Battle of Ocheesee - Calhoun and Liberty Counties, Florida

From either Torreya State Park in Liberty County or Ocheesee Landing across the Apalachicola River in Gadsden County, it is possible to obtain a good view of the site of one of the most important battles of the First Seminole War.

The Battle of Ocheesee, Florida, was fought December 15-20, 1817, between a force of hundreds of Seminole and Creek warriors and a small force of U.S. troops escorting a flotilla of supply boats up the Apalachicola River.

The warriors were flush from dramatic victories over U.S. and allied Indian forces at Scott's Massacre (November 30, 1817) and the Battle of Blunt's Town (December 13, 1817) and hoped to surprise, halt and possibly even capture the supply vessels then slowly making their way up the river to Fort Scott in what is now Decatur County, Georgia. Taking up positions on both banks of the river, they ambushed the vessels on December 15, 1817, killing 2 soldiers and wounding another 13.

The fighting became so severe that the soldiers could not even show their heads above the bulwarks of their boats to fire back without risking death or serious injury. Pinned down and unable to move, Major Peter Muhlenburg was forced to drop anchor in mid-stream. Heavy firing continued for days until on November 19th, a specially fitted boat arrived from Fort Scott carrying materials that the soldiers were able to better fortify the supply boats. Slowly, in the days that followed, they were able to again make progress and break free of the attack.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ocheese1.

Letchworth-Love Mounds - North Florida

A park just off U.S. 90 between Tallahassee and Monticello may be the home of the largest surviving Indian mound in Florida.

Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park is a relatively new state park that preserves the site of a major Native American chiefdom thought to date from the Weeden Island Period. Artifacts discovered in the park have been dated to the years 300 - 900 A.D.

The mounds marked the capital of an important chiefdom that thrived in the swamps and wetlands around beautiful Lake Miccosukee, a noteworthy body of water just west of Monticello. Researchers believe that the site once included as many as 15 mounds, but only four remain today. Of these, one is the magnificent mound once known as the Miccosukee Indian Mound. It rises 46 feet into the air and is 300 feet across the base. At the time of its use, it was probably even much taller.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/letchworth.

Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park - Jacksonville, Florida

At Dame's Point point on the north shore of the St. Johns River, an all but forgotten Florida state park preserves the earthwork remains of Yellow Bluff Fort, built by Southern forces in 1862 to defend Jacksonville from Union attack.

Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park was established in the 1950s, but remains largely undeveloped. A monument and a few corroded iron cannon dot the grounds, which consist of a few acres surrounding the earthen battery built by Confederate troops in September of 1862. The important east coast ports of Fernandina and St. Augustine had fallen that month, but the South determined to wage a stronger fight for control of Jacksonville and the vital St. Johns River. Major fortifications were built on St. Johns Bluff near today's Fort Caroline National Memorial and at Yellow Bluff, which commanded a sweeping bend of the St. Johns and an important anchorage.

Although Southern engineers planned to place seven pieces of heavy artillery at Yellow Bluff, the fort was armed only with light field pieces when the Union attack on the St. Johns was launched in early October. Although the garrison at St. Johns Bluff threw back the initial attacks, the commander there evacuated his works before the main Union attack could place. The controversial move gave Federal forces control of the important position and rendered the unfinished fort at Yellow Bluff untenable. The site was evacuated by Confederate forces and the U.S. flag was raised over the earthworks on October 5, 1862. Held by Union troops off and on for the rest of the war, it was used as a camp and signal station.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/yellowblufffort.

Montiano's Georgia Campaign: Part Four

Having successfully driven back the advance troops of the Spanish at the Battle of Gully Hole Creek, General James Oglethorpe followed them up the Military Road across St. Simons Island.

As the Spanish fell back on reinforcements sent out by Florida Governor Don Manuel de Montiano, Oglethorpe put his Highlanders, rangers, Indian allies and three companies from the 42nd Regiment of Foot into position along the edge of a wooded area that overlooked a wide expanse of marsh. Montiano's soldiers would have to cross the marsh to resume their advance on Fort Frederica.

With his men in position, Oglethorpe went back down the road to hurry forward additional troops. During his absence, however, Spanish troops could be heard approaching the marsh. As the Highlanders and other English soldiers prepared for battle, the Spanish stormed onto the marsh yelling their battle cries.

Unnerved by the attack, the men of the 42nd Regiment of Foot retreated, but the Highlanders, rangers and Indians withstood the initial assault and fought the larger Spanish force to a standoff. Running low on ammunition, Montiano's men finally withdrew before Oglethorpe could reform his regulars and return them to action.

The English later claimed that the marsh ran red with the blood of Spanish soldiers and named the engagement the Battle of Bloody Marsh. Although casualties were actually lighter than sustained in the fight earlier in the day at Gully Hole Creek, the battle forever ended Spain's hopes of reclaiming Georgia and permanently established the northern line of Florida at the St. Mary's River.

After attempting several other minor movements, Montiano gave up and withdrew his army of 5,000 men to his ships. A subsequent attempt to capture an English fort on Cumberland Island failed and the Spanish finally sailed back to St. Augustine. Oglethorpe, through bold action and the hard fighting of a single company of Highlanders, had defeated a much larger Spanish force. Montiano's Georgia Campaign was over.

To learn more about the Battle of Bloody Marsh, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bloodymarsh.

Montiano's Georgia Campaign: Part Three

Once ashore on St. Simons Island, the Spanish troops from Florida occupied the ruins of Fort St. Simons, repaired the fortification and mounted cannon of their own. Then, on July 7, 1742, an advance force was sent up the Military Road carved across the island by the English, to establish a fortified line near Fort Frederica.

These troops, numbering only around 200, encountered English pickets as they approached the swath of open marsh surrounding Gully Hole Creek near today's Christ Church. The pickets alerted General James Oglethorpe at nearby Fort Frederica and he began to rush troops to the scene.

Fortunately for the English, the first of Oglethorpe's commands to reach the scene was the Independent Company of Highlanders from Darien, Georgia. A unit of hard-fighting Scottish Highlanders, they stormed into the intensifying fight and actually won the Battle of Gully Hole Creek before the rest of Oglethorpe's troops could come up.

Leaving 12 soldiers dead on the field and losing another 10 as prisoners of war, the Spanish withdrew back down the island to meet reinforcements being sent forward by Governor Don Manuel de Montiano. The withdrawal was the first in a series of blows that would forever end Spain's hopes of reclaiming its lost lands in Georgia.

To learn more about the Battle of Gully Hole Creek, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/gullyholecreek.

Montiano's Georgia Campaign - Part Two

This is Part Two of a series on a military campaign launched from St. Augustine in 1742. To read Part One, please click here.

