See the Fort Barrancas Area web page for an interactive location map.
Florida had been a Spanish territory since the mid-1500s, but it fell into British hands after the Seven Years War (aka The French and Indian War, 1756-1763), a war that embroiled all of Europe. When the war ended, Spain retained Florida, but lost Havana, Cuba, to the British (though Spain held the rest of the country). During treaty negotiations, a land-swap deal was worked out, part of which gave Florida to England and Havana back to Spain.
The two countries went to war again during the American Revolution, with Spain fighting on the side of the Americans, though it did so more for its own reasons than to help the rebellion. Being on the side of victory, Spain was awarded Florida by the 1783 Treaty of Paris. With the territory back in its hands, Spain now set out to fortify its ports. To protect Pensacola harbor from coming under attack, it built two forts on the present day sight of Fort Barrancas. Fort San Carlos de Barrancas was situated on the hill where Fort Barrancas now sits, while a second fort, named Bateria de San Antonio, was built at water level, thus the term “water battery.” Construction on the forts was completed in 1797.
In 1814, the Spanish became reluctant allies with the British in the War of 1812, mainly allowing them to use Spanish forts and cities in Florida. Of course this brought Spanish troops under fire as well. In the meantime, American settlers in Florida, having been lured by a promise of free land if they became Catholic and Spanish citizens, yet having no intentions of keeping such promises, had been causing problems all along. They started a rebellion in west Florida in 1810 and the Patriots Rebellion in east Florida during the War of 1812, so Spain had no real love for the United States.
In Pensacola, the British occupied the city without the blessing of Spanish Governor Don Mateo Gonzalez Manrique. Relationships had deteriorated drastically by the time Andrew Jackson and his men arrived to do battle on November 7, 1814. The British withdrew, leaving only a small number of Spanish infantry at Fort San Migel in Pensacola to defend the city. Jackson easily defeated them, and the Spanish governor had no choice but to surrender. The British still held Fort San Carlos de Barrancas, which Jackson planned to attack next, but they once again fled without a fight.
After the war, the U. S. occupied much of west Florida, claiming it was part of the Louisiana Purchase. However, Spain never officially relinquished control, but it had so many problems with its colonies around the world that it simply had no resources to enforce its borders with the United States. In fact, the only city where Spain kept a substantial presence was Pensacola. There was constant fighting between U. S. militias and frontiersmen and the Spanish and their Indian allies. In 1818, Jackson again attacked Pensacola, taking control of the city along with Fort San Carlos de Barrancas and the water battery after the Spanish surrendered. Soon afterwards, Spain got rid of its Florida problem once and for all by selling the land to the United States in 1821.
Construction on coastal forts around the country began in response to how easily the British were able to blockade and even invade American cities during the War of 1812. This included successfully burning Washington, D.C., to the ground. Today you might wonder what’s so bad about that, but back in the early 1800s it started a national panic. This age of fort construction was termed the “Third System,” and from 1816 though 1867, forty-two forts were built. Many of the forts that are still standing today are part of the National Park system.
During the years of fighting, San Carlos de Barrancas had become severely damaged, while Bateria de San Antonio remained intact. When it came time to build Fort Barrancas (1839), the old fort was torn down and the new one was built in its place. The water battery, on the other hand, was simply modified a little and incorporated into the plan of defense.
The benefit of a water battery is that cannonballs can be shot at a very low trajectory so they skip across the surface of the water, thus eliminating the need for an accurate calculation of range. As long as you can point the cannon in the right direction, it was pretty hard to miss an enemy ship passing by—or at least easier than firing a cannonball through the air and hoping not to over- or undershoot the target.
The two forts are connected together by an underground passageway, and this is how visitors to Fort Barrancas get to the Water Battery. The interior of the battery is not open, so you can only explore the exterior of the fort.
For those with bad backs or who have trouble with stairs, there are quite a few on the way to the battery, and once inside, the stairs to the top level are extremely steep. These remind me of the stairs you see on South and Central American temple ruins. In fact, the battery reminds me of a Mayan temple.
There are no artillery pieces on display at the water battery. The only exhibit is a powder magazine, which is the only one I have seen that still has its original wood lining. Wood was used so no sparks would be created if something metal was dropped accidentally .
It takes 10-15 minutes to explore the water battery. Of course anyone visiting the battery is also visiting Fort Barrancas. You should be able to see both on a self-guided tour in about an hour.
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Last updated on April 28, 2022