Fort Basinger's original site is located approximately west of Fort Pierce, Florida along U. S. Highway 98 in

Highlands County, Florida Highlands County is a County (United States), county located in the Florida Heartland region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 101,235. Its county seat is Sebring, Florida, Sebring ...

. It was a

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived ...

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

with two

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

s that was built in 1837 by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. It was one of the

military outpost A military outpost is detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main force or formation, usually at a station in a remote or sparsely populated location, positioned to stand guard against unauthorized intrusions and surprise attacks ...

s created during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

to assist Colonel

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

's troops to confront and capture Seminole Indians and their allies in the central part of the Florida Territory in the Lake Okeechobee region. The Seminole Indians and their allies were resisting forced removal to federal territory west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

as directed by the Indian Removal Act.Roberts, Robert B. Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States. New York: Macmillan. 1988, p. 169.

Brief History

On December 2, 1837, Colonel Zachary Taylor ordered the construction of

Fort Gardiner Fort Gardiner was a stockaded fortification with two blockhouses that was built in 1837 by the United States Army. It was one of the military outposts created during the Second Seminole War to assist Colonel Zachary Taylor's troops to capture Sem ...

during his Second Seminole War campaign as he marched his troops into the Lake Okeechobee region. Colonel Taylor determined that another

was required further south, so on December 21, 1837 he ordered another fortification constructed to support his plans. This particular fortification was named Fort Basinger after Lieutenant William E. Basinger who was killed during the Dade battle. Colonel Taylor assigned Captain Monroe of the 4th Artillery in command of Fort Basinger and stationed one company of troops and approximately 85 sick men and some Indians at the fortification. Captain Monroe was also charged with finishing the construction of the blockhouses and stockades around Fort Basinger. The remaining troops marched south from Fort Basinger and on December 25, 1837, they engaged in the

Battle of Lake Okeechobee The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was one of the major battles of the Second Seminole War. It was fought between 800 troops of the 1st, 4th, and 6th Infantry Regiments and 132 Missouri Volunteers (under the command of Colonel Zachary Taylor), and b ...

. Colonel Taylor’s detachment suffered 26 killed and 112 wounded and had to retreat back to Fort Basinger. After a short stay at Fort Basinger Colonel Taylor’s detachment made their way to Fort Gardiner where they set up a makeshift hospital. A military escort accompanied many of the wounded soldiers to

Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native Seminoles who had been confined ...

for additional medical attention.Mahon, John K. History of the Second Seminole War (1967). Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press. pp. 219-230.Andrews, Mark. Forts Played Role in Florida History. Orlando Sentinel. August 11, 1991. pp. K1, K4. Fort Basinger survived the Second Seminole War and was used by U.S. Army troops and militiamen during the Third Seminole War (1855–1858). It was eventually abandoned at the end of the Third Seminole War and most likely eroded away.Rolland, Dean. Time and the River. The Orlando Sentinel. October 15, 1967, pp. 6-F, 7-F.

Fort Basinger’s Namesake: William Elon Basinger

William Elon Basinger was born on September 27, 1806 in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. He was the great-grandson of Peter Tondee (ca. 1723-1775), who owned and operated Tondee’s Tavern in Savannah where the first meetings of revolutionary sentiment were held in the Georgia Colony in 1770. Tondee’s Tavern became a hub for opposition to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

’s control of the

Thirteen American Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centur ...

.Lawton, Edward P. William Elon Basinger: A Georgian Who Died for Florida. The Georgia Historical Quarterly. Vol. 45, No. 2 (June, 1961), pp. 105-119.Cullum, George W. Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy. Class of 1830, Vol. 1., p. 448, #588. Basinger obtained an appointment as a U.S. Army cadet at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

. He entered the United States Military Academy on July 1, 1826. While at the Academy his roommate was Joseph E. Johnston and he was Cadet Sergeant-Major under Cadet Adjutant

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

. He graduated second in his class on July 1, 1830 without a single demerit. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery on July 1, 1830. In 1831, he served at the garrison at Fort Moultrie, and at the

Augusta Arsenal The Augusta Arsenal was a 19th-century fortification in Augusta, Georgia. Established in 1816 and initially completed on the Georgia bank of the Savannah River in 1819, it was moved to the former Belle Vue estate in the Summerville (Augusta, Georgi ...

. He returned to the United States Military Academy as an Assistant Instructor of Infantry Tactic from November 24, 1831 to December 19, 1833. From 1834 to 1835, he served at the garrison at

Fort Jackson, Louisiana Fort Jackson is a historic masonry fort located up river from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was constructed as a coastal defense of New Orleans, between 1822 and 1832, and it was a battle site during t ...

and at Covington, Louisiana. In 1835, he was transferred to Tampa Bay to prepare for defenses against the uprising Seminole Indians and their allies. On December 23, 1835, Brevet Major Francis Langhorne Dade led a detachment of eight officers, including Lt. Basinger, and 100 troops from Tampa to

Fort King Fort King (also known as Camp King or Cantonment King) was a United States military fort in north central Florida, near what later developed as the city of Ocala. It was named after Colonel William King, commander of Florida's Fourth Infantry and ...

. On December 28, 1835 this detachment was ambushed by a group of Seminole Indians led by Chief Micanopy and Chief John Jumper and their allies. Lt. Basinger was the last officer killed, and only two soldiers and a Negro guide survived. This battle became known as Dade's Massacre, and it launched the Second Seminole War.Robison, Jim. Dashing Officer (Lt. William Elon Basinger) Among Fallen at Dade Ambush. Orlando Sentinel. December 31, 2000, p. 8. William Elon Basinger is buried in the

St. Augustine National Cemetery St. Augustine National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida. Located on the grounds of the active military installation known as St. Francis Barracks, the state headqua ...

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

. During his burial ceremony Zachary Taylor said, “this day I bury an officer as dear to me as a son and by reason of his untimely death the United States has lost a soldier who would have become one of our great generals."

Site of Fort Basinger

Today, no remnants of Fort Basinger exist, but its site is marked with a Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials sign in

. The sign reads, “Col. Zachary Taylor had Fort Basinger built in 1837, during the Seminole Wars, on the Kissimmee River 17 miles above its mouth. It was a small stockade which served as a temporary fort and supply station on the line of forts extending from Tampa to Lake Okeechobee. Named for Lt. William E. Basinger of the 2nd Artillery, who was killed in Dade’s Massacre. The fort was abandoned at the end of the Indian Wars.”

References

External links

2nd Seminole War Fort Diagram (Ft. Micanopy).

Florida Seminole Wars Heritage Trail.

Florida Frontiers: Search on for fort.

New Georgia Encyclopedia - Peter Tondee (ca. 1723-1775).

Find a Grave – William Elon Basinger (1806-1835).

The Seminole Wars - Seminole Nation Museum.
{{Zachary Taylor, state=collapsed

Basinger Basinger is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Barbara Fugger (1419–1497), born Barbara Basinger, German businessperson and banker * David Basinger (fl. from 1986), American academic * Jeanine Basinger (born 1936), Amer ...

Pre-statehood history of Florida Seminole Wars Second Seminole War fortifications