During the later years of Fort Pickens’ service, the old fortress was heavily modified to accommodate the newer military technology of the Endicott era, when threats arising from the Spanish-American War and from World War I saw the need for more massive artillery pieces mounted in batteries of steel-reinforced concrete. One such emplacement - Battery Pensacola - was constructed squarely in Pickens’ parade ground, between Bastions A and C. This massive new battery mounted two 12-inch Disappearing Rifles, each capable of throwing a 1070 pound shell eight miles. Problem was, Bastion B stood just beyond the center of Battery Pensacola, its uppr structure blocking the new emplacement’s sighting towers. And so, army engineers removed the upper level of Bastion B. Firing of the big rifles further damaged Bastion B, leaving it in the open-and-ruined state in which it is seen today.
