To the Spanish, San Juan was one of the most valuable jewels in their empire. They went to great lengths to protect it. The city's defenses during Spanish colonial rule covered 250 acres and left just 62 acres for other buildings.
DID YOU KNOW?
In 1493, Christopher Columbus named the island of Puerto Rico San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). Meanwhile, the city of San Juan originally was named Puerto Rico (Rich Port). The names were switched in 1520, possibly due to a cartographer's error. Puerto Rico became the name of the island, and the island's largest city and famous port became known as San Juan.
First Fortress
To protect San Juan from foreign enemies and Indigenous Carib people, Spain's King Charles V ordered the construction of La Fortaleza. Begun in 1533, it was San Juan's first fortified building. But its location proved inadequate to guard the entrance to San Juan's harbor. It was captured twice-by the British in 1598 and by the Dutch in 1625.
It eventually was converted to other uses. It has been used as an arsenal and as a prison. Today, it serves as the governor's residence. It is the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas.
Harbor Outpost
Construction on another fort began in 1539 and lasted until 1786. The Castillo de San Felipe del Morro was built on the tip of the point on San Juan Bay. El Morro was perfectly situated to protect San Juan's port. It began with a simple tower, but it evolved into a massive state-of-the-art example of European military architecture. Its 18-foot-thick walls rise 140 feet above the sea.
It thwarted countless sea attacks by pirates, privateers, and foreign enemies.
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Putting the Pieces Together
Americans needed to begin to put the past behind them, come together, and plan for the future in the spring of 1865. But Abraham Lincoln, the man best equipped to lead them and who had hoped to restore the country as smoothly and peacefully as possible, had been assassinated.
LAST SHOTS
The last Confederate forces in the Civil War didn’t surrender in the spring of 1865 or on a battlefield.
AND IN OTHER 1865 NEWS
A group of African Americans stop at the White House’s annual public reception on January 1, where they shake hands with President Abraham Lincoln.
A Plot to Kill President the
For several months, actor John Wilkes Booth’s band of conspirators had plotted to capture President Abraham Lincoln and hold him hostage in exchange for Confederate prisoners.
Let the Thing Be Pressed
In June 1864, Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant began a nearly 10-month campaign in Virginia.
HEALING THE NATION
President Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for the second time on March 4, 1865.
A Helping Hand
The spring season is hard in any agricultural society. Plants and animals are too small to eat.
WAR SHERMAN-STYLE
As far as Union Major General William T. Sherman was concerned, the Civil War had gone on long enough.
PEACE TALKS
The fall of Fort Fisher made clear that the Confederacy’s days were numbered. Southerners were tired and hungry.
FORT FISHER'S FALL
Outnumbered Confederate soldiers inside Fort Fisher were unable to withstand the approach of Union troops by land and the constant Union naval bombardment from the sea.
