January 13-14, 1861 - Union secures Fort Taylor, Key West

January 13, 1861

Union secures Fort Taylor

Key West, FL 

* This fort was held by the Union the whole time (the only Southern port with that designation) and never fired upon. A bunch of folks died of tropical diseases though...

* Though there are far less photo ops, this is actually the southernmost point in the continental U.S. The buoy where everyone takes pictures is 1.2 miles North of here - and it was closed for construction when we visited in Dec. 2025 anyway. Here's a public domain pic of the fort:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240156

To Guard the Harbor

Where It All Began

Fort Taylor was designed in 1843 by Colonel Joseph Totten, Chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Fort was to be a key installation in the Army's Third Tier System of 42 coastal fortifications. Its purpose was to guard the harbor at Key West, as well as the island itself.

Construction began in June of 1845 on a hard rock shoal 1,100 feet off the southwest point of the island. It was built by Irish brick masons with red clay brick reinforced with natural cement. The Fort was two and a half stories tall and the walls formed a trapezoid. It towered almost 50 feet above the water and had outer walls over five feet thick. In 1866, the Fort mounted 1981 cannons and housed 450 men.

A Strong Defense

There were bastions in each of the four corners which provided protection from enemy forces attempting to scale the outer walls. An extensive sand and masonry cover face was designed to protect the landward side of the Fort, which was accessed by a causeway and drawbridge.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240158

Fort Taylor

Through the Ages: 1861 - 1947

Quick Facts

• Longest serving U.S. coastal fortification (1861-1947)

• Originally sited 1,100 feet off the island of Key West to protect its harbor

• Held by the Union Army for the duration of the American Civil War

• Never fired upon

• Only surviving Civil War-era desalination plant

1898 to 1901

• Provided largest treasure of Civil War-era guns and munitions

1914 to 1945

• Continued to serve in World Wars I and II

1947

• Acquired by the U.S. Navy from the U.S. Army

1962

• Served as a radar installation during Cuban Missile Crisis 

1971

• Designated as a National Historic Site

1973

• Designated as a National Landmark

1976

• Acquired by the State of Florida from the U.S. Navy

1985

• Opened as a Historic State Park

Modernization

In 1898, the walls of the Fort were lowered and Battery Osceola was added. Civil War cannons can be seen embedded in the concrete on the second level.

Casemates

Gun rooms include excavated cannons, cisterns and tidal-flush latrines.

Barrack

Built to house soldiers, the Barrack includes the dining halls, cisterns, infirmary, offices, chapels and the Sally Port.

 

Erected by Florida State Parks.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240160

Battery Osceola

Battery Osceola was added to the fort in 1898. It mounted two 12-inch long-range rifles on barbette carriages. The guns each weighed over 117,000 pounds and fired shells which could reach targets over 30,000 yards (or almost 17 miles). They fired shells which weighed almost 1,000 pounds and used over 100 pounds of powder.

Lower Level Layout

The Battery contained two powder magazines on the first level to store powder and projectiles. There were two motor generators to provide electric power for lighting, communication and movement of ordnance, as well as a plotting room for the Battery. Dedicated shell hoists raised shot and powder from within the magazine to the upper level.

Between the Wars

Between 1906 and 1916, as well as between 1921 and 1941, the U.S. Army kept Battery Osceola in caretaker status. By World War II, the 12-inch guns were obsolete and no longer in use. In 1943 the U.S. Army removed the guns and carriages and shipped them to the Watervliet Arsenal.

(captions)

A grown man nestled inside the breach of the gun demonstrates the size of the projectile

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240186

Life in the Barrack

The three-story Barrack located on the gorge, or landward side of the Fort, served as the center of life for its soldiers. Facilities included sleeping quarters, offices, chapels, kitchens, dining rooms, tidal-flushed latrines and an infirmary. Even though the Fort never came under enemy attack during the War, many died at Fort Taylor chiefly falling prey to Typhoid and Yellow Fevers.

Those Who Served

During the American Civil War, the following units served at Fort Taylor:

• Batteries A, B, F H and K the 1st U.S. Artillery

• The 6th, 90th, 91st and 110th New York Volunteers

• The 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers

• The 1st U.S. Infantry

• The 2nd Florida Cavalry

• The 2nd and 99th U.S. Colored Troops

Wanted: 

47th Pennsylvania Volunteers

We are looking for eighty able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 40 years. Soldiers serving in this regiment perform garrison duty at Fort Taylor In Key West, Florida and at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas, Florida.