The Spanish finally launched their campaign to retaliate for Oglethorpe's attacks on St. Augustine in the summer of 1742. Sailing north with an impressive fleet and an army of nearly 5,000 men, Governor Don Manuel de Montiano arrived off St. Simons and Jekyll Islands.

Ashore on St. Simons Island, General James Oglethorpe and his English troops prepared for battle as well as they could. The primary defense for St. Simons Sound, the entrance to the harbor and mouth of the Frederica River, by which the important post of Fort Frederica could be reached, was Fort St. Simons. Built on the southern point of St. Simons Island, the fort mounted a number of 18-pounder cannon positioned to sweep the sound.

It took some time for weather conditions to favor an attempt by the Spanish fleet to run past the guns of Fort St. Simons, but on July 5. 1742, the winds turned. With a strong gale blowing, Montiano led his fleet into St. Simons Sound.

The battle was fierce, as the cannon from the ships exchanged fire with the guns of Fort St. Simons, but despite its firepower, the fort was unable to stop the passage of the Spanish fleet. More fighting took place between Spanish soldiers and sailors and the men aboard English vessels, but Oglethorpe quickly realized he could not hope to prevail in the unequal contest and withdrew back up the river to Fort Frederica.

With the Spanish fleet now in the harbor, the general also realized that Fort St. Simons would likely fall to a land attack, so to avoid the losses such a battle would incur, he ordered the garrison to withdraw to the main post at Frederica. The cannon were spiked and as much damage as possible done to the works. The English then pulled back up the island's Military Road to the much stronger defenses of Fort Frederica.

I will continue with more on Montiano's campaign in the next post. Until then, you can read more on Fort St. Simons by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortstsimons.

Montiano's Georgia Campaign - A Turning Point in Florida History

One of the least known yet most important events in Florida history took place primary across the line in Georgia.

In 1742, Spanish Governor Don Manuel de Montiano launched a campaign against the English in Georgia and the Carolinas from his capital of St. Augustine, Florida. Montiano was outraged over an attack on St. Augustine carried out two years earlier by English General James Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony. The attack failed when Oglethorpe's army was unable to take the power fort of Castillo de San Marcos.

The unusually named War of Jenkins' Ear was then raging between England and Spain (it took its name from the severed ear of an English sea captain who had been captured by the Spanish), but Spain was equally outraged by England's blatant planting of the Georgia colony on lands claimed by the Spanish since the 1500s.

Anticipating a move against his new colony even before the outbreak of fighting in the Americas, General Oglethorpe had built a military town named Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island in 1736. A powerful fortress on the Frederica River which formed the landward coast of the island, Frederica controlled the inland passage up the Georgia coast. To further protect the island, Oglethorpe had built Fort St. Simons on the site of today's St. Simons Lighthouse. Armed with 18-pounder cannon, it was designed to prevent Spanish ships from entering St. Simons Sound.

In addition, as he had moved down the coast against St. Augustine, Oglethorpe built other forts on Cumberland, Amelia and Fort George Islands. These would provide early warning of a Spanish move up the coast. As Montiano would learn, the English had built at least the appearance of a strong defense.

Over the coming days I will post on some of the surviving sites associated with Montiano's Georgia Campaign and look closer at the dramatic effects of English victory in the fighting that was come. Be sure to check back regularly. Until the next post, you can read more about Montiano's base of operations at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1 and Oglethorpe's base at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortfrederica.

Battle of Marianna Anniversary is This Weekend

Reenactments, a parade, special observances and even a bluegrass festival are being staged in Marianna this weekend to commemorate the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Marianna.

The little known but bloody Civil War encounter took place on September 27, 1864, when Union troops attacked the Northwest Florida city at the culmination of the deepest Federal penetration of Confederate Florida during the entire war. When the attack on the city took place, it was resisted by a force of several hundred Southern regulars, militia, volunteers, home guards and walking wounded. A severe fight followed that was called by some participants the most violent they saw during the war in any battle, regardless of size. By the time it was over, 25% of Marianna's male population had been either killed, wounded or captured. On the Union side, the 2nd Maine Cavalry had suffered its bloodiest day of the Civil War.

The battlefield is marked today by interpretive signs, monuments and tombstones. If you are interested in learning more, please consider the book: The Battle of Marianna, Florida. It is available through www.amazon.com. You can also learn more by visiting www.battleofmarianna.com. If you are interested in a schedule for this weekend's events, please click here.

The Fountain of Youth - St. Augustine, Florida

Ok, admittedly its a bit of a stretch, but a popular tourist attraction in St. Augustine has billed itself as Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth for more than 100 years. Millions of tourists have visited the grounds through the years.

What is not a stretch, however, is that this 15 acre park contains some of the most significant historic sites in the United States. While no one knows for sure the precise site of Juan Ponce de Leon's landing in 1539, an old tradition holds that it took place at the Fountain of Youth Park and that he sampled the water from a small spring there. The spring is now enclosed in a picturesque stone building that also features a life-size recreation of Ponce de Leon coming ashore in Florida.

While the legend may or may not be true, archaeologists have uncovered another fact that makes the park one of the most unique in America. Excavations near the waterfront have revealed the remains of the original fort and village built by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565 when he arrived and founded St. Augustine. These archaeological remains represent the founding moments of the oldest city in the United States.

Archaeologists have also discovered the site of the original Mission Nombre de Dios on the grounds. It was the oldest permanent Christian site in the continental United States.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fountainofyouth.

Fort Caroline National Memorial - Jacksonville, Florida

Jean Ribault's 1562 exploration of the area around the mouth of the St. Johns River convinced Huguenot (Protestant) leaders in France that it was the ideal setting for their planned colony in the New World.

With approval from the King, 200 soldiers and colonists arrived in Florida in 1565 and built a triangular fort of earth and wood on St. Johns Bluff, within the limits of the modern city of Jacksonville. A village grew beside the fort, the first attempt to establish a settlement devoted to religious freedom in what is now the United States. The Hugenot settlers were fleeing persecution from followers of the Catholic Church in France, and hoped to open the way for more Protestants to follow.

The settlement was named Fort Caroline and the French referred to the surrounding area as La Caroline. Despite the initial promise of the settlement, life there quickly became difficult. Relations with the local Timucua Indians soured, provisions ran short and sickness and disease were rampant. Some of the settlers gave up and left, but others held on until Jean Ribault arrived with supplies and 600 more soldiers and settlers in 1565.

Despite the arrival of Ribault's massive relief expedition, the days of Fort Caroline were numbered. The French settlement on the St. Johns would soon come to a bloody end at the hands of Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who was sent by King Phillip II to expel the French.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortcaroline.

