History of the Castillo

First Spanish Period: 1565-1763
This period is discussed in the "St. Augustine" and "Why Build the Castillo?" articles.

British Period: 1763-1784
At the end of the Seven Years' War, Spain ceded Florida to Britain in exchange for the return of Havana and the Philippines. Florida was split into East and West divisions, and the fort was renamed to Fort St. Mark. St. Augustine was at this point the capital of the British loyalist forces and thus enjoyed repairs and renovations, including the conversion of several antique buildings to military barracks. In addition to its traditional military purposes, the frt was used to house war prisoners, a duty that would be continued in future occupations.

In 1779, Spain came to the aid of America in that Spanish Louisiana engaged the British forces along the Gulf of Mexico, preventing them from fueling their efforts to defeat the colonies. Bernardo de Galvez was the primary general on the Spanish side, capturing Pensacola and all of the British forts along the southern Missisippi. Florida was returned to Spain under the Second Treaty of Paris.

Second Spanish Period: 1784-1821
At this point, Spain was the official holder of Florida; upon their return to the area, they retitled the fort to its original moniker, Castillo de San Marcos. However, though they expected to return and find things not significantly changed, the demographic of Florida was dramatically altered. The area was now home to more British than Spanish, and the Native American tribes were actively welcoming runaway slaves. This was, of course, distressing, but Spain still maintained the Castillo until they were pressured into ceding it to America in 1821.

First American Period: 1821-1861
When the American forces arrived at the fort, they declared the name to be changed to Fort Marion in order to eradicate the Spanish feeling. At this point in time, the fort was mostly used to house war prisoners, and another level of renovations was commenced to convert the storerooms to jailing cells.

Confederate Period: 1861-1862
In 1845, Florida joined as a state, but seceeded with the rest of the South in 1860. The Northern government withdrew their meager troops when the Confederacy marched on the fort, handing it over peacefully; at this point, the Confederate forces removed most of the artillery on the base as it was not an essential fort.

Second American Period: 1862-1900
In an attempt to protect the town from the ravages of war, the depleted Confederate forces inside the Castillo surrendered the fort to the USS Wabash. This continued the theme of the fort having never been taken by force, only treaty. Under the name of Fort Marion, it operated as a military prison for Native Americans and for deserters in the Spanish American War. In 1900, it was decommissioned as an active base and in 1942 it was retitled as the Castillo de San Marcos.