Battle of Santa Rosa Island

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Battle of Santa Rosa Island, 1861.

Photo Credit: Florida State Archives

Confederates from Pensacola area strongholds planned a raid on nearby Fort Pickens, but lost the element of surprise.

Following Florida’s secession in January 1861, state troops occupied the Pensacola Navy Yard, Fort Barrancas and Fort McRee, while Fort Pickens, located on Santa Rosa Island, remained in Union hands. During the spring and summer of 1861, Confederate troops strengthened the fortifications facing Fort Pickens, while Federal officials reinforced the fort’s garrison. Though expected, no major fighting took place during the summer.

The Union forces lost 67 killed, wounded, missing or captured, while the Confederates suffered 87 casualties.

In early October, however, the Confederates began planning a raid against Santa Rosa Island. The force selected for the operation consisted of 1,200 men under the command of Brigadier General Richard H. Anderson. On the night of October 8, they were loaded aboard barges and towed across the bay, landing after midnight on October 9 four miles to the east of Fort Pickens.

They had advanced about three miles toward the fort before encountering the camp of the 6th New York Infantry. The Federals put up a brief resistance before fleeing. Anderson contemplated an attack on the fort itself, but with daylight approaching and surprise lost, he ordered a return to their boats. Federals from the fort skirmished with the retreating Confederates. The Union forces lost 67 killed, wounded, missing or captured, while the Confederates suffered 87 casualties.

To learn more, see: “Battle of Santa Rosa Island” by J.L. Larkin, The Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. 37, Nos. 3 & 4, January & April 1959.