Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West-- Part 2: A New Fort Built and Civil War Service

When both Spain and England had Key West, they thought about building a fort there, but nothing happened until Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821.  

The new owners immediately recognized the importance of it and began to develop the island. In less than a decade, Key West had a lucrative  wrecking, fishing, turtle hunting, sponging and salt water  manufacturing enterprises which made the city  the richest per capita in the United States.

In 1822, a site for a fort was selected in Key West.  This new fort would command the Florida Straits, a major shipping lane between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.  Key West was  one of the most strategically advantageous ports in the world for  commercial and military purposes.

The fort would be named after President Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican War, and, of course. president.

In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, the East and West Martello Towers were added to the fort to serve as batteries and armories and railway tracks were laid to move munitions quickly from the towers to the fort.

During the war, Union commanders of the fort were tasked with defending the U.S. Navy's  East Gulf Blockading Squadron which had its headquarters in Key West.  This group of ships were primarily involved with maintaining a blockade along Florida's Gulf Coast.

--Old B-Runner