Fort Jefferson
The Fort Jefferson is a Fort , which at the southern end of the Florida Keys is placed. It is located about 110 km west of Key West on Garden Key , the second largest island of the Dry Tortugas , an archipelago made of coral reefs and sand. It was named after the US President Thomas Jefferson . 450 cannons and 1500 men could be accommodated.
description
The walls of the hexagonal fort reached their final height of almost 14 m in 1862. Only the foundations of the accommodations and the lighthouse are preserved.
history
The military fort
The first permanent construction of the fort was the lighthouse, built in 1825. The fort itself was built from 16 million red bricks from 1846 ; It started operating in 1850. The soldiers were housed in light wooden buildings and tents on the Forthof. The construction of the fort dragged on for more than 30 years; ultimately it was never completed. The construction of the trench between the fort and the adjacent coral reef was a technical masterpiece. During the American Civil War, new cannon techniques made the fort vulnerable, causing it to lose military value.
There has never been a fighting in its history, which was very demoralizing for the soldiers. In addition, a yellow fever epidemic caused considerable damage to the occupation of the fort, as the medical personnel died from it before the first soldiers. However, the imprisoned doctor Samuel Mudd was able to prevent it from spreading and successfully treat numerous soldiers. Because of this, he was released immediately and his sentence revoked.
The prison
During the civil war , the fort became a prison for deserters and political prisoners . In addition, the Fort served as a supply depot for the fighting units in Mississippi - Delta . Several people involved in the assassination of American President Abraham Lincoln were imprisoned here. The fort was also used as a prison after the civil war. After a few hurricanes and a yellow fever epidemic, the army left the fort in 1874.
Occasional use
During the Spanish-American War , the Navy used the fort again temporarily. From 1888 to 1900 the fort was used as a quarantine station and during the First World War it was briefly occupied by the army again .
The bird reserve
In 1908 the area with the fort was designated as a bird reserve. On January 4, 1935, President Roosevelt made the fort a National Monument in order to preserve and promote it. On November 10, 1970, the fort was inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places . On October 26, 1992, President Bush arranged for the bird reserve to be listed as a national park. This is how the "Dry Tortugas" national park was created , which is a popular area for diving enthusiasts .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ FLORIDA - Monroe County. National Register of Historic Places , accessed May 30, 2015 .
- ↑ NPS.gov: Diving and Snorkeling in Dry Tortugas National Park. Retrieved September 29, 2017 .
Coordinates: 24 ° 37 '40 " N , 82 ° 52' 23" W.