Ribault Monument - Jacksonville, Florida

Located at St. Johns Bluff in the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, the Ribault Monument has been a Jacksonville landmark for many years.

A replica of the original column erected at the mouth of the St. Johns River by French explorer Jean Ribault in 1562, the monument stands on one of the highest points in the Jacksonville area.

Ribault was sent to America in February of 1562 with the approval of the King of France to locate a site for a colony where the country's Huguenot (Protestant) population could find refuge. The Huguenots then faced severe persecution from France's Catholic majority, which considered them heretics.

Sailing west, Ribault arrived at the mouth of the St. Johns in May of 1562 and erected the monument to mark France's claim to the North American coastline north of that point. He also made contact with the local Timucua Indians before sailing north and establishing a small and short-lived fort in South Carolina.

The French returned to the Florida coast in 1564 to establish a Huguenot colony on the St. Johns River. Despite starvation, disease and enormous difficulty, Fort Caroline survived its first year and might well have become a permanent French settlement had not the Spanish destroyed it in a brutal attack in 1565.

To learn more about the Ribault Monument and see a 16th century sketch of the original, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ribaultmonument.

Florida Panthers in Tallahassee

One of the best places to actually see rare Florida Panthers is at the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science.

These magnificent cats once ranged across much of Florida, but the advance of man brought about a decline in the panther population and their range is now limited to remote areas of South Florida, although unconfirmed reports of big cat sightings remain common in other areas of the state.

The beautiful Florida Panther has long attracted the attention of man. Prehistoric Native American art found in the state includes representations of panthers and early settlers were very aware of and often waged war on the cats, which went after easily accessible farm animals for food. Many early writings about the state mention panthers and they also figure into the writings of early Florida writers including Marjorie Rawlings.

Many older residents of the state still recall seeing panthers or at least their carcasses during their younger years. Panther stories are a major part of Florida's folklore.

Today there are very few places where panthers can be seen easily, but perhaps the best is the unique Tallahassee Museum. Visitors there can take a self-guided tour past numerous native Florida animals, ranging from bears and alligators to beautiful Florida panthers.

The museum also features a wide variety of other points of interest, including a restored 19th century farm, the home of Princess Murat, restored schools and churches and much more. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/tallahasseemuseum.

Milly Francis - The True Story of the Creek Pocahontas

One of Florida's most fascinating legends revolves around an incident that took place in the spring of 1818 on the Wakulla River just north of today's town of St. Marks.

Duncan McKrimmon, a private in the Georgia Militia, had roamed beyond the sentries surrounding Fort Gadsden on the Apalachicola River. The First Seminole War was then underway and the wandering soldier was quickly taken prisoner by Creek warriors from the Wakulla River village of the Prophet Francis (Hillis Hadjo).

A prime figure in the recently closed Creek War of 1813-1814, Josiah Francis had fled to Florida after the collapse of his Red Stick movement in Alabama and Georgia. With him he brought his wife, son and daughters, one of whom was a young girl named Milly. (Note: Although her name is sometimes given as Malee, all of the Prophet's children had Anglicized name and her name was actually Milly).

McKrimmon was taken to the Prophet's village on the Wakulla where, according to the "eye for an eye" laws of the Creeks, preparations were made to torture and execute him in retaliation for the deaths of the sisters of one of his captors. Likely this would have consisted of sticking splinters of pine wood into his skin and lighting them on fire to torture him before he was finally dispatched with a bullet or hatchet.

Milly Francis, then around 15 years old, was playing by the river with her sisters when she heard the sounds of war cries coming from the village. Rushing to see what was happening, she quickly realized that the unfortunate young man was about to be killed. Milly pleaded with her father to spare McKrimmon's life, but Francis replied that he had no power over the situation because the soldier had been captured by others. He told his daughter, however, that she should talk with the warriors who had captured him.

Milly then went to these warriors and once again begged that McKrimmon be spared. One of them replied that he had lost his own sisters in the Creek War and intended to take the soldier's life to atone for their loss. Milly, though, reasoned with him and pointed that the soldier was just a boy with no "head for war" (meaning he was too young to make his own decisions). The warrior relented on the condition that the young white man agree to have his head shaved in the Creek style and join the Prophet's band. As might be expected, McKrimmon readily agreed.

The soldier was quickly handed over to the Spanish at San Marcos de Apalache (Fort St. Marks) for safe-keeping and was still there when Andrew Jackson's army captured the fort in April of 1818. McKrimmon was freed, but the Prophet Francis was captured and hanged by Jackson's forces. Milly and the rest of her family soon surrendered themselves to the newly-installed American commander of the fort.

They were sent back to the Creek Nation by way of Fort Gadsden, but the remarkable story of Milly Francis was just beginning. To read the true story of what happened to her, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/millyfrancis.

Old Fort Park - Tallahassee, Florida

In the months following the Battle of Marianna, authorities in Tallahassee moved to better protect Florida's capital city from a similar attack by Union forces.

A chain of fortifications were constructed around the south side of the city, with redoubts or rectangular forts constructed on high points to allow soldiers and cannon to better defend against any attack on the capital. One of these can still be seen just a few blocks from the Capitol Complex at historic Old Fort Park.

Although tradition holds that the well-preserved earthworks at Old Fort Park were built as an emergency measure during the Battle of Natural Bridge (March 6, 1865), they actually date to the previous fall and winter. Under authority from Brigadier General William Miller, Confederate engineer Theodore Moreno designed a series of fortifications to protect the main approaches to the city. Using African American laborers conscripted from area plantations, Miller and Moreno constructed forts and lines of breastworks that could be occupied quickly in the event Union forces approached Tallahassee.

Fortunately for the people of the city, the defenses were never tested. The main Union expedition to capture Tallahassee was turned back at Natural Bridge and the earthworks never came under fire, although they were manned by Southern militia during the emergency.

The surviving redoubt at Old Fort Park was originally known as Fort Houstoun, because it stood on what was then the Houstoun Plantation. Artillery positioned there could command the approaches to the capitol building itself.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/oldfortpark.

New Design Launched for Battle of Marianna site

A major redesign has been launched at the top site exploring the history of the Battle of Marianna, Florida. It can be accessed by visiting www.battleofmarianna.com.

One of the most intense Civil War battles in Florida, the fight at Marianna developed on September 27, 1864, when the city was attacked by Union troops under the command of Brigadier General Alexander Asboth. Confederate forces led by Colonel Alexander B. Montgomery resisted, resulting in a fierce battle that was called the "most severe fight of the war" for its size by participants who had taken part in such actions as Shiloh and Chickamauga.

Commanding a force of troops from the 2nd Maine Cavalry, 1st Florida U.S. Cavalry, 82nd U.S. Colored Infantry and 86th U.S. Colored Infantry, Asboth stormed the town at high noon on September 27th, culminating the deepest penetration of Confederate Florida by Union soldiers during the entire War Between the States.

