Negro Fort 1816
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 27 July 1816 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1816 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Seminole Wars | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 29.9382, -85.0113 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
Negro Fort was a short-lived fortification built by the British in 1814, during the War of 1812, in a remote part of what was at the time Spanish Florida. It was intended to support British operations against the U.S. via its southwest border, by means of which they could "free all these Southern Countries [states] from the Yoke of the Americans". Part of its troops did march north against Georgia, but returned when news of the Treaty of Ghent became known.
The fort was destroyed on July 27, 1816 when a "hot cannon ball" landed in the magazine, leading to a huge explosion. This action is also sometimes referred to as the Battle of Negro Fort (also called the Battle of Prospect Bluff or the Battle of African Fort). Colonel Duncan L. Clinch, the attacking commander, reported salvaging approximately "2,500 muskets, 50 carbines, [and] 400 pistols" from the ruins; as well as inflicting nearly 300 casualties to the fort's occupants. The salvaged arms were given to Colonel Clinch's allies, the Creeks, as war booty for their help in taking the fort.
This is the only time in its history in which the United States destroyed a community of escaped slaves in another country. However, the area continued to attract escaped Africans until the U.S. construction of Fort Gadsden in 1818.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Negro Fort (revision 1381315390), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles