The Calvin Shedd Papers > Background > St. Augustine Defenses
St. Augustine Defenses
| Date(s) of Letter(s) | Fretwell,
Jacqueline, Ed. Civil War Times in St. Augustine. St. Augustine, Florida: St.
Augustine Historical Society, 1986.
|
| October 12, 1862 |
The Seventh Regiment immediately set to work to improve the defenses of St. Augustine and Fort Marion. Though there were few rebels in the area, the Federal army felt that they needed to be prepared for attacks at any time. "A little way north of the fort [Marion] an entrenchment was dug from North River across to the San Sebastian River, walling off from the interior the peninsula on which the town was situated. Large cannon were mounted on the fort, and trees were cut down to create an open field of fire. The San Sebastian bridge at King Street, the only entrance to the town from the west was guarded by pickets." (Fretwell, p. 29). |