Home > United States of America > Florida > Escambia County > Pensacola > Barrancas National Cemetery

Barrancas National Cemetery

Memorials	:	809
Location	:	Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Phone	:	(850) 453-4108
Website	:	www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/barrancas.asp
Coordinate	:	30.3553238, -87.2841187
Description	:	Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day. Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Following the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, Florida seceded from the Union despite its entry only 16 years before. As it provided the best harbor along the Gulf of Mexico, possession of Pensacola Bay was a key mission for both the Union and Confederate forces. The Army guarded the entrance to Pensacola Bay with three fortifications: Fort McRae and Fort Barrancas on the land side, and Fort Pickens at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island. Army... Read More	Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day. Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Following the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, Florida seceded from the Union despite its entry only 16 years before. As it provided the best harbor along the Gulf of Mexico, possession of Pensacola Bay was a key mission for both the Union and Confederate forces. The Army guarded the entrance to Pensacola Bay with three fortifications: Fort McRae and Fort Barrancas on the land side, and Fort Pickens at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island. Army Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer, commander of the 1st U.S. Artillery at Fort Barrancas, realized that if war proved inevitable and Southern forces attacked, his small force of 51 men could not possibly defend all four garrisons. On Jan. 10, 1861, the same day Florida seceded from the Union, Slemmer spiked the guns at Fort Barrancas, blew up ammunition at Fort McRae and concentrated all his troops at Fort Pickens, which he believed was the key to the defense of Pensacola Harbor. Two days later, Slemmer’s men watched as Southern soldiers moved into the other forts across the channel. When, on Jan. 15, soldiers from Florida and Alabama demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens, Lieutenant Slemmer refused. Within days the two sides reached a truce in which the South agreed not to attack Fort Pickens and the North would not reinforce the fort. By the time Lincoln took office in March, both Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, S.C., and Fort Pickens needed supplies. Lincoln had pledged to continue federal occupation of both forts. If he withdrew the garrisons it would mean he recognized the legitimacy of the Confederacy; if he supplied the forts he risked war. The Union eventually did send ships from Fort Monroe but, under the terms of the truce, they dared not land. For 10 weeks, the Union ships waited, while inside the fort Slemmer and his men prepared for the inevitable strike. After ten weeks without an attack, Slemmer and his men learned of the firing on Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War. On the mainland, the Navy Yard was surrendered intact to Confederate forces on April 12, 1861, but Fort Pickens remained under control of the Union forces throughout the Civil War. For the next year, Confederate and Union forces engaged in a number of skirmishes. In May 1862, Confederate forces abandoned the Navy yard, Fort Barrancas, and Fort McRae. The continuing presence of a strong federal force at Fort Pickens no doubt was a significant factor in the Confederate decision to abandon the Pensacola Bay area. Many Union and Confederate dead were interred in the Barrancas cemetery. As the war continued, the remains of other casualties were brought here for burial. By agreement between the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of War, on Jan. 30, 1868, the cemetery was transferred to the War Department to become Barrancas National Cemetery. In 1869, Gen. Lorenzo Thomas, inspector of national cemeteries, reported that about 1,310 burials had been made in the cemetery. In addition to the troops stationed at Forts Barrancas and Pickens, remains had been reinterred here from the surrounding area, including Santa Rosa Island and Apalachicola in Franklin County. This total included the remains of 673 unknown Union soldiers. In 1944, 1950, 1986, and 1990 additional acreage was transferred from the Naval Air Station to expand the cemetery. Monuments and Memorials Barrancas National Cemetery contains a monument honoring those who died from yellow fever. It was erected in 1884 by the Marine Guard of the Navy Yard in memory of eight comrades who died in an epidemic during late August and early September 1883. The names of the fever victims are inscribed on the four faces of the monuments.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Barrancas National Cemetery?
Barrancas National Cemetery is located at Naval Air Station, 1 Cemetery Road Pensacola, Escambia County ,Florida , 32508-1054USA.
Barrancas National Cemetery cemetery's updated grave count on graveviews.com?
781 memorials
Where are the coordinates of the Barrancas National Cemetery?
Latitude: 30.3553238
Longitude: -87.2841187

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Old Warrington-Woolsey Cemetery
Warrington, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3551700, -87.2857900

2. Chasefield Plantation Cemetery
Pensacola Beach, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3246994, -87.2853012

3. Saint Johns Episcopal Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3852440, -87.2708270

4. Good Hope AME Church Cemetery
Warrington, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3886800, -87.2761300

5. Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4027300, -87.2748300

6. Pleasant Grove Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3600234, -87.3435663

7. Al Islam Da'Wah Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3857700, -87.2150000

8. Donaldson Plantation Cemetery
Baldwin County, USA
Coordinate: 30.2880800, -87.2731900

9. Myrtle Grove Methodist Cemetery
Myrtle Grove, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4247780, -87.2923440

10. Saint Josephs Catholic Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4181271, -87.2408218

11. Saint John's Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4158001, -87.2352982

12. Temple Beth-El Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4213300, -87.2440300

13. Bnai Israel Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4222100, -87.2437100

14. Union Hill Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4309788, -87.3029099

15. Duncan Cemetery
Santa Rosa County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3600826, -87.1946030

16. Panton House Burial Site
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4071500, -87.2173500

17. Millview Cemetery
Millview, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4310800, -87.3239900

18. First Presbyterian Church Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4145400, -87.2153900

19. Zion Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4234600, -87.2260400

20. Christ Episcopal Church Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4171900, -87.2166500

21. First United Methodist Church Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4168500, -87.2158200

22. Magnolia Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4246040, -87.2258660

23. Old Pensacola Fort Burial Ground
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4186990, -87.2169290

24. Saint Michael's Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4141998, -87.2091980

Barrancas National Cemetery

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