Fort St. Phillip. 1898 emplacement seen in the previous photo.
Rear view looking from the center of the fort. Just to the right
is one of the 1862 gun emplacements and bombproof. Just below
the emplacement (the hole in the thicket) you can see a section
of the original brick wall of the forts southwest bastion. As I
said, the fort was basically star shaped and was originally
built by the Spanish in the early 1700s. The fort was enlarged
after the war of 1812. It is not at all like Ft. Jackson, and is
about 100 years older. It is nothing more than double brick
walls filled with dirt. Most of the Civil War era buildings were
destroyed during the battle of April 12, 1862. The fort took the
brunt of Porters bombardment. There are still tons (no Joke) of
unexploded ordinance lying all over the grounds. But like I
said, the real danger there is the wildlife and reptiles. Went
there once in dead of winter (by boat). Its a nightmare. Sink
holes, quicksand and even snakes in Feb. at 40 degrees, not to
mention the boat