h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

By the time the 'Motto' returned to Tampa Bay, in early August, 1836. The 'Concord' was no where to be seen. The only government ship at the anchorage was the Revenue Cutter 'Washington'. After reporting the Army post at Fort Brooke, Leib was given orders from his captain to report to him, with his men, at Pensacola as soon as possible. He presented his orders to the captain of the 'Washington', and he agreed to transport them back to the squadron.

On the voyage to the panhandle Lieb wrote out his report to the Commodore, which has been most of the basis of the preceding few Journals.

Shortly after his arrival at Pensacola Commodore Dallas and Captain Mix traded ships. It might be that the Commodore was tired of sitting on a ship (the frigate 'Constellation') that was too large to take an active part in the action, or that Captain Mix was already beginning to suffer from his fever. Mix's death was reported on 9 February, 1839, and all the reports stated that it was caused by the effects of a fever he contracted while serving in 'tropical climates'. A87758185

In any event the next time Leib entered Tampa Bay the 'Concord 'was bearing the 'broad pendant' of Commodore Dallas. The commodore started a series of communications with Army General Jessup, who had assumed command of all the troops in Florida.

As a part of their talks, Dallas agreed to loan several of his officers, Sailors and Marines to man several of the new series of forts that Jessup had decided to construct. On 1 January, 1837 Lieutenant Leib found himself on the way to another detached duty, accompanied by two midshipmen and 40 sailors. He was to take command of Fort Alabama, a newly rebuilt stockade about 24 miles to the north east of Fort Brooke.

When the earlier stockade had been abandoned the previous spring, the departing soldiers had left a musket pointed into a cask of gunpowder. A string connected to the trigger and the door completed the booby trap. The departing troops reported that they had heard a large explosion when they were about two miles away.

When Col. William Foster retuned in early December he reported finding two or three skeletons in front of the shattered door. Rather than just restoring the old stockade on the site, he built a proper fortress with two block houses on opposing corners and a large storehouse in the centre. He also constructed a new bridge over the Hillsborough River. The original bridge had been burned by the Seminoles in December, 1835, shortly before the outbreak of war.

When Leib and his men arrived they found the name of their post had been changed to Fort Foster, as a tribute to the man who had been responsible for its construction. They were in a remote outpost, on the edge of hostile territory. They had a storehouse and bridge to defend, the Army had left a dozen men to handle the two cannons - otherwise they were on their own.

F S

"When the earlier stockade had been abandoned the previous spring, the departing soldiers had left a musket pointed into a cask of gunpowder. A string connected to the trigger and the door completed the booby trap. The departing troops reported that they had heard a large explosion when they were about two miles away."[Florida Sailor]

That sounds tailor-made for a film comedy, but it seems out of place for a real-life historical saga. Why would the soldiers do such a thing?

Destroying the powder they could not remove, the opportunity to kill some of the enemy was a bonus. Soldiers are not saints and they had a score to settle, that's why.

Nice work FS

They seldom include a 'why' in the official reports

But there is no doubt in my mind that this actually happened. I have read an official report in the Mix papers about this incident, and there are other records of the event.

I will not suggest you google it as most seem to have lifted my accounts in the popular sites, after a brief look I see that Wikipedia has even lifted MY photos from this site

F S

"the opportunity to kill some of the enemy was a bonus." [ Bob Stafford]

Okay, I didn't pick up on the bit about the people at the fort being enemies.....

[Amy P]