Near Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Spanish Water Battery

— Gulf Islands National Seashore —

Photographed by Connor Olson, July 28, 2024

1. Spanish Water Battery Marker

Inscription. The white, stuccoed, semicircular structure down in front of you is Batería de San Antonio, a battery built by Spain in 1797. After recapturing the Pensacola area from the British, the Spanish decided to build this fortification as part of a plan to strengthen harbor defenses. The maximum range of smoothbore cannon at that time was about one mile. The United States modified and armed the battery while building Fort Barrancas in the 1840s.

(captions)
A Spanish artilleryman holds a slow match used in firing a cannon.
From this battery gunners could fire smoothbore cannon shots at ship masts or skip shots across the surface of the bay hoping to hit wooden hulls at the waterline.
The term water battery comes from the fortification's location, which was close to water level.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1797.

Location. 30° 20.881′ N, 87° 17.813′ W. Marker is near Pensacola, Florida, in Escambia County. It can be reached from Taylor

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Road 0.3 miles north of Radford Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3182 Taylor Rd, Pensacola FL 32508, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort McRee (here, next to this marker); Barrancas in Coastal Defenses (here, next to this marker); Restoring a Fort (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Barrancas Area (about 600 feet away); Spain to Pensacola (approx. 0.3 miles away); First Pensacola (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pathway to Early America (approx. 0.3 miles away); Barrancas Trench

Spanish Water Battery Marker on the left image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Connor Olson, July 28, 2024

2. Spanish Water Battery Marker on the left

(approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pensacola.

Also see . . . Gulf Islands National Seashore - Fort Barrancas. National Park Service (Submitted on July 29, 2024.)

Spanish Water Battery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Connor Olson, July 28, 2024

3. Spanish Water Battery

Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 275 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 29, 2024, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.