Often overlooked even in histories of Florida, the Battle of Marianna was one of the most significant events of the Civil War in the Sunshine State. Census records confirm that the raid through Jackson, Washington, Holmes and Walton Counties inflicted more economic damage than any other event caused on any other counties in the state. A Union officer received the Congressional Medal of Honor in part for his actions in preventing a massacre of Confederate prisoners at Marianna. The 2nd Maine Cavalry sustained its greatest losses of the war. And Confederate authorities in the state were awakened to the dangers of a raid deep into the interior of Florida, an awakening that led them to fortify Tallahassee in time for the successful defense of the capital city during the Battle of Natural Bridge.

The new site features numerous photographs of the battlefield as well as detailed accounts of events leading up to, during and following the battle. There are casualty lists, orders of battle and even a walking tour of the battlefield as it appears today.

To learn more, please visit www.battleofmarianna.com.

A Florida Pocahontas in the 16th Century

One of the more interesting stories to arise from the days when Europeans were first beginning their exploration and conquest of Florida is that of Juan Ortiz and the Princess Hirrihigua.

Ortiz was a member of the Panfilo de Narvaez expedition that arrived in the St. Petersburg area in 1528. When his commander set off on his brutal march up the peninsula, however, Ortiz and others were sent back to Cuba to relay information on the progress of the expedition. When Narvaez's wife failed to hear more from her husband, she sent Ortiz and a small crew back to Florida to try to find out what had happened.

Ortiz and several others were captured almost as soon as they arrived at Tampa Bay. Taken to the village of the chief Hirrihigua (or so says one source, the other identifies him as Ucita), who intensely hated Europeans because Narvaez had cut off his nose and fed one of his relatives to the expedition's war dogs, three of the prisoners were killed and a more gruesome fate was prepared for Ortiz.

Building a large fire that eventually collapsed into hot coals, the chief had a large grill placed over the coals and Ortiz tied on top of it. The plan was to roast him to death, but his screams of pain attracted the attention of several of the women from the chief's family. They pleaded for his life and he was spared, although severely burned. The chief's daughter, remembered in legend as Princess Hirrihigua, played a key role in saving the unfortunate Ortiz and some have speculated that the later story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith was invented to provide English explorers with their own version of the Ortiz story.

Such stories aside, Ortiz survived twelve more years of captivity before being discovered by soldiers from the army of Hernando de Soto in 1539. He went on to become an important interpreter for De Soto as he made his way through the Southeast.

To learn more about the story of Juan Ortiz and the Princess, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/juanortiz.

Safety Harbor Mounds - Safety Harbor, Florida

One of the most significant archaeological and historic sites in Florida can be found in a beautiful bayfront park in Safety Harbor, located just north of St. Petersburg.

Philippi Park in Safety Harbor is the site of the Safety Harbor Mounds, a major archaeological site that was once the capital of the Tocobaga Indians. The site's large temple mound still remains, its flat top accessible by way of a unique stone staircase.

Safety Harbor was an important Native American town when the first Spanish explorers arrived in Florida. Panfilo de Narvaez passed through this vicinity in 1528, but it is not clear if he actually visited the Safety Harbor site. The same is true of Hernando de Soto, who landed in the Tampa Bay area in 1539.

In 1566, however, Pedro Menendez de Aviles came to Safety Harbor after establishing St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the United States. He attempted to arrange a peace treaty between the Tocobaga and their neighbors to the South, the Calusa.

Menendez also established a fort at Safety Harbor, the exact site of which has not been found. Spanish soldiers remained there for only a year, however, before the warriors of the village rose up and killed them all. A key missionary of the time blamed the uprising on cruelty committed against the Tocobaga by the soldiers.

To learn more about the Safety Harbor Mounds, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/safetyharbor.

Pinellas Point Temple Mound - St. Petersburg, Florida

Surrounded by housing developments and modern streets, the Pinellas Point Temple Mound in St. Petersburg is a remarkable archaeological site.

Built during the Mississippian era (A.D. 900 - A.D. 1500) by Indians known to the Spanish as the Tocobaga, the large mound rises on the south shore of the St. Petersburg Peninsula and overlooks Tampa Bay. The mound was likely occupied at the time of the Spanish arrival in the Tampa Bay area during the 1500s and may have been the ceremonial center of one of the villages noted by the chroniclers of the Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando de Soto expeditions.

In fact, local tradition holds that the Pinellas Point Mound was the site where Princess Hirrihigua saved the life of Juan Ortiz, a member of an expedition sent to Tampa Bay in search of the missing Narvaez by his worried wife. Captured by warriors, Ortiz was on the verge of execution when the daughter of a chief intervened on his behalf. Some scholars believe the story may have been the actual foundation for the later account of Pocahontas saving the life of Captain John Smith in Virginia.

Regardless of the accuracy of the legend, the Pinellas Point Temple Mound is an important relic of the days when the site of modern St. Petersburg was the center of an important Native American chiefdom.

To learn more about the mound and to see additional photos, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pinellaspoint.

Fort De Soto, Florida

Located on Mullet Key near St. Petersburg and at the entrance to Tampa Bay are the remains of a unique system of harbor defenses originally built to protect the area from Spanish attack during the Spanish-American War.

Tampa during the 1890s was a major port for the smuggling of weapons and other supplies to revolutionaries in Cuba. When the United States declared war on Spain, fears grew that the Spanish might target the Florida city. As a result, the U.S. Government authorized the construction of a series of powerful concrete artillery batteries to defend the important port.

Armed with modern (for the time) rapid fire artillery and mortars that could fire shells weighing more than 1,000 pounds, Fort De Soto and Fort Dade were still under construction when the war ended, but eventually became important U.S. Army posts. Already obsolete by the end of World War I, they were evacuated by the army during the 1920s.

Fort Dade, located on Egmont Key, eventually collapsed into the surf, as did one of the two batteries at Fort De Soto. The second battery, however, has been carefully preserved by Pinellas County and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

Easily accessible by car from St. Petersburg, the historic fort is the centerpiece of beautiful Fort De Soto Park, which also offers nature trails, camping, boat ramps, picnic areas and what has recently been named as one of the Top Ten Best Beaches in the United States. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortdesoto1.

Scott's Massacre of 1817

On November 30, 1817, one of the most critical battles of the Seminole Wars took place on the Apalachicola River at present-day Chattahoochee, Florida.

A large U.S. Army boat was making its way up the river under the command of Lieutenant R.W. Scott of the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment. On board were 40 soldiers, roughly 20 of whom were severely ill with fever, 7 women (wives of soldiers) and four children. They were en route to Fort Scott, a U.S. post on the lower Flint River in what is now Decatur County, Georgia, but did not know that war had opened between the United States and an alliance of Seminole and Creek warriors.

