On July 27, 1816, Fort Blount—more commonly known as Negro Fort—on the Apalachicola River in Florida was attacked by U.S. forces and their Creek allies. This was part of the U.S. military campaign to eliminate the fort, which had become a refuge for escaped enslaved people and allied Indigenous groups.

The Attack on Negro Fort

• Background: The fort had been abandoned by the British after the War of 1812, but formerly enslaved people and some Native Americans took control of it. The fort was seen as a threat by the U.S. and Southern plantation owners because it was a haven for those escaping slavery.
• Attack: On July 27, an American force, led by General Edmund P. Gaines and accompanied by Creek warriors, fired a red-hot cannonball into the fort’s powder magazine.
• Explosion: The cannonball ignited the gunpowder storage, causing a massive explosion that destroyed the fort almost instantly.
• Casualties: Out of around 300 people inside, nearly 270 were killed. Only a few survived, and many were captured and returned to slavery.

Aftermath

• The destruction of Negro Fort was a major event leading up to the First Seminole War (1817–1818).
• The U.S. built Fort Gadsden on the site to prevent any future uprisings.
• This event was an early example of the U.S. military enforcing slavery and territorial expansion in the South.