Fort Clinch

Florida · United States · Castle

The fort was never finished. Funding ran out, and the war arrived before the walls did.

Fort Clinch at Fernandina Beach, Florida was begun before the Civil War and never completed, because the money ran out.

It changed hands during the war. Confederate forces held it early on and abandoned it when Union troops came up the coast, and men died here.

One account concerns a man who was shot after making a promise to his wife in a letter.

An unfinished fort is a strange thing to stand in. The brickwork stops where the appropriation stopped, and you can see exactly how far they got.

The garrison here spent most of the war doing nothing in particular on an Atlantic island, which is what most soldiers in most wars actually do, and disease killed far more of them than the fighting did.

The fort is a state park and is open to visitors, with reenactors in the buildings.

FAQ

Where is Fort Clinch located?

Fort Clinch is in Florida, United States.