On November 21 and 23, 1817, U.S. troops had attacked the Creek village of Fowltown near present-day Bainbridge, Georgia, in an effort to drive its inhabitants from lands claimed by the United States following the Treaty of Fort Jackson. The Indians in the "Big Bend" region of Florida viewed the attacks as unprovoked and unwarranted. They were outraged and several hundred moved to the Apalachicola River where they planned to cut off the shipment of supplies by boats up to Fort Scott, the post from which the Fowltown attacks had been launched.

The warriors took up a position on the east bank of the Apalachicola River just south of today's Chattahoochee Landing. The actual site has been washed away by the river, but its general vicinity can be viewed from the dock at the nearby landing.

When Scott's boat rounded a sharp bend of the river, the current forced he and his men to navigate close to the shore. The warriors opened fire, killing or disabling the lieutenant and most of his able-bodied soldiers with their first volley. They then waded into the river and stormed the boat, killing most of the others with war clubs, hatchets and knives. By the time the brief fight was over, Lieutenant Scott and 34 of his men were dead, along with 6 of the women and all four children. Seminole and Creek losses are not known.

Six soldiers, four of them wounded, escaped the boat by leaping overboard and swimming away underwater to the opposite bank. They made their way to Fort Scott on foot with news of the disaster. The other survivor, Elizabeth Stewart, was taken prisoner and held in slavery until she was freed the following spring by troops under Andrew Jackson.

The attack was a great victory for the warriors, but proved a disaster for them on a larger scale. When news of the slaughter reached Washington, D.C., authorities ordered Major General Andrew Jackson to the frontier. Jackson invaded Spanish Florida, destroyed major Seminole and Creek towns, captured St. Marks and Pensacola and destroyed the power of the northern branch of the Seminole Nation.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/scottsmassacre1.

Wakulla Springs State Park - Wakulla Springs, Florida

One of the most popular places in the Tallahassee area this time of year is Wakulla Springs State Park.

Located just south of the capital city, the park encompasses thousands of acres of fragile wilderness and protects one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. Divers using special equipment have explored the caves that open in the spring for miles and have descended to depths of over 300 feet.

The Wakulla Springs basin is rich in history. Evidence of prehistoric Native American hunters has been found here and divers have retrieved the bones of prehistoric animals, including mastodons, from the bottom of the spring. Other bones, in fact, can still be seen lying on the bottom 80-feet down from the glass-bottomed boats operated by the park service.

The Creek Prophet, Josiah Francis, established a village on the Wakulla River downstream from the springs after he fled Alabama at the end of the Creek War of 1813-1814. It was here that his daughter, Milly Francis, rescued a captured Georgia militiaman and became known as the Creek Pocahontas.

The land around the spring was purchased in 1934 by Florida industrialist Edward Ball, who saved it from development for decades. Ball built the historic Wakulla Springs Lodge in 1937 and zealously protected the property from unauthorized intrusion. Wakulla Springs is now a state park and is open to the public daily. The historic lodge offers dining and overnight stays and the park features glass-bottomed boats, river cruises, swimming, nature trails, picnic areas and much more.

To learn more about historic Wakulla Springs, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/wakullasprings.

St. Augustine, Florida #8 - Imprisonment of Osceola

The story of the great Seminole warrior Osceola is not as much a part of our nation's memory as it used to be, but it can still be explored in St. Augustine.

School kids across the country once learned the story of Osceola and the great war for survival waged by the Seminoles between 1835 and 1844. The Second Seminole War was waged from the Okefenokee Swamp south to the Everglades and from Walton County in Northwest Florida east to the Atlantic Ocean. In the end, despite repeated announcements of victory by the U.S. Army, the Seminoles of Florida clung to at least part of their lands.

Although he was not a chief, Osceola was recognized by both whites and Indians as one of the key war leaders of the conflict. The Creek and Seminole cultures had always allowed for warriors to rise to positions of distinction based on their prowess in battle, and Osceola was by all accounts a charismatic and competent leader in battle.

Frustrated by their attempts to capture or kill him, U.S. Army officers laid a trap for Osceola near St. Augustine on October 21, 1837. He appeared under a white flag to negotiate with the government, but was seized despite the protection of this flag by order of General Thomas S. Jesup.

Carried to St. Augustine, Osceola was initially imprisoned at the Castillo de San Marcos. He remained there until several other prisoners escaped one night. Concerned that he might repeat the feat engineered by the other Seminoles, the army moved Osceola to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina. He died there of sickness a short time later.

The story of the warrior's imprisonment in St. Augustine is interpreted today at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineosceola.

St. Augustine, Florida #7 - Ghost Hunting

Looking for ghosts has turned into big business in the nation's oldest city. St. Augustine, in fact, may have more alleged ghosts per block than any city in America.

Probably the best known haunting in the old city involves the St. Augustine Lighthouse. On July 10, 1873, a tragic accident took place during the construction of the lighthouse. Five children were riding a cable car of sorts that was used by workers to move construction materials from the beach up to the work site. Something went terribly wrong and and the children were flung into the water. Although two were rescued, three little girls died. It is said that their spirits still haunt the lighthouse, along with several other ghosts.

There are many other alleged ghosts in St. Augustine. The grounds of Fountain of Youth Park are said to be haunted by the spirits of early Native Americans. A Spanish soldier has been seen walking about the Castillo de San Marcos after dark. A lonely women is sometimes spotted at the Old City Gates. Warden Castle, now the home of Ripley's Believe it or Not, is said to be haunted by a murder victim. And there are many others scattered throughout the old city.

Numerous tour operators offer nightly ghost tours. Some are done by tram, others involve walking to some of St. Augustine's most famous haunted spots. To learn more about the ghosts of St. Augustine, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineghost.

St. Augustine, Florida #6 - Historic District

The St. Augustine Historic District is one of the most remarkable heritage destinations in Florida.

Stretching out for blocks in three directions from the city's Plaza de la Constitucion, the district includes a massive collection of colonial structures. Although St. Augustine dates back to 1565, it took on its current appearance following a devastating attack by English forces under Governor James Moore of South Carolina in 1702. Moore tried unsuccessfully for 52 days to batter his way into the Castillo de San Marcos. When he finally admitted that he was unable to do so, he retaliated by burning the civilian areas of the city to the ground.

The citizens rebuilt on the ashes, creating the city that visitors see today. Because so much damage from Moore's attack resulted from the fact that most of St. Augustine's early homes were built of wood, the citizens rebuilt using masonry. Coquina rock was quarried from nearby Anastasia Island and other location and use to build almost fireproof floors and walls. As a result, numerous structures in the city dating from the early 1700s survive to this day.

