Fort Matanzas National Monument

A few days ago, I visited Fort Caroline National Memorial near Jacksonville and related the story of the Spanish massacre of most of the French after they had surrendered. The Spanish word for “massacre” is “matanzas”. Apparently, the Spanish were so proud of their butchery against unarmed men and women that they named the river near St Augustine Matanzas River. When a fort was later built along this river south of the city, they gave it the name Fort Matanzas.

This was a very small fort; really just an outpost intended to keep watch on the southern approach to St Augustine. Just south of the fort is an opening to the sea (though the river itself continues many miles further) in which ships could slip in and attack the city. The British had used this approach in their 1740 assault upon St Augustine, and after the siege failed, Spain ordered the construction of Fort Matanzas.

For most soldiers stationed anywhere in North America at this time, life could be pretty rough. One was far from home, possibly for years, facing boredom, disease, and occasional fighting with other bored soldiers. Daily routine in places like Castillo de San Marcos was tedious at best.

However, getting assigned to Fort Matanzas was probably welcomed. The fort’s entire complement was seven men, which included two officers and five soldiers. Their daily routine may consist of a quick cleanup, a few practice firings of the cannon, followed by card playing, gambling, and drinking. The British did test the fort only once, shortly after it was completed in 1742. They were repulsed, and the fort never again fired its guns in battle.

Today, access to the fort is by a short ferry ride on a National Park pontoon boat. Tickets are required, but are free, and must be picked up on the day one wishes to visit. Since boat capacity is limited, the Park Service recommended arriving early, which I did. I was too early and the park was still gated, so I got my photo with the park sign, then waited across the street, in a parking lot overlooking the ocean.

The fort itself is very small and built in three levels. I made it to the second level, but the top level required a ladder climb through an opening in the ceiling. I could have made it, but several middle-school-aged children were in the group and they all wanted to climb up (and down) so I let them. I would have been slow and stifled their enthusiasm!

The ground level was the largest, and housed the soldiers along with a kitchen. The officers lived on level two and the top level was mainly observation. Just getting into the fort required a climb up an external stairway as there was a “base” level that had no entrance that I could see. Perhaps it was a storeroom, or perhaps it was simply built to elevate the main areas for both better views and protection from floods.

We were given about 45 minutes to visit the fort before the ferry headed back. However, our ranger guides decided to take a detour. Dolphins like to come into the river and swim around the ferry. We had seen a couple on the trip over, so the park rangers decided to take a short ride upriver to see if we could find them again. No one complained! Sadly, we could not find them and had to return to the Visitor’s Center, as the next group was waiting for their ride to the fort.

Steve