Pensacola, Fla. – Oct. 18, 2010 – Pensacola is well known for its beaches and Blue Angels but what visitors are often surprised to discover is the city’s significant role during the Civil War.

Shots fired in Pensacola in January 1861 actually preceded those at Fort Sumter that triggered the Civil War. Pensacola hosted Florida’s first major Civil War battle, the Battle of Santa Rosa Island. Visitors to Pensacola can explore massive brick fortresses that housed both Union and Confederate troops, tour furnished antebellum homes and Florida’s oldest church that survived the war and visit the graves of those who died in battle.

Special Events
Jan. 8, Civil War 150th Anniversary. The event commemorates what some consider the first shot fired of the Civil War at Fort Barrancas. Living history stations will be open from noon to 3 p.m. and candlelight tours of the fort are available from 5 to 7:15 p.m.

April 28, Civil War in Florida. Dr. Lee of the Florida Public Archaeology Network recounts the story of the Civil War in Florida at the Fort Pickens Auditorium at 6 p.m.

Oct. 8, The Battle of Santa Rosa Island. The event commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Santa Rosa Island with a Civil War era music presentation from the Pensacola Symphony and Santa Rosa Strings Student Orchestra followed by a presentation about the Civil War in Pensacola and the Battle of Santa Rosa Island.  1 to 3 p.m. at the Fort Pickens Parade Ground.

Nov. 19, The Bombardment at Pensacola Bay.The event commemorates the 150th anniversary of the bombardment of Pensacola Bay with candlelight tours historic Fort Pickens from 5 to 7 p.m.

May 8, 2012, The Confederate withdrawal from Pensacola.The event commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Confederate withdrawal from Pensacola. A guest speaker/historian will be at the Fort Pickens Parade area to discuss impacts on the Pensacola community throughout the rest of the war.

Pensacola’s Time Line in the Civil War

• In 1861, with a population of approximately 2,876, Pensacola was Florida’s largest city. Timber, cotton and brick exports formed the backbone of Pensacola’s industry during the mid-1800s.
• Prior to 1861: Union troops occupied Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee.
• Jan. 12, 1861: Pensacola Navy Yard surrenders to Confederates; Forts Barrancas and McRee abandoned by Union troops. Confederate soldiers move into Fort Barrancas.
• March 11, 1861: Confederate Brigadier Gen. Braxton Bragg assumes command of Confederate troops in Pensacola.
• April 12, 1861: Gen. Bragg declares that a state of war exists at Pensacola.
• April 19, 1861: Gen. Bragg declares martial law in Pensacola in an unsuccessful attempt to stop traffic across Pensacola Bay.
• May 3, 1861: Alabama & Florida Railroad completed between Pensacola and Montgomery, Ala.
• August, 1861: Union troops burn Pensacola dry dock, off Fort Pickens.
• Sept. 14, 1861: Federal naval officers burn and destroy Confederate schooner Judah in Pensacola Bay.
• Oct. 9, 1861: Confederate attack on Fort Pickens thwarted; known as Battle of Santa Rosa Island, this becomes Florida’s first major Civil War battle.
• Nov. 22, 1861: Two days of artillery duels damage Fort McRee, village of Warrington and many Navy Yard buildings.
• May 10, 1862: Pensacola surrenders to Union troops. Before evacuating, Confederates damage much of the city. Pensacola conducts its city business in Greenville, Ala., 130 miles north, becoming the only city given permission to do so by the Confederate government.
• Remainder of Civil War: Western Gulf Squadron uses Pensacola Navy Yard as an operational base for Union Naval blockade of southern ports. Fort Barrancas becomes a starting point for raids into Alabama and western Florida. Skirmishes between Union and Confederate troops occur in areas around Pensacola. The remaining Confederate troops surrender between April-May 1865.

Significant Civil War Battle Sites
Fort Pickens

• Constructed in 1829 with completion in 1834. Built as one of three forts, along with Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee, to protect Pensacola Bay.
• Occupied by Union troops and known for being one of the few southern forts never under Confederate control.
• Built by slave labor and intended to be impregnable to foreign attacks. During the Antebellum period, slaves were used for skilled labor in such industries as lumber, brick making and construction instead of agriculture, partly due to Pensacola being a Spanish colony instead of an English colony like many other southern areas.

Fort Barrancas

• Built between 1839-1844 at current site of Naval Air Station Pensacola.
• Sits on a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay – a natural location advantage; an underground tunnel connects the fort to a water battery at the foot of the bluffs.
• Abandoned in January 1861 by the Union as Lt. Adam J. Slemmer moved federal forces to Fort Pickens; soon became occupied by Confederate troops.
• Reopened in 1980 after a one-month, $1.2 million renovation project.
• Advanced Redoubt of Fort Barrancas was built between 1845-1870 as part of the defensive network of the Pensacola Navy Yard.
• Numerous Confederate soldiers are buried at Barrancas National Cemetery. Legend has it the headstones are pointed to prevent Union soldiers from sitting on the gravesites.

Pensacola’s Antebellum Buildings Open to the Public
Lavalle House

• Built in 1805 by Carlos Lavalle and Marianna Bonifay during Pensacola’s second Spanish period.
• Built to be a duplex rented out to families; occupied as a single-family home during the war.
• Moved from original location on Zaragoza Street for preservation.

Old Christ Church

• Built in 1832 and is the oldest Protestant church in Florida still on its original site.
• Rev. John Jackson Scott led his congregation to Montgomery, Ala., and stayed there for the duration of the war after Mayor John Brosnaham surrendered the city in 1862.
• Occupied by Union troops as a barracks, jail and hospital.
• Rev. Scott initiated a $4,500 post-war renovation to repair and expand the building in 1879 after seeing the devastation done by Union troops. The building was expanded by 20 feet, the roof was steepened, the interior wood arches were added and stained-glass windows were installed – perhaps the most spectacular addition.

Julee Cottage

• Built in 1805 and occupied by a free woman of color named Julee Patton.
• Serves as an African-American history museum.
• Built by slaves.
• Moved in 1977 to its current location to avoid demolition.

Barkley House

• Built circa 1830 by George and Clara Barkley.
• Stands as Pensacola’s oldest surviving example of a masonry high house.

For more information on the Pensacola Bay Area or to request a Visitor Guide, contact Visit Pensacola at (800) 874-1234 and (850) 434-1234. Or visit us online at www.VisitPensacola.com and VisitPensacola.Blogspot.com.