Nicolls' Outpost
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 30° 42.042 W 084° 51.401
16R E 705273 N 3398393
Located in Clyde T. Hopkins Municipal Park along the Apalachicola River.
Waymark Code: WMVP8K
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/12/2017
Views: 5
Atop this large prehistoric mound stood Nicolls' Outpost, a British fort of the War of 1812. Built in the fall of 1814, it was a rectangular earthen redoubt with a surrounding stockade and was armed with two small cannons. Garrisoned by 180 white and black Royal Colonial Marines, the outpost was named for Bvt. Lt. Col. Edward Nicolls, a noted British officer of the early 19th century. Nicolls was assigned the task of forming a battalion of Royal Colonial Marines by enlisting and training both free blacks and liberated slaves from Spanish Florida and the United States. He also was ordered to supply a large fighting force of Red Stick Creek and Seminole Indians. The outpost provided protection for Nicolls' main base at today's Fort Gadsden Historic Site in the Apalachicola National Forest. It was to serve as a launching point for a planned invasion of Georgia and more than 500 Creek and Seminole Indians gathered here in January 1815. War parties were sent into Georgia to scout and raid, prompting U.S. forces to move against the fort in February 1815. They were preparing to attack when news arrived of the end of the War of 1812. A major council of chiefs met here in March to appeal for continued British support, but Nicolls' Outpost was abandoned soon after.
Marker Number: None
Date: None
County: Gadsden
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: West Gadsden Historical Society, Chattahoochee Main Street, City of Chattahoochee
Website: Not listed
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