When St. Augustine passed into British hands after the French and Indian War, English settlers added wooden second floors to many of the old Spanish homes and buildings. Many of these second stories can still be seen today, including at the Nation's Oldest House.

A favorite part of the district is the section that lines St. George Street, where entire blocks have been either restored or reconstructed. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinedistrict.

St. Augustine, Florida #5 - Plaza de la Constitucion

I was watching the History Channel the other day and noticed that a New England state claims to be the home of the oldest public park in the United States. I have never really understood why much of the rest of the country seems to forget that St. Augustine, Florida, was settled 55 years before the first Pilgrim waded ashore at Plymouth Rock.

In fact, the oldest public park in the United States is not in the Northeast. It is the Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown St. Augustine.

This beautiful tree shaded park was established by Spanish Royal Ordinances in 1573, just eight years after St. Augustine was founded and 47 years before settlers arrived in New England. The ordinances required that the plaza be established for public uses in the center of the city, oriented to the principal compass points with a length equal to one and one-half times its width. It maintains these coordiantes to these days.

The Spanish officials and citizens of St. Augustine built many of the public structures of the city so that they would face the plaza. Among those still standing are the restored Goverment House, built in 1706-1713, and the magnificent Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine, a National Historic Landmark built in 1793-1797.

The cannon seen today on the Plaza de le Constiticion were once part of the armament of the nearby Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine's massive Spanish fort. The plaza also includes the only public memorial in the United States to a foreign constitution. It honors, in part, a Spanish constitution enacted when Florida was still a Spanish colony.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineplaza.

St. Augustine, Florida #4 - St. Augustine Lighthouse

I am convinced that the most spectacular view anywhere on the Atlantic Coast is the one from the top of the historic St. Augustine Lighthouse.

The beautiful old tower was completed in 1874 to replace lighthouses that had stood near its site since shortly after St. Augustine was founded in 1565. It soars high above the Atlantic Ocean and Matanzas Bay and provides a stunning view of the nation's oldest city.

The lighthouse was maintained by keepers who lived in a cottage on the grounds until 1955, when the light was automated. Over the years that followed, the lighthouse and adjacent structures deteriorated badly without the daily care that the keeper and his assistants once provided. The sad state of the historic structure touched the hearts of many local residents and a drive to restore and preserve the lighthouse soon began under the auspices of the Junior Service League of St. Augustine.

It took eleven years of work and fundraising, but the League finally achieved its goal of saving and restoring the beautiful old lighthouse. It is now operated as a historic site and is open daily for self-guided tours (as long as lightning isn't in the area!). The former Keeper's Cottage features outstanding historical exhibits on the lighthouse and surrounding area and the gift shop offers a wide assortment of lighthouse memorabilia.

And if you like good ghost stories, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is one of the nation's most famous "haunted" locations. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinelighthouse.

St. Augustine, Florida #3 - Fort Matanzas National Monument

Returning now to our tour of beautiful and historic St. Augustine, Florida, one of my favorite points of interest there is Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Located on Highway A1A about 15 miles south of downtown St. Augustine, the national park preserves two sites of critical importance to Florida history. It was somewhere in this vicinity that in 1565, Spanish soldiers under Pedro Menendez de Aviles found shipwrecked French sailors and soldiers. Menendez had just returned from his destruction of the French settlement of Fort Caroline, at today's Jacksonville, and was on the hunt for Jean Ribault and his followers who had left the fort before the attack.

Menendez captured them in two groups at what is now Matanzas Inlet. Those who refused to convert to the Catholic faith (the French were Protestants), he put to the sword. Of the first group of 127 prisoners, 111 were killed on the sands of Matanzas. The name in Spanish, in fact, means "slaughter" or "killings."

Because Matanzas Inlet provided water access to St. Augustine, it was a dangerous "back door" to the city in times of war. To protect against attack via this route, the Spanish began construction of Fort Matanzas in 1740. Designed to work in conjunction with the Castillo de San Marcos to defend the water approaches to the city, it was a massive masonry tower. Constructed of local coquina rock, the fort measures 50 feet on each side and rises 30 feet above the surrounding marshes. It originally mounted five cannon, the largest of with was an 18-pounder.

The fort was attacked only once, by British forces under General James Oglethorpe in 1742, but a single shot from one of the Spanish cannon forced the attackers to withdraw.

Beautifully restored, the fort is now the centerpiece of Fort Matanzas National Monument. The main parking lot, nature trails and visitor center can be accessed by car via Highway A1A. The fort itself stands on Rattlesnake Island, but the National Park Service operates large tour boats to ferry visitors across to the fort. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortmatanzas1.

West Gadsden Open House set for July 4th!

If you are in North Florida and looking for something of historical interest to do tomorrow, you might consider the West Gadsden Historical Society's outstanding Annual Open House in Greensboro (west of Tallahassee off Interstate 10). Here is the society's press release:


On July 4, the West Gadsden Historical Society will host its 5th Annual Open House at its headquarters, the historic James A. Dezell House, located at the corner of E. 8th Street & Bristol Hwy. (State Rd. 12). Activities will be at 8:00 a.m. and continue until 3:00 p.m. Throughout the day the Society members will have a bake sale as well as hot boiled peanuts and soft drinks. In addition, note cards featuring various local scenes, t-shirts, the Society’s cookbook, as well as local history books by Dale Cox and Kay Davis Lay will be for sale. Dale’s book is The Early History of Gadsden County and Kay’s book, Something Gold, is a compilation of numerous interviews regarding the shade tobacco era in Gadsden County .

Various exhibits will include several local crafts persons who will have their wares on display and for sale. Buddy Pitts will show his collection of photographs from days of long ago in and around Greensboro . Kenneth Edwards will have a display featuring the McLane Family Massacre which took place April 23, 1840 only a few miles southwest of Greensboro . Kenneth, great-great-great grandson of the sole survivor John Kenzie McLane, will be showing historic family documents, photographs, relics, and other items of interest. Many descendants of John K. McLane live in Gadsden and the surrounding counties.

The annual quilt show will feature quilts made by the Peace Makers Quilters of the First Baptist Church in Greensboro . The group has generously donated a beautiful handmade full/queen size quilt which will be given to a lucky person. Tickets are $3.00 each and may be purchased at the following locations: Twin City News and Dr. Melzer’s office in Chattahoochee; Ivy Shop, A Touch of Tiffany, Mane Attraction, Padgett’s Jewelers, Flossie’s Cut & Curl, and Premier Bank in Quincy . The drawing will be held at 8:00 p.m. at the Greensboro Fireworks Celebration. You do not have to be present to win.

