Apalachicola River, Part Six

This is part six of a continuing series on Civil War sites along Florida's Apalachicola River.

Continuing a look at the surviving structures of the historic Apalachicola Arsenal in Chattahoochee, this photograph shows one of the few surviving portions of the original brick wall that surrounded the complex.

Nine feet high and 30 inches thick, the wall surrounded the 4 square acre main compound of the arsenal and was built into the walls of the post buildings. The surviving section seen here projects from the original office structure, which adjoins the arsenal guardhouse and officers' quarters. The three buildings, along with one of the external magazines, are the only remaining intact structures from the compound.

Confederate troops remained based here throughout the war and in 1864, even as he was continuing his March to the Sea and through the Carolinas, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman noted in a letter to General U.S. Grant that the arsenal was a place of "importance" and should be taken by an expedition up from the Gulf. He believed its capture would open the door for an invasion of South Georgia.

Sherman's recommendation apparently revolved over subsequent months into the ill-fated Union attack that ended at the Battle of Natural Bridge near Tallahassee on March 6, 1865. A section of Confederate field artillery was stationed at the arsenal when that expedition began and arrived on the field in time to participate in the battle.

When the war ended, the arsenal reverted to the control of the U.S. military. It was reported to be in poor condition by that point and never again served much of a military role, although detachments of troops were based there. It was soon turned over to the State of Florida for use as a prison, a role that it served for a number of years. It eventually became the central core of today's Florida State Hospital.

Many of the original buildings were still intact as late as 1958, but were demolished during the 1960s. The surviving four structures, however, are no preserved as important parts of the hospital campus.

Our series will continue.