Men enlisted in this regiment receive a bounty of $100, of which $25 is paid in advance, besides a premium of $4 upon being mustered into the U.S. service. The remaining $75 to be paid upon the expiration of enlistment.

Difficult Times

As southern states began to secede from the Union in early 1861 and hostilities approached, Captain E.B. Hunt, Chief Engineer at Fort Taylor, worked to increase the protection of the gorge. Armored grills were attached to the ground floor windows. Other rooms in the Barrack were converted to gunrooms for 8-inch Columbiads. Additional Columbiads and Siege Mortars were added to the third floor.

(captions)

Plans for the Barrack

The Barrack, as seen today, was reduced to one story when the Fort was modernized during the Spanish-American War in 1898

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Sally Port

The Only Way In

The Sally Port served as the only entrance to the Fort. It was accessed by crossing a 1,100 foot wooden causeway from the island. All personnel and goods entered and exited the Fort through the Sally Port. A moat and drawbridge protected the Fort from unauthorized access.

The Fort Is Secured

On the morning of January 14, 1861, Captain John M. Brannan led troops of Battery B, 1st U.S. Artillery, quietly across the island from the U.S. Army Barrack to Fort Taylor. They took with them four 6-pounder field guns, ammunition and muskets. They crossed the causeway and entered the Fort unchallenged.

The Union flag which had flown above the U.S. Army Barrack was raised above the Fort. This showed the islanders the Fort was in Union hands. It would then remain under Union control for the duration of the American Civil War.

Fort Jail Cells

On each side of the Sally Port were prison cells. Soldiers, sailors and blockade runners were often held there until they could be tried for their charges. In July 1865, Dr. Samuel Mudd and other conspirators of President Abraham Lincoln were held there for a short time before being. transferred to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas.

The ranger said something about the Fort losing that designation but keeping the plaque - that's a difficult claim to research. 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240152

Like the Rock of Gibraltar

History of Fort Taylor

Fort Taylor served faithfully through the American Civil War and was called the "Gibraltar of the Florida Straits", even though it never fired a single shot in defense. It protected the harbor from attack, and served as the anchor of the Union's East Gulf Blockading Fleet.

Modernization

After the Civil War, the U.S. Army decided to upgrade the Civil War weapons to more modern, long-range rifles. The Fort was reduced from two and a half stories to only one and a half. This reduction allowed the full employment of the two 12-inch Barbette Rifles and four 3-inch, 15-pounder Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat guns. These were installed between 1898 and 1903. A number of the obsolete cannons were buried inside the southern-facing casemates.

National Recognition

Through the work of Howard S. England and others, the fort was declared a National Historic Site in 1971 and a National Historic Landmark in 1973. The state park formally opened to the public in July 1985.

Twentieth-Century Defense

The Fort also played a key role in World Wars I and II protecting the harbor and its facilities. It even served during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 as a radar installation.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240184

Big Guns

Model 1844 8-inch Columbiad

The original guns brought to the Fort in 1856. Two guns were recovered in the early 1980s from the base of the concrete foundation of Battery Osceola.

Model 1858 10-inch Columbiad

Later addition to Fort Taylor. A band around the muzzle helped to reinforce the structural integrity of the piece. These guns were uncovered on the top of the south face.

Model 1861 10-inch Rodman

Rodman cannons were built using a technique called hollow casting. This allowed the gun to be cooled from the inside when cast, increasing the strength and reliability when fired.

Model 1862 300-pdr Parrott Rifle

Parrott guns were rifled, allowing the aerodynamic projectile to spin as it left the gun. This is why these cannons were much more accurate than the smoothbores and could penetrate the walls of Fort Taylor.

Casemates

The guns illustrated below were excavated at Fort Taylor and are on display in the casemates. A combination of granite and slate provide a solid foundation for these gun room floors.

