Fort Clinch is a 19th-century masonry coastal fortification, built as part of the

Third System Seacoast defense was a major concern for the United States from its independence until World War II. Before airplanes, many of America's enemies could only reach it from the sea, making coastal forts an economical alternative to standing armies ...

of seacoast defense conceived by the United States. It is located on a peninsula near the northernmost point of

Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlanti ...

in Nassau County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The fort lies to the northeast of Fernandina Beach at the entrance to the

Cumberland Sound Cumberland Sound (french: Baie Cumberland; Inuit: ''Kangiqtualuk'') is an Arctic waterway in Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is a western arm of the Labrador Sea located between Baffin Island's Hall Peninsula and the Cumberland Peninsula ...

, in the northeast part of the state. Today it is included within the boundaries of Fort Clinch State Park.

History

This site was first fortified in 1736 by the Spanish, when they held colonies in Florida. From 1736, various nations to control the territory have garrisoned and fortified this site to protect the entrance to the St. Marys River and Cumberland Sound. After the end of the Second Seminole War, the United States started construction of a fort, later named Fort Clinch, in 1847. It was part of its Third System of coastal defenses conceived earlier in the century, which guided fortifications throughout this period. The fortified compound is

pentagonal In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...

in shape, with both inner and outer walls, and consists of almost five million bricks. There are corner bastions and

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...

s in the outer walls and several structures in the interior courtyards, including a two-story barracks. The fort was named in honor of General Duncan Lamont Clinch after his death in 1849. General Clinch fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

and was an important figure in the First and Second

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

. Confederate forces seized the fort in early 1861. It was used as a safe haven for Confederate blockade runners during the first year of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. However, changes in technology, specifically the development of rifled cannon, had improved weaponry to the point that the fort's brick walls were vulnerable to attacks and thus obsolete. In March 1862 General Robert E. Lee ordered abandonment of the fort in order to use scarce troops in other areas. Afterwards Federal troops re-occupied the fort, taking control of the adjacent Georgia and Florida coasts. They used the fort as the base of Union operations in the area throughout the Civil War. The fort was placed on caretaker status in 1869; it remained so until 1898, when the Army garrisoned it during the short

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. In September of that year, the Army abandoned it again. The fort gradually deteriorated. During the Great Depression, workers of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

(CCC) began restoration of the fort during the 1930s. It was restored to the Civil War era.National Park Service website: Florida Historic Places-Fort Clinch
/ref> In 1935, the State of Florida bought that included the then-abandoned fort and the surrounding area. Fort Clinch State Park including the fort, opened to the public in 1938. The fort was closed to the public during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and used as a communications and security post. It was re-opened to public visits after the war ended. The fort was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1972. It is interpreted largely in terms of its use as a base of Union operations during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. State Park personnel reenact military life at the fort, which is open from 8:00am until sundown, year-round.

Recreational Activities

Fort Clinch has an unparalleled

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

program, where visitors can interact and learn from reenactors who act and dress in period-appropriate fashion. On the first weekend of every month a soldier garrison fires cannons and demonstrates other battlefield skills.

Photos

Fort Clinch, Florida, U.S - entrance.jpg, The entrance (2015) File:Fort Clinch, Florida, U.S - wall facing Cumberland Sound.jpg, One of the walls facing Cumberland Sound File:Fort Clinch, Florida, U.S. - inner wall.jpg, An inner wall (2015) File:Fort Clinch, Florida, U.S. - Cannons.jpg, Cannons inside the fort File:Fort Clinch, Florida, U.S. - window for firing a rifle.jpg, A window for firing a rifle

Notes

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External links

Nassau County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places

Nassau County listings
a
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

a
The National Park Service - Links to the Past

a
The Florida Center for Instructional Technology

Clinch Clinch may refer to: * Nail (fastener) or device to hold in this way * Clinching, in metalworking * Clinch fighting or the clinch, a grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace * Clinch County, Georgia, USA * Clinch River, near T ...

Florida in the American Civil War History of Jacksonville, Florida Civilian Conservation Corps in Florida

1736 establishments in the Spanish Empire National Register of Historic Places in Nassau County, Florida American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Military installations established in 1736 1898 disestablishments in Florida Military installations closed in 1898 Amelia Island