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Fort Ward was a Confederate earthwork
built over the ruins of earlier Spanish forts. The Confederates used the
old Spanish stonework as a foundation for their batteries and then
reinforced the old masonry with earth. They also constructed a large
magazine and breastworks for infantry. The fort guarded the confluence of
the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers and the southern terminus of the railroad
leading from St. Marks to Tallahassee |
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The earthworks of Fort Ward are now
preserved as part of San Marcos de Apalache, a state park in St. Marks,
Florida. The museum and walking trails interpret all aspects of the site's
remarkable history, including the antebellum and Civil War eras. The park
is open year round, but is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays |
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The large earth-covered magazine of Fort
Ward is one of the more prominent features in the park. The walking trail
leads to the top of the magazine, which provides an outstanding view of
the entire site and adjacent St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers. This magazine
was the primary ammunition storage facility for the fort and was adjacent
to the battery overlooking the St. Marks River |
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This view shows the confluence of the
Wakulla and St. Marks River as seen from the earthworks of Fort Ward. The
Gulf of Mexico is due south across the marshes. The Confederate artillery
commanded a long reach of the river as it approached the fort. Sentries
were kept a points between the fort and the Gulf to warn the garrison of
any approach by the Union Navy, a measure that successfully intercepted a
boat expedition sent against the fort by the blockade ships |
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One of the two Confederate batteries at
Fort Ward was built here, into the stonework of the old Spanish bombproof.
The Union Navy attempted to attack the fort on a couple of different
occasions, but was never able to make it up the narrow channel from the
Gulf of Mexico. The Confederate Navy, incidentally, regularly used the
same channel and often based a small gunboat, the C.S.S. Spray, at the
fort. The most serious attempt on Fort Ward was made in March of 1865,
when a Union expedition intending to take the works from the rear was
turned back in the nearby Battle of Natural Bridge |
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During the 1860s, stone from the old
Spanish fort of San Marcos de Apalache was used to construct a marine
hospital on the site. When the Confederates reoccupied San Marcos and
built Fort Ward, they used the hospital as a barracks. This view shows the
foundations of the old marine hospital, on top of which the state has
constructed a museum |