Coastal Seafood Restaurant in Panacea will be returning to sell delicious seafood lunches. Come join us on July 4 at our Open House and enjoy some down home time together with your friends and neighbors. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

St. Augustine, Florida #2 - Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, the historic Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine was begun in 1672 and took more than 23 years to complete.

Authorized by the Queen of Spain to protect the nation's oldest permanently occupied settlement in the face of growing English and French settlements in the New World, the castillo was the most powerful fortress ever built by Spain to defend her coloney of La Florida.

Built of coquina, a unique natural rock formed of shell concretions and found in the St Augustine area, the massive fort was used as an active military post for more than 200 years and never fell to an enemy attack. Governor James Moore of South Carolina bombarded and laid siege to it in 1702. Governor James Oglethorpe of Georgia tried again in 1738, but also failed. Revolutionaries backed by the U.S. Army tried in 1812 but also failed to dent the walls of the massive Castillo de San Marcos.

The fort passed peacefully into the hands of the United States in 1821 and was renamed Fort Marion. It was a key post during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and the great Seminole leader Osceola was confined there briefly after he was taken prisoner while negotiating under a white flag.

Both Union and Confederate forces occupied the fort at different times during the Civil War and it was used as a prison for Apache, Kiowa, Comanche and other Indians during the years after the war. In 1898, 200 men were housed there after they tried to desert during the Spanish American War.

Fort Marion was declared a national monument in 1933 and its original name was restored by the U.S. Congress in 1942. Now the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, it is open to the public daily. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/castillodesanmarcos1.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part One

This post begins a new series on beautiful and historic St. Augustine, Florida.

The oldest permanently occupied settlement in the continental United States, St. Augustine was already more than 40 years old by the time the English arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, and had been a thriving community for 56 years when the first Pilgrim set foot on Plymouth Rock. The number of "oldests" and "firsts" in the historic city is truly amazing.

Among them are the nation's oldest house, oldest masonry fort, oldest public park and oldest wooden schoolhouse. The Catholic Church has been active in St. Augustine since 1565, making it the oldest active religious organization in the United States.

Founded in 1565 by the Spanish military leader Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the city initially served as a fortified outpost against French expansion along the Atlantic seaboard. Soldiers from St. Augustine destroyed the French settlement of Fort Caroline at present-day Jacksonville, putting its garrison to the sword. Those who escaped the slaughter were captured near Fort Matanzas National Monument a short time later and were also massacred.

With the French presence in Florida thus exterminated, the Spanish settled into a centuries long effort to colonize Florida and built the city of St. Augustine.

Beginning with the next post, I will explore some of my favorite historic sites in the old city. Until then, you can learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1.

Battle of Miccosukee - Leon County, Florida

One of the few significant confrontations of Andrew Jackson's final invasion of Spanish Florida took place on April 1, 1818, when Jackson attacked the massive Miccosukee towns along the west shore of Lake Miccosukee.

The center of what was then the western branch of the Seminole nation, the Miccosukee towns stretched for 10 miles along the lake and were a primary target for U.S. troops. Although the Miccosukee chief Kenhajo and his warriors had generally avoided conflict with the United States until after soldiers from Fort Scott attacked the Lower Creek town of Fowltown near what is now Bainbridge, Georgia, they quickly emerged as one of the primary fighting forces of what is now remembered as the First Seminole War.

After warriors blocked boat traffic and wiped out a military detachment on the Apalachicola River then attacked both Fort Scott and Fort Hughes in Southwest Georgia, officials in Washington ordered Major General Andrew Jackson to the frontier from his home in Nashville. Marching to Fort Scott, Jackson invaded Florida in March of 1818 with an army that would grow to over 3,000 men.

After establishing Fort Gadsden on the lower Apalachicola to serve as a base of operations, he turned northeast across today's Apalachicola National Forest and arrived in the vicinity of modern Tallahassee on March 31st. There he found the Seminole town of Tallahassee Talofa abandoned and burned it to the ground. The next morning, he resumed his march for Miccosukee.

As Kenhajo's warriors detected the approach of the thousands of soldiers, militiamen and Creek volunteers, they took up a position on a point of land in a pond to fight a delaying action until the women, children and elderly could be evacuated from the Indian towns. A severe firefight erupted and the Miccosukee warriors held their ground until part of Jackson's army moved into position to flank them. They then fell back in a fighting retreat.

Jackson and his men burned more than 300 homes in the Miccosukee towns and captured large quantities of provisions. No trace remains of the towns today and the battlefield is not marked.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/miccosukee.

Fort Walton Beach Area Historic Sites

Fort Walton Beach, of course, is known as a major gateway to the beautiful white sand beaches and emerald waters of Northwest Florida. Destin is just a short distance away, as are Navarre and Santa Rosa Island.

Nestled in the heart of this popular destination is a cluster of historic sites that are well worth taking a break away from fun on the beach to explore.

Fort Walton Beach's Heritage Park & Cultural Center has been developed around the well-known Fort Walton Temple Mound and adjacent Indian Temple Mound Museum and now also includes the beautifully restored Camp Walton Schoolhouse, dating from 1912, and the 1918 Garnier Post Office.

The buildings were saved through the efforts of the Junior Service League, Okaloosa County School District and City of Fort Walton Beach. They have been restored to their original appearance and offer visitors a chance to step back in time to learn more about the early educational and postal history of Northwest Florida.

Other exhibits of interest include a cannon from the Civil War fort built by Confederate forces at Fort Walton Beach, historic markers, displays and more.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortwaltonbeach.

Fort Pickens Once Again Accessible by Car

Historic Fort Pickens near Pensacola can once again be visited by automobile. The access road to the old fort is once again open to traffic.

The road was destroyed during Hurricane Ivan several years ago and further damaged during Hurricane Dennis a year later. It has taken the National Park Service years to work through the red tape, environmental, funding and other issues, but the access road finally reopened in late May.

Built during the antebellum era, Fort Pickens played a critical role during the Civil War. Like Fort Sumter, the massive brick fortress was held by the Union throughout the war, even though Confederate troops occupied nearby Fort Barrancas, Fort McRee and the Advanced Redoubt. Two fierce bombardments took place between Confederate and Union forces in 1861 and 1862 and the outer camps of Fort Pickens were the target of a major Southern attack during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island.

In later years the fort served as a prison for the famed Apache leader Geronimo and it remained a vital U.S. military installation until after World War II. Now part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, the fort is maintained by the National Park Service.

Fort Pickens is open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset and ranger tours are given each afternoon at 2 p.m. The visitor center at the fort is open from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. The entry fee to visit the fort and the Fort Pickens section of the national seashore is $8, which allows access for a full week.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens1.

