Civil War

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. , , (Captions) , 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 to Fort Taylor on the southwestern shore, thus preventing a possible takeover by Confederate sympathizers., USS San Jacinto, an early steam-screw warship, was flagship of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. Ships of the blockading squadron based at Key 'est captured 199 suspected blockade runners, aided refugees and escaped slaves, and conducted guerrilla warfare against Confederate forces.