8-inch Columbiad, Smoothbore, 10 pounds powder, 65 pound shot, 2.0 mile range

10-inch Columbiad, Smoothbore, 18 pounds powder, 128 pound shot, 2.7 mile range

10-inch Rodman, Smoothbore, 18 pounds powder, 128 pound shot, 2.7 mile range

Parrott, Rifled, 20 pounds powder, 300 pound shot, 5 mile range

10-inch Rodman on carriage in casemate

Siege Mortar, 21 pounds powder, 46 pound shot, 0.7 mile range

8-inch Siege Mortar

Four of these were used on the top level of the Barrack to protect the Fort from enemy troops trying to move against the fort from the island of Key West.

 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240165

Battery Adair

Battery Adair was designed in the early 1890s as part of the Endicott Period upgrades to Fort Taylor. It added four 3-inch 15-pounder Rapid Fire Rifles on masking parapet mounts. Construction began in 1898 under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Rapid Fire Rifles

This Battery was two stories tall and built in place of the American Civil War casemates along the west face of the Fort. The four 3-inch guns were emplaced on the upper level with a separate powder magazine for each emplacement on the lower level. Shell and powder hoists were not required because the 3-inch ammunition was light enough to be hand-carried.

Guns Retired

When the United States entered World War I, there was a widespread removal of coastal defense weapons for service in Europe. Many of the gun and mortar tubes removed were sent to arsenals for modification and mounting on mobile carriages.

On March 27, 1920, all four guns were ordered to be removed and the carriages salvaged. Dredging of the moat in 1981 recovered the four gun mounts from the sediment of the former ocean bottom. 

Caretaker Status

Between 1906 and 1916, the U.S. Army kept the Battery in caretaker status. It was used only by the Florida National Guard during their annual summer maneuvers or non-operating conditions.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240182

The Sherlock Holmes 

of Fort Zachary Taylor

New Beginnings

In July 1968, Howard England was tasked to evaluate the value of Fort Taylor which was then the Navy's junkyard. The first excavations in December 1968 quickly revealed buried Civil War armaments.

For eight years, Howard England labored tirelessly with his volunteer "sand hogs," often working many hours alone. All told, he excavated over 50,000 cubic yards (equivalent to filling approximately 3,300 semi trailer trucks) of fill and rubble and uncovered 20 large guns along with their carriages and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Fort Taylor's First Park Ranger

In 1972, Howard England became the curator of the Fort. He was also the only individual ever entrusted with the care of a National Landmark. From 1979 to 1984, he served as the first Park Ranger assigned to Fort Taylor.

He documented each major discovery and built some 16 detailed museum models of each type of weapon uncovered. Because of the number of guns he discovered, he became known as "Mr. Rodman."

In 1983, he received the first Park Service Distinguished Service Medal, His tenacious work pursuing his dream led to the 1985 opening of the Park. In 2000, he was named a "Great Floridian" recognizing his tireless work at Fort Taylor.

Dedication

When asked why he devoted so much time and effort to his one-man crusade, he simply responded, 

"Someone had to do it."

This panel was made possible through a generous gift from the family and friends of Howard England in partnership with the Friends of Fort Taylor.

 

Erected by Florida State Parks.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240183

Harbor View

The Northwest Bastion provides an excellent view of the Key West Harbor. To the left (south) is the main ship channel and to the right (north) is the main harbor.

Blockade Headquarters

Key West was the headquarters of the East Coast Blockading Fleet which was charged with preventing the flow of goods and war materials into and out of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. As blockade runners were captured by the U.S. Navy, they were brought to Key West.

World War I and World War II

During World Wars I and II, the Fort protected the submarine and destroyer forces from the nearby U.S. Naval Station. In World War II, two 90mm M1 Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat guns were placed adjacent to and on Battery Adair. They provided anti-shipping and anti-aircraft defense for the U.S. Naval Station.

Battleship Maine

In the late 1890s, Key West was the winter home for the North Atlantic Fleet including the Battleship Maine (ACR-1). It was anchored in the Key West Harbor, a short distance from the Fort, days before it left for Havana Harbor in late January 1898.

Three weeks later, on the evening of February 15, 1898, a mysterious explosion sank the battleship in Havana Harbor. This event led to the declaration of war against Spain in April 1898.