Alligators - Florida's Most Famous Residents

From the earliest days of the exploration of Florida, alligators have been the focus of marvel and curiosity. The unique reptiles have played a rich role in the history of the state and continue to do so today.

The earliest known drawings of alligators were made by the French artist Jacques LeMoyne. His sketches, drawn in the 1560s, show Indians battling, killing and cooking alligators. One of the monsters in LeMoyne's artwork is easily over 20 feet long.

The largest alligator verified by modern methods was a 19' 3" specimen discovered in Louisiana, but early naturalist William Bartram reported much larger ones in Florida during the late 1700s:

I have seen them twenty feet in length, and some are supposed to be twenty-two or twenty-three feet. Their body is as large as a horse....

Like many many other species that produce their young from eggs, alligators were almost wiped out during the 20th century. The insecticide DDT was widely applied in Florida and other Southern states to battle the fire ant infestation. While the chemical did not harm alligators and other species, it unfortunately weakened the shells of their eggs. As a result, the number of hatchlings dropped dramatically and populations of alligators and other birds and animals plunged.

Careful conservation methods, however, saved the alligator and the mysterious reptile has made a dramatic comeback. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/alligators1.

The Battle of Vernon, Florida

One of the least known episodes of the Civil War in Florida took place on September 28, 1864, as Union troops turned back toward the coast from the Battle of Marianna.

As they left Marianna, the Federals followed the old Vernon road that led southwest into Washington County and into the town of Vernon. Along the way they confiscated livestock, destroyed crops and burned barns.

Then the county seat of Washington County, Vernon was the designated muster point for the Vernon Home Guard, a militia unit made up of men and boys from across the county. Commanded by Captain W.B. Jones, a former lieutenant in the 4th Florida Infantry, the company had rallied on the morning of September 28th in response to an urgent plea from Marianna for help.

Joined by several disabled soldiers and regular Confederates home on leave, Jones and his men also "enlisted" several additional men in the community who were either too old or otherwise unfit for military service. Mounted on horses, these men left Vernon at about mid-morning and started up the road to Marianna. They had no way of knowing that the bloodied Union column, fresh from the battle there, was moving in their direction on the same road.

The two forces met when the men of the Vernon Home Guard came down the slope on one side of Hard Labor Creek and the vanguard of the Union column, made up of men from the 1st Florida U.S. Cavalry, came down the opposite slope at the same time. The meeting apparently came as something of a shock to the men of both sides.

According to eyewitness accounts of the encounter, the Union soldiers apparently tried to avoid a fight and ordered Captain Jones and his ragtag command of 30-50 men to disperse. They apparently began to do so, but according to tradition a man named Stephen Pierce began to verbally abuse the Federals. A former soldier from Company H, 4th Florida Infantry, Pierce had been discharged due to disability but had joined with the Vernon men as they rode out that morning. The confrontation escalated, shots rang out and suddenly the Union soldiers unleashed a volley on Jones and his unprepared men.

According to one of the Vernon men who was wounded in the skirmish, he was shot in the shoulder and Pierce fell dead in the Union volley and the rest of the men broke and retreated. The Union troops charged. Other eyewitnesses described a running fight that continued for several miles to Vernon. Although most of Jones' men managed to escape, several were captured and carried away as prisoners of war. Captain Jones was among them.

The site of the "Battle of Vernon" is located at Hard Labor Creek in Washington County, near the intersection of Mitchell and Owens Pond Roads just northwest of Wausau. A small wooden bridge crosses the creek within sight of the skirmish location. The grave of Stephen Pierce, the only man killed in the fight, can be found just up the hill in the cemetery at Washington Church. There are no historic markers at the site.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/battleofvernon.

Fort Gadsden in the Civil War

I've mentioned Fort Gadsden Historic Site in the Apalachicola National Forest on these pages from time to time, usually in relation to the destruction of the "Negro Fort" on the Apalachicola there in 1816 or the First Seminole War. The site also has a little known Civil War history.

In 1862-1863, following the evacuation of Apalachicola by Confederate forces, troops and a battery of field artillery were based in the old earthworks at the site and a guardhouse and possibly other structures were constructed there. Confederate engineers considered the old fort as a possible location for a battery of heavy artillery. While one engineer favored the location, others quickly recognized that the adjacent swamps made the site too high of a risk for sickness. The battery was never constructed and, likely, the earthworks of the original fort were preserved as a result.

In 1863, a Union boat expedition came up the river past the fort and captured the schooner Fashion which was being loaded with cotton for a blockade-running attempt in Owl Creek above the fort. The Confederate sentries at Fort Gadsden did not detect the passage of the Union sailors. The fort remained quiet as the boat party made its way back downstream with the captured blockade runner. The Union force lobbed a shell into the fort, but received no response.

Most of the troops were withdrawn from the fort in 1863 after a severe fever outbreak sickened a number of the men posted there. A small detachment of men from the 5th Florida Cavalry remained at the fort until the end of the war, however, assigned picket duty there to watch for any movement up the Apalachicola River by Union gunboats.

In January of 1865, a Union boat party that had come up Bear Creek into the Chipola River from St. Andrew Bay moved down into the Apalachicola and made a successful raid on the Confederate outpost upstream at Ricco's Bluff. Some of these men then made their way down the Apalachicola, capturing a few of the pickets at Fort Gadsden as well, but evidently without firing a shot. The incident was the last mention of Fort Gadsden in the military records of the Civil War.

To learn more about Fort Gadsden Historic Site, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgadsden.

Tours Available of the Marianna Battlefield

If you are in the Marianna area or plan to visit soon and would like to learn more about the fascinating and tragic Battle of Marianna, you can now take a guided walking tour of the battlefield!

The tour covers the key areas of the fighting including the area where Confederate troops hurled back the first Union assault, the location where home guard troops ambushed the 2nd Maine Cavalry, inflicting on that regiment its heaviest losses of the entire Civil War, and the site of the Marianna Home Guard's last stand. The discussion is unbiased and includes accurate and detailed information, as well as unusual facts. The entire tour lasts from 60 to 90 minutes and also passes by some of the most beautiful old homes and landmarks of the historic city.

Fought on September 27, 1864, the Battle of Marianna culminated the deepest penetration of Florida by Union troops during the entire Civil War. One of the few battles fought through the heart of a town, it resulted in heavy losses for both sides as well as the destruction of St. Luke's Episcopal Church and two nearby homes. More than 20% of the male population of Marianna was either killed, wounded or captured in the fighting, which also marked the first time that African American troops launched a bayonet charge in Northwest Florida.

Advance reservations are required and the cost is $10 per person (children 15 and under can join for free). For more information, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ContactUs and submit an inquiry.