When Fl Senators Mallory and Yulee heard that Perry was issuing a call to vote for secession they requested information from the military departments in DC pertaining to Florida. Sen. Yulee did receive from the Secretary of the Army the name and rank of all Army officers serving in Florida. When Yulee and Mallory together asked the Secretary for numbers on garrisons, arms, ammunition, location of any military in Florida the request was denied. The reason given for denial was the information was “not in the Army’s best interest. [well, yes, that makes sense]
One reference said on Jan.8, 1861 Gov Perry ordered units of the Florida Militia to seize the “U.S. arsenal at Chattahoochee and Ft. Marion in St Augustine. The same time the Alabama Militia seized the US Arsenal at Mount Vernon, Al and Ft Gaines and Ft Morgan. It also said the mission of the US Arsenal in Mount Vernon was to supply ordnance for Ft’s Gaines, Morgan, Pickens and Barrancas. [ It was just one of those little tidbits one hears as a kid and remembers but I do remember hearing Chattahoochee was an Arsenal before it was the state's loony bin. Not saying I knew just what an Arsenal was though. ]
Ft Barrancas and Advanced Redoubt were the only military installations with a garrison. Ft Pickens had no garrison and had not been occupied since the Mexican War and since it had been sitting empty and ignored it needed some major repairs. McRee was occupied by an Ordnance Sergeant and his wife. McRee was used as for ammunition storage only.
[I’ve got to admit, moving from Barrancas to Pickens was probably the best strategic move Lt. Slemmer made. It gave them the whole ball of wax. They controlled the pass and that controlled everything. Big UhOh]
Wow! The Commander of Defenses in Pensacola, with all 3 forts and the redoubt was Maj. John Winder. He and his second in command, 1st Lt Asher R.Eddy had been granted leave and were ‘away’ when the ‘crisis’ hit. Hmm Winder then resigned and enlisted in the service of the Confederacy. Gee, he was named Provost Marshal and given the command of the military prison in Richmond. Got a rank raise too. Brig. General. We all know the name of the prison in Richmond. Then, he got a bigger boost. In June, 1864 and was C.O. of Andersonville. In November, 1864, his title grew to be Commissary general for All Prisons East of the Mississippi. [I think we’ve discovered the commissary shelves were empty so was that really an empty title? ] He died Feb 7, 1865 in Florence, SC. [ it leads me to believe Wirtz got the worst deal possible for Winder’s ‘mess’. Winder wasn‘t the only MIA officer just before the ‘crisis‘ became a tempest.]
Winder had also served under Scott in Mexico.
Pam