Fort Alafia (1)

Fort Alafia (1) (1849-1850) - A U.S. Army post established in 1849 as Camp Alafia near Keysville, Hillsborough County, Florida. Mostly known as Camp Alafia and occasionally referred to as Fort Alafia. Named after the nearby Alafia River. Abandoned in 1850. Fort Alafia marker. History This fort was first located about 20 miles from Tampa Bay in Hillsborough County, Florida. Fort Alafia was established on 29 Aug 1849, by 1st Lt and Brevet Major John C. Pemberton, (Cullum 917), and companies A and E of the 4th U.S. Artillery. On 9 May 1850, the post and its garrison were moved a mile closer to Tampa and nearer to the Alafia River. This new post was most likely built and commanded by troops from Fort Alafia as Fort Bienvenue and then renamed as Fort Alafia after the closure of the original post. On 26 Oct 1850 Company B, 1st U.S. Artillery ordered to proceed on this date to Key West, thus abandoning the post. The Post return for this date shows the post as Camp Alafia garrisoned by 1 commissioned officer and 45 noncommissioned personnel under the command of Lieutenant Samuel F. Chalfin, (Cullum 1337). That same post return indicates that this return was to be the final return for this post. Current Status Marker only. The marker is in the parking area for the Pinecrest Little League Park, Alderman's Ford County Park, Plant City, Florida. Note: The marker text regarding 1st Lt. Irving McDowell, (Cullum 963), may be in error. While McDowell was assigned to the post, the available post returns list him as absent per orders from the Adjutant General that predated the establishment of the post. It is likely that he never actually set foot on the post. His record indicates that he was Asst. Adjutant-General at the War Department, July 1848, to June 1849, and at the Headquarters of the Army, New York City, June 1849, to 8 Jan 1851. Fort Alafia (1) Partial Commanders List (edit list) Assumed Relieved Rank Name Cullum Notes 29 Aug 1849 ~ Bvt Major Pemberton, John C. 917 4th U.S. Artillery Company A 13 Jan 1850 18 Feb 1850 Bvt Major Ridgely, Samuel C. 637 4th U.S. Artillery Company C 18 Feb 1850 26 Jun 1850 Bvt Captain Rains, George W. 1113 4th U.S. Artillery Company C 26 Jun 1850 26 Oct 1850 Captain Vogdes, Israel 901 1st U.S. Artillery Company A 26 Oct 1850 ~ 1st Lt. Chalfin, Samuel F. 1337 4th U.S. Artillery Company B {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Near Keysville, Hillsborough County, Florida. Maps & Images Lat: 27.869767 Long: -82.136933 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' GPS Locations: 27.869767, -82.136933 Fort Alafia Marker See Also: Fort Bienvenue Seminole War Forts List Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 144. Post returns available Aug 1849 - Oct 1850 at Ancestry.com (by Subscription) Links: North American Forts - Fort Alafia Waymarking - Fort Alafia Visited: 12 Sep 2021