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.