Visit to Fort Clinch

 31 August 2021

After lunch we decided to take the ferry from town of Mayport across the ST Johns River to Amelia Island to visit site of Yellow Bluff Fort and Fort Clinch.

Yellow Bluff (1862-1865) was 1st established as a Confederate Earthworks Fort. General Robert E Lee suggested this location on the St Johns River as part of the defense system into Jacksonville. In 1862 Union forces advanced against fortifications at St Johns Bluff which was abandoned and they next advanced toward Yellow Bluff. This fort was also abandoned and lightly armed as the heavy guns had not yet arrived. Confederates reoccupied the fort and managed to defend attacks by Union gunboats. In 1864 it was abandoned and converted to a signal station by Union troops in 1864.

All that remains are some period guns,remains of earthworks and a monument.

We then drove the 25 miles up A1A through Amelia Island to Fort Clinch SP in Fernandina. This is our 3rd visit since 2010 and 2012. Construction began in 1847 and by 1860 on 2/3 of the walls were completed and no cannons mounted and only the guard rooms,prison,sheds and shops were completed. During the Civil War the Confederate Army established batteries in the town of Fernandina and other locations on the Islands and General Lee with the advancing Union Forces ordered withdrawal from the area. It was then that the Union took control of the Fort.The Union worked to complete the Fort,but to no avail and in 1869 it was placed in caretaker status under control of the Army until 1898.

In 1898 during the Spanish American War the Fort was reactivated with armament including an 8 inch breech loading rifle,4 15 inch Rodman Columbiads and mine field laid in the sound. After the war all troops were removed and it was once again returned to Caretaker status.k

After selling the Fort to private interests in 1926 the state of Florida bought the Fort and property in 1935 and in 1937-1942 the CCC repaired the fort and constructed the Visitor Center,roads and camping areas.

In 1942-1945 fort was once again pressed into service with the establishment of a surveillance and communications system. Horses were used for beach patrol watching for landings of spies and saboteurs along the beach. In 1945 the fort was finally retuned to Florida.

It stands today as one of the finest examples of Third System Fortification.

After boarding the ferry back to Mayport Town, we stopped at Safe Harbor Restaurant near the ferry for dinner. I had blackened grouper and John blackened redfish. Very good.