Source

State Library of Florida, Federal Documents Collection

Description

A collection of letters between United States government officials and servicemen regarding the destruction of the Negro Fort in Franklin County, Florida, on July 27, 1816. The correspondence dates from June 6, 1815 to September 6, 1816.

Date

1819-02-01

Creator

Thompson, Smith, 1768-1843

Publisher

E. De Krafft (Washington, D.C.)

Contributors

Crowninshield, Benjamin Williams, 1772-1851
Homans, Benjamin
Patterson, Daniel Todd, 1786-1839
Gaines, Edmund Pendleton, 1777-1849
Loomis, Jarius
Clinch, Duncan Lamont, 1787-1849
Calderon, Benigno Garcia

Format

Letters (correspondence)

Coverage

Florida's Second Spanish Colonial Period (1783-1821)

Topic

Military And Veterans

Subjects

African Americans
Bassett, James
Burgess, John
Clinch, Duncan Lamont, 1787-1849
Creek Indians
Crowley, Charles E.
Crowninshield, Benjamin Williams, 1772-1851
Dallas, Alexander James, 1759-1817
Daniels, Edward
Elton, John H.
Fortification--Florida--Franklin County
Gaines, Edmund Pendleton, 1777-1849
General Pike (Corvette)
Gunboat (No. 149)
Gunboat (No. 154)
Loomis, Jarius
Lopaz, John
Madison, James, 1751-1836
Maitland, Robert
Maria (Schooner)
Masot, Jose
Nicolls, Edward, 1779-1865
Patterson, Daniel Todd, 1786-1839
Saranac (Brig)
Semelante (Schooner)
Slavery
United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 4th
United States. Congress
United States. Congress. House
United States. Department of the Navy
United States. President (1809-1817 : Madison)

Geographic Term

New Orleans (La.)
Barataria Bay (La.)
Mobile (Ala.)
Apalachicola River
Fort Gadsden (Franklin County, Fla.)
Negro Fort (Franklin County, Fla.)
Pass Christian (Miss.)
Chattahoochee River
Saint Marks
Wakulla County
Bay Saint Louis (Miss.)
Pensacola
Escambia County
Apalachicola Bay

General Note

A fort was built on Prospect Bluff (15 miles above the Apalachicola River) by the British during the War of 1812 to train runaway slaves and Seminole Indians. When the British evacuated in 1815, the fort and its inhabitants remained. Then known as Negro Fort and under the control of over 300 free African-Americans, it was viewed as a threat by United States slave owners. Under orders from General Andrew Jackson, Lt. Colonel Duncan Clinch destroyed the fort and killed all but 30 of its occupants on July 27, 1816. Lt. James Gadsden rebuilt the fort soon afterwards and it was known as Fort Gadsden. In the 20th Century, the Fort Gadsden Historic Site was first owned by the Florida Park Service and then the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Apalachicola National Forest. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.