Cantonment Clinch

Cantonment Clinch was an Army fort in Pensacola, Florida during the 1820s and 1830s.

Army Meteorological Register summarizes observations that the Post Surgeon began in 1822. Army troops escaping yellow fever at other forts and in Pensacola city built this cantonment at the head of Bayou Chico circa 1821. The cantonment lay three miles west of Pensacola, then a small town. They named the cantonment after a beloved colonel in their regiment.

The cantonment contained ten log barracks and ten quarters for officers around a large parade ground. Its soldiers probably saw action in local wars against the Indian tribes of this frontier area. They also constructed roads to other military facilities in west Florida and adjacent portions of Alabama.

The post closed circa 1830; troops evacuated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.