If you continue across the parade ground toward the bay, you can see the water battery, which is located below Fort Barrancas itself, and is accessed by an underground passage. It was originally known as Bateria de San Antonio, and is essentially a small self-contained fort of its own. Its proximity to the water level allowed it to used the tactic of "skipping" the cannonballs across the water to hit ships at the water line.
In addition to the scarp gallery, Fort Barrancas also has counterscarp gallerys. The counterscarp is the wall on the opposite side of the ditch, and is present on the landward side of the fort. The counterscarp gallery is located in the wall. The counterscarp wall supports the glacis, a mound of earth which protects the scarp wall of the fort from direct cannon fire. It was reached by an underground passage from the main body of the fort, located near the guardroom.
This view, taken from the ditch, shows the drawbridge and the scarp and counterscarp walls on the landward side of the fort. The walls are 20 feet tall, and are constructed of brick 4 foot thick.Continue
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