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Hidden Treasure

In the Beginning

On December 22, 1968, Howard S. England and a small group of volunteers started an eight-and-a-half year quest at Fort Taylor. Using shovels and a borrowed civilian construction crane, they began the search for American Civil War treasures at the Fort. Within an hour, they had discovered the first iron artifacts.

Lt. McKinstry's Initiative

The artifacts were buried in 1898 under the direction of Lieutenant C.H. McKinstry of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Some were placed in the concrete face of Battery Osceola while others were buried in the gun rooms in front of the Battery's south face.

His initiative not only helped protect the new magazines but also unwittingly ensured the bulk of the Fort's armaments would be preserved for the future. Several of the guns placed within the concrete of the Battery are still visible.

"Sand Hog" Hard Work

Howard S. England and his volunteers, whom he called "sand hogs", excavated the fill and rubble from the second level of Battery Osceola. They discovered two 10-inch Columbiads, an 8-inch Siege Mortar and a rare 300-pounder Parrott Rifle buried in the fill. They also discovered 10-inch Rodmans still mounted on their gun chassis in the seven rooms excavated on the first level, as well as almost 7,000 round and cylindrical projectiles buried with the guns.

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Zachary Taylor

Interesting Details about Zachary Taylor

• In 1837, He was promoted to Brigadier General and earned the nickname, "Old Rough and Ready"

• Zachary Taylor was the second President to die in office. Within months of his death, this fort, though still under construction, was named after him in honor of his military accomplishments.

Time Line

1784: Born in Virginia

1808: Joins U.S. Army

1812: War of 1812

1832: Black Hawk War

1837: Battle of Lake Okeechobee

1846: Mexican-American War hero

1849: Became 12th President

1850: Fort Taylor is named

1850: Laid cornerstone to Washington Monument

1850: Dies in the White House

12th U.S. President from 1849-1850

"For more than half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have fallen, this Union has stood unshaken. The patriots who formed it have long since descended to the grave; yet still it remains, the proudest monument to their memory...."

-Zachary Taylor

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=240149

Fort Zachary Taylor

 One of 3 civil war era forts built in Key West. At the onset of the Civil War, the Union seized control of the fort preventing it from falling into Confederate hands. It played an important role curtailing the threat of Confederate blockade runners. Originally, the fort was a 3 story fortification surrounded by water on all sides. With advances in gunnery the structure was reduced to one story at the turn of the twentieth century. The fort was heavily used again during the 1898 Spanish-American War.

-Circa 1845-

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=168313

Fort Taylor was constructed in 1845 as part of the Third Tier System of Defense which called for the establishment of masonry fortresses constructed along America’s coastline to prevent sea attacks upon the United States. This fort was an important defensive structure for the United States because of its command over the waters over the Straits of Florida and of the Gulf of Mexico. When completed, the fort was three stories tall, held 140 cannon and was home to almost 450 soldiers. Fort Taylor remained under federal control during the Civil War and was the headquarters of the U.S. Navy East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron. The current form of the fort is largely the result of alterations made in 1898, including the removal of the upper two tiers, filling case-mates with sand and obsolete ordnance, and construction of modern rifled artillery emplacements Battery Adair and Battery Osceola. Fort Taylor continued to defend the United States during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. The Fort’s service to the nation ended in 1947. Fort Taylor is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=224146

Civil War

Key West-Florida Keys Historical Military Memorial

In the middle of the night of January 13, 1861, three days after Florida had seceded from the Union, Capt. James M. Brannan, U.S. Army, marched his troops from their barracks on the northeastern side of the island to Fort Taylor on Key West's southwestern shore, thereby preventing a possible takeover by Confederate sympathizers in the city.

Brannan had waited in vain for guidance from Washington as to whether or not to man the uncompleted fort. His decision to act without official orders meant that Key West would remain in Union hands, the only southern port to do so.

Possession of the port of Key West was of enormous strategic value to the North. Immediately after the attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln declared a blockade of all southern ports.

Key West became the headquarters of the Gulf Blockading Squadron, and later, when that command was divided, headquarters of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. Ships of the squadron, which averaged thirty-two in number, patrolled Gulf waters off the west coast of Florida and Atlantic coast waters as far north as Indian River. During the war the squadron captured and brought into Key West, 199 suspected blockade runners, raided along Florida's west coast, and aided refugees and escaped slaves to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Confederate forces in Florida.

