|
|
|||||||
|
Forts, Ports and Battles |
|||||||
|
Mobile, AL New Orleans, LA Pensacola, FL
|
The United States is a maritime nation. The sea has played a major role in our history, especially in the areas of exploration, commerce and war. Before there were roads, railroads and airplanes, the easiest way to move people and goods was on water. This role was not confined to just the oceans. The Great Lakes, our rivers and our great natural harbors are all a part of this maritime heritage. This maritime role greatly affected what happened on land because access to the sea from the interior has always been a major factor in economic success. Conversely, getting goods from the harbor to the interior was best done via a water route. This economic success had an evil twin - wartime success. These commerce routes were often strategic targets in wartime - both offensive and defensive - and provided a major advantage to whatever side controlled them. A case in point....During the French and Indian War, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was on the western edge of the frontier. Goods came from the north via the Allegheny River and from the south via the Monongahela River. They join at Pittsburgh and become the source of the Ohio River, which joins the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois and flows to the sea. This makes Pittsburgh an inland seaport. Consequently, it was heavily contested and changed hands several times. The French had a strategic advantage. From their bases in Canada, they followed the routes of the voyageurs, using rivers, portages and the Great Lakes as lines of transport and communication. The British, based in northern Virginia, had to hack several hundred miles of brand new roads through the mountainous wilderness of southern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland to campaign for the Ohio Valley. Those road building expeditions seasoned a young officer named George Washington. The roads they built live today as Route 30 (The Lincoln Highway) and Route 40 (The National Road). Nowhere is this mixed heritage more apparent than the Gulf coast of the United States. This region comprises the coastlines of the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and encompasses the ports of Pensacola, Mobile and New Orleans. The Spanish, French, British and Americans fought for control of this region for over 300 years - from the early 1500's to the mid-1800's. There was also conflict with the native Americans as this area is the home of the Muscogee (Creek) nation. In fact, the region's sovereignty and security weren't permanently settled until the end of World War II, when the last of the coastal defense batteries were de-commissioned.
A major part of that ongoing three century conflict was the fortifying of key areas to defend against both sea and land attacks. Every combatant built forts on land they claimed, often on top of one that had already been there. These forts reflected the tactics and technology of their day and were in a constant state of change until they got to the point where they simply couldn't defend against the threats they were facing. Fixed fortifications became obsolete during the Civil War, but the concept of fortifying key terrain was ingrained in the military's DNA and died hard. As late as the 1940's, coastal defense batteries resembling the Guns of Navarone were built to defend against U-boats and land invasions that never came. They continued to operate on a limited basis into the 1950's. The advent of atomic weapons finally made believers out of everyone and all forts and batteries were de-commissioned and/or re-designated as something else such as a supply depot. Now, for the most part, they belong to the National Park Service or their state equivalents. These forts along the Gulf coast are a three dimensional textbook of the history, geography and cultural influences - from the Creeks to the conquistadors to the Confederates - that make the region what it is today. In this section of Off The Beaten Path, you'll find this history presented as linked, integrated web pages rather than separate unrelated write ups with nice pictures. I have created a section separate from Battlefields. This is not a narrative about a three day battle, but a conflict of three centuries. It's important to convey their context and how they fit into the bigger picture. In the following pages, you'll find sites that we have visited, photographed and found caches on. We hope to share a coherent picture of what transpired over the 300+ years as well as including little known facts and interesting side stories. For instance, the Apache chief Geronimo was interned at Fort Pickens, Florida. He and several of his chiefs lived in the old officer's quarters. It was supposed to be a secret but word got out anyway, as it usually does. People came out to see them so the Army started charging admission. Geronimo became a reluctant yet popular tourist attraction. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention geocaching. Needless to say, there are lots of them here. KidsRN and I are snowbirding in Orange Beach, Alabama as I write this. We have been exploring and geocaching for days in and around both Mobile and Pensacola. We've barely scratched the surface. Likewise, this section is not and cannot be a comprehensive history. We hope to give you enough to pique your interest and either do some additional reading or get out and explore for yourself. There'll be lots more in the future. We hope you enjoy these brief tours and come back for more.
|
