In August of 1861, the Florida Light Infantry erected a fort at the mouth of the St. Johns River at Mayport mills. This palmetto-log bastion known as Fort Steele was meager at best, and it was easily captured by Union troops, who held this strategic location for most of the war.
This photo is believed to be the windswept Union camp on the dunes at Mayport Mills, where the U.S. Signal Corps kept a watchful eye on ships entering the river.
