Forts
(includes those forts and posts not already listed above)

Escambia County:
Camp Marshall (1814), Escambia River. (May be located in Santa Rosa County)
Cantonment Florida (1814, 1821), Cantonment. Encampment site used by General Andrew Jackson during the Creek War, and also before the Spanish cession of West Florida.

Walton County:
Fort Alaqua (1836 or 1837), a blockhouse one mile south of Portland on Alaqua Creek.

Bay County:
St. Andrews Bay Post (1839), St. Andrews Bay. Undetermined location.

Calhoun County:
Fort Chipola (1841 - 1842), near Chipola on the east-side of the Chipola River.

Gulf County:
Fort Place (1830), a settlers' blockhouse in a two-acre stockade at Wewahitchka.
Fort St. Joseph's (1835), undetermined location.

NEED MORE INFO: Kennedy Mills Post (1813) (location ?), evacuated by troops then burned by Indians after the Fort Mims (AL) Massacre.

Northeast Coast - page 1 | St. Johns River - page 2 | Eastern Florida - page 3
Middle Florida - page 4 | Central Florida - page 5 | Southern Florida - page 6
Pensacola Bay - page 8