To defend Key West, the Army sent additional troops, accelerated construction and armament of Fort Taylor at Key West and Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, and constructed the West and East Martello Tower forts on the southern shore of Key West.

By early 1862 there were 900 Army soldiers at Key West and 200 at Fort Jefferson. Chief among the troops serving at Key West at various times were the 90th New York and 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer regiments, and the 2nd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment.

Yellow fever epidemics in 1862, 1864, and 1865 caused the deaths of three-hundred Army personnel and an unknown number of Navy personnel.

The naval base at Key West played a key role in the defeat of the Confederacy.

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There were two other Civil War forts on Key West: one is a museum and the other was taken over by the garden club. They are both getting filed on this date because why not.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=232191

Fort East Martello

Key West Art & Historical Society

 This is one of three Civil War era forts on the island. Construction began in 1862 making it part of a chain of fortifications that controlled Key West's maritime waterways. The architectural design is a Martello Tower, a Genoese defense system originally from the island of Corsica that dates back to the 16th century. With two lines of defense it was designed to be virtually impregnable. No shots were ever fired from this fort. By 1865, the war ended and new gun technology had made masonry fortifications obsolete.

—Circa 1862—

Key West Historic Marker

The Citadel, inside the fort

View from the top

And finally at this fort, one of the most fascinating historical markers I have ever seen. Careful, you might not want to trip down this rabbit hole. And two blogs is enough for me already....

https://kcymaerxthaere.com/marker/fort-tayla/

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The overgrown fort from a distance. Abandoned, t was used by Fort Taylor for target practice. The resultant loose bricks furnished neighborhood buildings until recent history. Unpopular opinion: Fort West Martello is the best thing to see on Key West. 

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West Martello

This structure is one of three Civil War era forts in Key West. They were built as a defensive chain around the island and support for Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. No cannons were ever fired and no soldier died in battle at this fortification. Much of the structure was dismantled and used as fill for Fort Taylor in the 1890s. While primarily abandoned throughout the years the fort saw military use during the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

-Circa 1862-

Erected by Key West Garden Club. (Marker Number 54.)

What remains of their citadel 

Butterfly Garden by the Sea

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Finally, Veterans Memorial Garden at Bayview Park in Key West has several war memorials, including to the USCT's 2nd SC Regiment, which recruited from Key West. There is also this massive un-documented monument from the state of NY to its soldiers in the 90 and 91st Volunteer Regiments who died of Yellow Fever while stationed at Fort Taylor. Nearby is another yellow fever site.  

 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=224760

UPdate: I added it.

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https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=224573

This is a 19th century military cemetery wherein United States Army soldiers and their families were interred. Although many remains were removed for re-interment at Fort Barrancas, Pensacola, Florida, remains are still within this hallowed site.

This site is managed and administered by the City of Key West.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=225461

The military history of Peary Court dates from 1831 when the Key West army barracks was established. The earliest recorded burials in the post cemetery was in 1836, probably resulting from the yellow fever epidemic that led to the abandonment of the post. In 1854, four years after the post reopened, yellow fever added fourteen more burials to the cemetery, but only four other burials were recorded prior to 1862.

Most of the interments in the post cemetery occurred during the Civil War, when yellow fever, typhoid, and other diseases took a heavy toll among the Union regiments stationed here. Regiments especially hard hit included the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, the 90th and 91st New York Infantry, and the 2nd U.S. Colored Infantry. The cemetery remained in use until the 1920’s, when the lack of space precluded additional burials.

In 1927, this cemetery was abandoned and 436 bodies were removed for reinterment at the military cemetery at Fort Barrangas, Pensacola, Florida. The army barracks were deactivated in 1947, and the area transferred to the Navy.The army buildings were demolished and Peary Court was redeveloped as a military housing complex.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=223068

This green, picket-lined field is a military cemetery. Many of the grave sites originally held the remains of Civil War soldiers who died from yellow fever. More soldiers were struck down in the South by disease than by armed skirmishes. Yellow fever was greatly feared, and misunderstood throughout the I800's. Ships, cities, and homes were quarantined to stop the disease. Key West doctor Joseph Yates Porter's use of quarantines was an important step to finding a cure for the disease in the early 1900’s.