Fort Gadsden, Fla.-- Part 3: British Post, Negro Fort

Before he left Florida, Edward Nicholls built a fort at Prospect Bluff, 15 miles above the mouth of the Apalachicola River and 60 miles below U.S. territory.

 It was originally known as British Post and served as base for British troops (though in Spanish Florida) and actively recruited former slaves into the new Corps of Colonial Marines.  It also was the local rallying point for Seminole Indians for attacks on U.S. territory.

When the British evacuated the fort in the spring of 1815, they left a well-constructed and fully armed fort on the east bank of the Apalachicola River and about 400 Colonial Marines assumed command.  News of the "Negro Fort" attracted 800 black fugitives (runaway slaves) ro the fort who settled around it.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gadsden-- Part 2: Built By Edward Nicholls

The original fort was built by the British, though in Spanish territory, as an attempt to recruit local Indians to fight against the Americans.  A force of 100 Royal Marines led by Lt. Col. Edward Nicholls arrived on the Apalachicola River in August 1814 to aid and train local Indians.  They built the fort, but there is little evidence of much success with the Indians and the war ended shortly thereafter.

So, the Nicholls connection for Nicholls' Outpost.  He evidently built both.

In late November 1814, Major Uriah Blue, commanding a force of 1.000 Mississippi militia, Chickasaw and Choctow warriors, left Fort Montgomery (east of Mobile and west of Pensacola) to seek out and destroy the Red Stick Creek Indians.  Among them was Creek War veteran Davy Crockett.

However, the Americans were unfamiliar with the area and running out of supplies and never found their objective or the British fort and were forced to return to Fort Montgomery on 9 January 1815.

It is kind of strange that this expedition would be going on while New Orleans was in danger of being captured.

--Brock-Perry

Fort Gadsden-- Part 1: Fort of Many Names

It would appear that I am beginning to write a whole lot about the War of 1812 in western Florida now.  Much of the history so far has involved Nicholls' Post and the Corps of Colonial Marines.

From Wikipedia.

Fort Gadsden is located at Franklin County, Florida, on the Apalachicola River.  The site contains the ruins of two forts and it has been called many names over the years:  Prospect Bluff Fort, Nicholls Fort, Blount's Fort, British Post, Negro Fort, African Fort and Fort Apalachicola.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is located in the Apalachicola National Forest which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

It became a National Historic Landmark in 1972.

--Brock-Perry

The British Corps of Colonial Marines-- Part 1

From the BlackPast.org. site.

The British Corps of Colonial Marines (1808-1810 and 1814-1816)

This group was involved in the Fort Gadsden and Nicholls' Post operations.

This unit was made up mostly of escaped American slaves.  The first years of its existence, 1808-1810)  it was used primarily to garrison Caribbean bases during the Napoleonic Wars.  It was disbanded in 1810.

However, this unit set new standards for the men of African descent and formerly enslaved members.  They received the same training, uniforms, pay and pensions as their Royal marine counterparts.

--Brock-Perry

Nicholls' Outpost-- Part 2

The British arrived at the mouth of the Apalachicola River in May 1814.  Thomas and William Perryman, two Lower Creek chiefs had appealed in the Bahamas to England for aid fighting U.S. troops.

By the time the British arrived, however, the Red Sticks had been smashed by General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama.

The British troops were led by Brevet Major George Woodbine, who met the Indians who were fleeing into Spanish Florida.

The British apparently evacuated Nicholls' Outpost in April 1814.

No visible traces of the fort remain.

--Brock-Perry

Nicholls' Outpost-- Part 1

From the Explore Southern History Blog by Dale Cox.

The other British fort built on the Apalachicola River was at Prospect Bluff and Nicholls' Outpost was located upriver at present day Chattahoochee, Florida.  The Post and fort were built as part of a British plan to recruit Red Stick and Seminole Indians to their cause during the War of 1812.

The other fort was 30 miles north of the mouth of the Apalachicola River at the site of present day Fort Gadsden Historic Site. Both forts were built by Edward Nichols of the Royal Marines.   This fort later was referred to as the "Negro Fort."

Nicholls' Post was the smaller fortification of the two and was built on top of a large Indian mound at Chattahoochee Landing in Gadsden County, Florida.

--Brock-Perry

Marker Placed at Nicholls' Outpost in Florida

From the Oct. 15, 2014, Explore Southern History Blog " Market to be placed at British War of 1812 fort site in Florida" by Dale Cox.  If you ever want to know anything about Florida history, check it out.

The new marker was unveiled November 9th.  It marks the northernmost incursion of the British forces along the Gulf coast during the war.

It was placed at River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida, at the site of Nicholls' Outpost.  (I've also seen it spelled Nichols' Outpost.)  It was built near the head of the Apalachicola River during the British Gulf Coast Campaign which included the Battle of New Orleans.

It was built by Royal Colonial Marines along with Creek and Seminole warriors as part of a planned invasion of Georgia, but the war ended before it took place.

It was one of two forts built on the Apalachicola River.  The other is the Fort Gadsden Historic Site in the Apalachicola National Forest.

--Brock-Perry