Fort Jefferson

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started building Fort Jefferson in 1846.  The Fort was meant to protect the anchorage at Dry Tortugas, as a departure point for U.S. ships patrolling the important shipping area.  By the time of the Civil War era, almost twenty years later, the fort served an entirely new purpose.

Fort Jefferson was used as a prison during the Civil War.  Union warships also used the fort as a base from which to block Southern supply ships.  Most of the prisoners at Fort Jefferson were Union deserters.  Dr. Samuel Mudd was the most famous prisoner.  He was the doctor who treated John Wilkes Boothe after he shot President Lincoln.  Today when you visit Fort Jefferson you can take the guided tour and see Dr. Mudd’s cell.

By 1865 there were almost 2000 people at Fort Jefferson, including a few civilians.  Most were soldiers and prisoners.  Dr. Mudd was one of several “Lincoln Conspirators” jailed at Fort Jefferson.  All prisoners at Fort Jefferson, including Dr. Mudd, suffered at this notorious prison.  It was known as one of the harshest Unions prisons during the Civil War.  A sentence of hard labor at Fort Jefferson was a sentence on Devil’s Island, as it was sometimes called.   Prisoners, attached to ball and chain, worked on the never-ending construction of the fort, and suffered from malaria as well as yellow fever.

Fort Jefferson is built on a remote island in the middle of nowhere.  It’s way out there, even via today’s modern transportation.  Imagine the year 1846, when construction on the fort began.  Why did the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers build a fort in the middle of nowhere?

If you look a map of the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits, you may be able to answer this question yourself.  It’s a strategic location for shipping channels that run from the New Orleans area of the upper Gulf , around the Florida Keys, and up the Eastern Seaboard.   In the 1800s, it was easier to ship goods via this route than to carry them across land.

Another look at the map shows that Fort Jefferson is ideally located to protect the United States from ships cruising near its southern boundaries.  Dry Tortugas was also an important deep water anchorage.  Ships from all over the world would stop here to get shelter from storms, resupply, or fix their vessels.  By controlling the Dry Tortugas, the U. S. controlled one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

U.S. warships anchored here and served as a reminder of who was in control of the area.  If Fort Jefferson were to fall into enemy hands, the U.S. would have faced threats and danger.  The fort would have served as a staging area for warships to attack the mainland.  The entire Gulf Coast would have been threatened.

Fort Jefferson and the Docks

Fort Jefferson is the Civil War-era fort at Dry Tortugas National Park. Visitors can take a tour of the fort as part of a day trip from Key West harbor.  A large comfortable boat leaves in the morning and takes passengers 70 miles west to Dry Tortugas, and brings them home by 5:30.  In addition to touring Fort Jefferson, visitors can go snorkeling, bird watching, have a picnic, or lay on the small beach.   However, the most interesting thing here is the fort and its history, plus the views you get while walking on top of the fort’s walls.

You can also charter a sea plane to take you out to Fort Jefferson.  However, the boat ride on the Yankee Freedom is a pleasant trip and the National Park guide comes along for the ride.  He or she will point out things of interest along the way and will give short talks on what you’ll see once you get to the Fort.  They serve breakfast and lunch with beverages.  On the way home you can purchase food and drinks too.

You can  drive your own boat out to the Dry Tortugas, but check with the Ranger for rules on mooring and docking at Fort Jefferson.