Civil War Days 2010

Fort Taylor was the guardian of the shipping lanes to ports on the Gulf of Mexico, which had been placed under a blockade by President Lincoln in 1861. Blockade runners captured by Union navy vessels were forced to anchor in front of the fort as captured "war prizes." Our main event centers around the engagements between land and sea forces -- those blockade runners that attempted escape. Its also the most popular event for re-enactors. Federal and CSA troops will have an opportunity to be aboard authentic 1860s schooners in Key West Harbor to engage in battle.

Civil War Days is held at historic Fort Taylor in Key West. Fort Taylor was one of three Union-controlled forts in Florida during the Civil War. Participants, as living historians, demonstrate to visitors exactly what life was like for a soldier during this difficult time in American history.