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 PENSACOLA PENSACOLA BAY 2T3 the approach to completion of the railroad connecting it with Montgomery. Since the war it has had considerable commerce, and its lumber business is important. The value of foreign imports for the year ending June 30, 1874, was $23,964; of exports to foreign ports, $2,864,913. It has an excellent harbor, admitting vessels of a draught of 22 ft. The principal public buildings are a custom house and Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyte- rian, Methodist, and Baptist churches. There are several schools and academies, and two weekly newspapers. The remains of the old Spanish forts, San Miguel and St. Bernard, may be seen in the rear of the city. The climate is exceedingly healthful, except for occasion- al visitations of yellow fever. (For the navy yard and forts, see PENSACOLA BAT.) There is some uncertainty with regard to the original settlement of Pensacola. It is believed that a few French colonists established themselves here about the year 1696. The place was in the possession of the Spaniards in 1699, about which time a colony of 300 emigrated thither from Vera Cruz. In 1719 it was captured by Bienville, but in 1723 it was restored to the Spaniards. In 1763 Pensacola, with the rest of Florida, passed into the occupancy of the British. It was again besieged and taken by the Spanish general Galvez in 1781 ; and in 1783 the whole province was retroceded to Spain. In November, 1814, the British forces, which had been permitted by the Spanish au- thorities to establish themselves at Pensacola, were driven out by Gen. Jackson, who assaulted and took the town and adjacent forts. In May, 1818, Jackson again took the town, and obliged Fort Barrancas, to which the Spanish governor had retired, to capitulate. This movement was made in consequence of the incursions of hos- tile Indians from Florida into United States territory, and the inability or unwillingness of the Spanish authorities to suppress them. By a treaty concluded in 1819, and executed in 1821, the whole province was ceded to the United States. On Jan. 12, 1861, soon after the passage by Florida of the ordinance of se- cession, a body of militia appeared before the navy yard and demanded its surrender to the state authorities. The yard and the adjacent forts were given up without opposition. Two days before this event, Lieut. Slemmer, com- manding at Fort Barrancas, had crossed over with about 80 soldiers and marines to Santa Rosa island and taken possession of Fort Pickens, which he refused to surrender. Sev- eral national vessels were ordered to rendez- vous off Santa Rosa island, but for two months they were not allowed to take any measures for the reenf orcement of the fort, or even to furnish it with supplies, during the pendency of negotiations at Washington. On April 12 orders were sent that the fort should be re- enforced ; and a week afterward Col. Harvey Brown, with 750 soldiers and a considerable amount of artillery and supplies, arrived and took command. The confederates had collected a force on the mainland, under Gen. Bragg, who cut off supplies from the fort, and several times opened fire upon it, but at a range too great to inflict any damage. About the middle of June Wilson's regiment of New York zouaves was landed on Santa Rosa island, where they en- camped on the bare sand outside of Fort Pickens. Early in October the confederates made a descent upon the island by night, pene- trating into the camp of the zouaves, which was almost entirely destroyed, but retired on the approach of reinforcements from the fort. Two spirited but ineffectual engagements, con- sisting exclusively of an interchange of the fire of heavy artillery, afterward took place : one, opened by Fort Pickens and the vessels of the national fleet, in November, 1861 ; the other, opened by the confederates, on Jan. 1, 1862. Pensacola, with the navy yard and neighboring forts, was soon afterward evacuated by Gen. Bragg. They were immediately reoccupied by the federals, but the troops were afterward withdrawn to the navy yard, leaving the town a sort of neutral ground, liable to occasional temporary occupation by either belligerent. On Feb. 19, 1864, an accidental conflagration swept over five squares, destroying some of the most valuable buildings in the city. PENS1COLA BAY, an arm of the gulf of Mex- ico, in the western part of Florida, extending inland about 30 or 35 m. in a N. E. direction. At a little more than half this distance from the sea it separates itself into two divisions, Escambia bay on the west, and on the east the bay of Santa Maria de Galvez with its subsid- iaries, East and Black Water bays. The former receives the waters of the Escambia river ; the latter, those of the Black Water and Yellow Water. The entrance of the bay, between Santa Rosa island on the east and the main- land on the west, is little more than 1 m. wide, but within it expands into a capacious harbor, from 4 to 8 m. in width, and entirely land- locked. There is a depth of about 22 ft. of water on the bar. The entrance of Pensacola bay is defended by Fort Pickens on the east, situated on the extreme point of the long, nar- row island of Santa Rosa, and Fort McRee on the west, situated on the mainland. ^ About 1 m. to the north, and immediately in front of the entrance (the W. shore making an abrupt turn E.), stands Fort San Carlos de Barrancas. Near this fort are the lighthouse, extensive barracks, and the naval hospital. About a mile above the hospital is the navy yard, situ- ated on Tartar point, where the shore again bends north. The villages of Warrington and Woolsey lie immediately adjacent to the wall of the navy yard. Seven miles above is the town of Pensacola. At the mouth of Black Water river is the village of Bagdad, where there are saw mills, sash manufactories, &c. Milton, a village of about 1,500 inhabitants, is 2 m. above. There is a large lumber trade ^ on the shores of Pensacola bay and its tributaries.