Fort Taylor Service, Battery B, 1st U.S. Artillery
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Battery B, 1st U.S. Artillery posted to the Key West Barracks 2 June 1858. The unit had been serving "in the field" based at Fort Dallas near the present day city of Miami prior their arrival in Key West. Fort Taylor was still under construction. Captain John Brannan, commanding officer of the battery, frequently marched troops to the fort to perfect their drill serving heavy artillery. The union soldiers would march from the Key West Barracks along the southern city limits of Key West (the blue arrows), but as the 1850s drew to a close, Brannan changed the march route. He didn't want to take the chance of endangering his soldiers or angering any of the residents who favored secession. In 1860, the battery left the Key West Barracks, marching south down what is now White Street to the Atlantic side of the island (the red arrows). They then turned north and again west to head into the fort. In late 1860 and early 1861, Brannan's troops cut a road just off White Street (the black arrows) in order to save time getting to the fort. This was the route Battery B used to "seize" Fort Taylor. It was known as Rocky Road for the large number of rocks on it. Later, it was called Division Street as it almost perfectly bisected the island. Today, the road is known as Truman Avenue and is part of U.S. 1.
Meantime, the national elections were held and Lincoln was elected president. This did not sit well with southern politicians. In early December 1860, a town meeting was called to elect delegates to a convention at Tallahassee that would discuss secession. Captain E. B. Hunt, the engineer in charge of the Fort Taylor construction project, discussed with Brannan moving the artillerists into the fort to prevent its seizure by southern sympathizers. Brannan penned a letter to his superiors in Washington on 11 December, indicating that Florida's secession was a very real possibility and once the "act is committed, an attempt will be made to seize upon Fort Taylor." He requested instructions if he should "endeavor at all hazards to prevent Fort Taylor being taken" or allow the state to seize the fort without Union resistance.  Nearly a month passed without an answer. Brannan wrote another letter to Washington on 14 January 1861 that because of recent seizures of forts and arsenals in the Southern States, he was going to move his small force (44 men) into Fort Taylor to protect it until otherwise ordered by Washington. The next day he sent a letter stating that the unit successfully secured Fort Taylor. Brannan earlier had sent supplies from the Key West Barracks to Fort Taylor by ship. He marched into Fort Taylor on the night of 15 January 1861 while the southern sympathizers in Key West slept. In Brannan's latest letter, he stated that he had four months provisions and 70,000 gallons of water. He also requested garrison reinforcements. Toward the end of January 1861, Brannan received a letter from Washington stating that he should move to protect Fort Taylor. In February, Battery F, First U.S. Artillery joined Battery B at the fort. The stay of Battery F at the fort was short. After only a few weeks in garrison, the battery was ordered "in the field" in Florida. In April 1861, Fort Sumter is bombarded and war is underway. In late April 1861 President Lincoln issues a proclamation calling for a blockade of southern ports. The Federal Navy works to establish blockade squadrons. Despite a very small number of available Federal vessels, Fort Taylor and Key West become the headquarters for the East Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron. In May 1861 Lieutenant T. Craven, commander of the federal vessel Mohawk, issues a proclamation that no vessels shall enter or leave the Port of Key West without first being inspected by Federal officials. Also at this time, all elected officials exhibiting any favoritism to the south are removed from office. Key West is under Martial Law. Battery D, First U.S. Artillery arrived at Fort Taylor 21 December 1861 to help man the seacoast cannon. Battery B and Battery D remained at the fort until 18 June 1862.
Captain John Brannan not only had a war to fight, but he also was trying to adjust to the loss of his wife two years earlier in February. Mrs. Brannan posted to Key West with her husband. The wives of officers with the rank of major and above frequently traveled with their husbands to a duty station. Brannan was only a captain, but his wife's family was well known in the social circles in Staten Island, New York. She was the daughter of the late Colonel Ichabod B. Crane, the first commander of Battery B, First U.S. Artillery. Colonel Crane was an acquaintance of Washington Irving, the author of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Irving had modeled the main character of the book after Colonel Crane. One of her brothers had been the Post Surgeon at the Key West Barracks and would later become the Surgeon General of the United States. Shortly after arriving at Key West, Mrs. Brannan fell victim to the "fever" and returned to New York. During her recovery, she decided to take a boat trip from Staten Island to New York City. She was never seen again. The New York Times reported the story with the tone of a socialite disappearing. It was assumed that she had been murdered, but for what reason was unclear. The newspaper reported that Brannan had traveled back to New York to assist the authorities in their investigation. In April 1859, the Times reported the skeletal remains of a woman were found packed in a soap box in Albany. The remains answered to the size description of Mrs. Brannan. It's unclear if the remains were ever positively identified as those of Mrs. Brannan. In 1870 Captain Brannan remarried. His new bride was Miss Evelyn Way of Savannah, Georgia. Over the years, Brannan remained friendly with the Crane family. In fact, Brannan's former brother-in-law, Dr. Crane, was treating him at the time of Brannan's death in December 1892.   Battery B, First U.S. Artillery, Inc. is a non-profit organization registered with the Florida Department of State.
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