The Battle of Santa Rosa Island (October 9, 1861) was an unsuccessful Confederate attempt to take Union held Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, Florida. Background Santa Rosa Island is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles from the Alabama state border. At the western end stood Fort Pickens, which in the fall of 1861 was gar risoned by parts of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th U. S. artillery and the 3rd U....