Fort Gadsden
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Built in 1814 by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Nichols, His Majesty's marines, as a rallying point to encourage the Seminole Indians to ally themselves with England against the United States in the War of 1812. Abandoned after 1814, it was occupied by a band of free Negroes, and was known by 1816 as "The Negro Fort."
Its
location in Spanish Florida did not deter Major General Andrew Jackson from
ordering its elimination as a threat to American commerce on the Apalachicola
River. On July 27, 1816, Lieutenant Colonel Duncan L. Clinch, with U.S. forces
and 150 Creek Indians, fired on the fort and destroyed it with a "hot
shot" cannon ball which exploded in the powder magazine killing all but
30 of 300 occupants.
In 1818 General Jackson directed Lieutenant James Gadsden to build "Fort Gadsden" here, in spite of Spanish protests. Confederate troops occupied the fort until July, 1863, when malaria forced its abandonment.
There's more history to the Fort Gadsden location, it's the story of Florida's Pocahontas. Francis the Prophet, whose Indian name was Hillis Hadjo, was an important Creek chief who was forced to leave his home in the Alabama Territory at the end of the Creek War of 1813-14. He established a new town on the Wakulla River several miles above Ft. St. Marks.
In 1818, Gen. Andrew Jackson led an army into Spanish Florida to campaign against the restive Seminoles. With the army was a young Georgia militia private named Duncan McKrimmon. While Jackson's forces were at recently onstructed Ft. Gadsden in the spring of 1818, McKrimmon went fishing, lost his way, and after several days was captured by Indians from Francis' Town.
Duncan
McKrimmon was taken to that village where he was stripped and bound to await
execution. The younger of Francis' two daughters, a girl of about fifteen
named Malee (Anglicized to "Milly"), begged Private McKrimmon's
captors to spare his life. This they agreed to do. Instead of being shot,
the youth was sold to the Spanish at Ft. St. Marks, who then released him.
Not long afterwards, Francis the Prophet was detained by U.S. forces and on April 8, 1818, was hanged at the order of General Jackson. A few months later, Francis' family surrendered themselves along with a number of other Seminoles. They remained at Ft. Gadsden for several weeks awaiting removal to a reservation in the West.
Duncan McKrimmon traveled to Ft. Gadsden and out of gratitude offered to marry Milly, but she refused his proposal. Milly went to live in Indian Territory on Arkansas River where she married and had a number of children.
In 1842, Lt. Col. E.A. Hitchcock found Milly living there widowed and in poverty. He initiated action which led to the granting in 1844 by Congress of a pension of $96.00 a year and a Congressional medal to Milly. Delays occurred and when the pension was finally activated in 1848, Milly was on her deathbed. There is no evidence that the medal recommended to honor Milly for saving the life of Duncan McKrimmon was ever cast.
We made our way to Fort Gadsden in May of 2004 to see what paranormal activity we could prove exists. Did we find any? Keep reading .. .. ..
It is hard to imagine the horrible scene that greeted the first Americans to stand on Ft. Gadsden soil on the morning of July 27, 1816. The remains of the 270 persons killed in the magazine explosion lay scattered about. They also found an arsenal of ten cannons, 2,500 muskets, and over 150 barrels of black powder. Some of the original timbers from the octagonal magazine were uncovered by excavations.
Just click on the thumbnail image to see the full photograph:
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Below is an EVP captured as we were returning from the cemetery site. We heard a strange noise that was like a horrible scream. One of our members asked if they could make that noise again. After playing the tape back a voice was heard just after our member asked her question. The voice says "Don't Make Me!
Many thanks to our tour guide and
for the permission to stay after hours!
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