Open main menu

Prince of Wales Redoubt

The Prince of Wales Redoubt was a British fortification located on Gage Hill that served as one of two advanced redoubts to Fort George. (The Queen's Redoubt was the other.) It was located about 300 yards north of Fort George, near the modern-day intersection of Spring and Cervantes Streets, and consisted of a hat-shaped parapet surrounded by protective ditches. It measured 275 feet at its widest point.

Prince of Wales Redoubt
Gage Hill
Built 1780
Builder General John Campbell
Construction materials Timber logs, sand, earth
Size 275 feet at widest point
In use 1780-1781
Controlled by Britain
Armament 8-10 cannons (designed for 5)
Garrison 1100 men between three Gage Hill forts
Battles Siege of Pensacola
Present status No longer extant

The redoubt was a key line of defense during the 1781 Siege of Pensacola. When the powder magazine at the Queen's Redoubt was detonated on the morning of May 8, the Prince of Wales Redoubt found itself facing an entrenched Spanish siege force at close range. The situation untenable, British commanders Peter Chester and John Campbell were forced to surrender.

The Spanish renamed the redoubt Fort Sombrero, but did not substantially maintain it. Nothing now remains of it.

References

  • James C. and Irene S. Coleman. Guardians on the Gulf: Pensacola Fortifications, 1698-1980. Pensacola Historical Society, 1982.