Army, the fort was turned over to the United States Navy in 1947 for maintenance. The fort was heavily used again during the Spanish–American War (1898), World War I (1917–1918), World War II (1941–1945), and the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).įort Zachary Taylor Parade Ground as seen from Battery Osceola, with the Civil War barracks on the right, the North Curtain rooms in the background, and Battery Adair on the left. Battery Adair was added to the west casemate and included four 3-inch M1898 15-pounder rapid-fire rifles. The Civil War-era guns were used as fill, being buried within the new battery to save on materials. The battery consisted of two 12-inch M1895 guns. In 1898, the fort was reduced to two stories and Battery Osceola was added to the south casemate. French arrived in April 1861 with his artillery unit. It became a key outpost for threatening blockade runners during the Union blockade. Despite having no orders to do so, Captain Brannan took the initiative in manning the fort to prevent it from falling into Confederate hands. Artillery Regiment from Key West Barracks to Fort Taylor. There is only a feeble company at Key West for the defense of Fort Taylor." At midnight on January 13, 1861, Union Captain John Milton Brannan moved his 44 men of the 1st U.S. An official report to the United States Secretary of War on December 28, 1860, stated that: " Lieutenant-General Scott will further ask the attention of the Secretary to Forts Jefferson and Taylor, which are wholly national, being of far greater value even to the most distant points of the Atlantic coast.than to the State of Florida. Įven before the onset of the American Civil War in April 1861, the United States government recognized the importance of holding Fort Taylor if the Southern states seceded. The Pensacola, Florida, firm of Raiford and Abercrombie provided bricks for Fort Zachary Taylor and Fort Jefferson, which was under construction at the same time. Yellow fever epidemics and material shortages slowed construction of the fort, which continued throughout the 1850s. Rainwater was collected in underground cisterns along the perimeter of the fort. At either end of the barracks was a large gunpowder magazine while a sally port was located in the center, connected to land by a 1,200-foot (366 m) causeway. Troop barracks were built into this gorge with a capacity for 800 men. Three seaward curtains 495 feet (151 m) between bastions, each containing 42 guns on three levels, were augmented by a land-facing gorge. Its 5-foot (1.5 m) thick walls rose 50 feet (15 m) above mean low water and included two tiers of casemates with a terreplein or barbette at the top. The fort's foundation consists of oolitic limestone and New England granite. By some estimates, the number more than quadrupled from fewer than 90 enslaved people in Key West before construction to over 400 after. This resulted in an influx of enslaved peoples into the immediate area as, before the construction of the fort, there were no large agricultural ventures and thus not a high demand for slaves, marine salvage being the main industry. The United States Army Corps of Engineers leased slaves from local slave-owners for construction of the fort and its neighbor Fort Jefferson. The fort was named for United States President Zachary Taylor in November 1850, a few months after his sudden death in office. Two supporting artillery batteries, Martello Towers, provided additional coverage, one of which exists today as the Martello Gallery-Key West Art and Historical Museum. Thompson Island, at the southwest tip of Key West, was selected as the site for the fort in 1822 and plans drawn up by Simon Bernard and Joseph G. History Fort Taylor, Florida by Seth Eastman (1808-1875) 1845–1900 Ĭonstruction of the fort began in 1845 as part of a mid-19th century plan to defend the southeast coast of the United States through a series of forts after the War of 1812. The Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, also known simply as Fort Taylor, is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida.
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