Battle of Natural Bridge

Coordinates: 30°17′02″N 84°09′07″W / 30.28389°N 84.15194°W / 30.28389; -84.15194
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Battle of Natural Bridge
Part of the American Civil War

Natural Bridge Monument
DateMarch 6, 1865
Location30°17′02″N 84°09′07″W / 30.28389°N 84.15194°W / 30.28389; -84.15194
Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States United States (Union) Confederate States of America CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
John Newton
Units involved
2nd U.S. Colored Infantry

99th U.S. Colored Infantry
1st Florida Militia
5th Florida Cavalry Battalion
2nd Florida Cavalry (Confederate)
Strength
700 1,000
Casualties and losses
148 total
21 killed
89 wounded
38 captured
26 total
3 killed
23 wounded
Map of Natural Bridge Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program.

The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought during the American Civil War in what is now Woodville, Florida near Tallahassee on March 6, 1865. A small group of Confederate troops and volunteers, which included teenagers from the nearby Florida Military and Collegiate Institute that would later become Florida State University, protected by breastworks, prevented a detachment of United States Colored Troops from crossing the Natural Bridge on the St. Marks River.

The

Natural Bridge is a 14-mile-long (400-meter) stretch along which the St. Marks River runs underground, after dropping into a sinkhole.[1]

Battle

The Union's Brig. Gen.

Fort Myers and were allegedly encamped somewhere around St. Marks. The Union Navy
had trouble getting its ships up the St. Marks River. The Union Army force, however, had advanced and, after finding one bridge destroyed, started before dawn on March 6 to attempt to cross the river at Natural Bridge. The Union troops initially pushed Rebel forces back, but not away from the bridge.

Sailors from USS Hendrick Hudson also participated, and two were awarded the Medal of Honor for their part in this battle: Seaman John Mack and Coxswain George Schutt.[2]

Confederate forces under Brigade General William Miller, protected by breastworks, guarded all of the approaches and the bridge itself. The action at Natural Bridge lasted most of the day, but, unable to take the bridge in three separate charges, the Union troops retreated to the protection of the fleet.

Based on the involvement of the students from the Florida Military and Collegiate Institute, the

Air Force ROTC
unit also displays the same battle streamer.

Monument

The site of the battle is now

Florida State Park
, and contains a monument with the inscription:

This monument erected under authority of an act of the legislature of Florida of 1921 as a just tribute of the people of Florida to commemorate the victory of the battle of Natural Bridge. March 6, 1865. And to keep in cherished memory those brave men and boys who, in the hour of sudden danger, rushed from home desk and field and from the

West Florida Seminary
and joining a few disciplined troops by their united valor and patriotism saved their capital from the invaders. Tallahassee being the only capital of the South not captured by the enemy during the War between the States.

Tallahassee was the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River that was not captured by the Union during the war.[4]

Annual Memorial Service and Battle Reenactment

First reenactment of the battle in 1974

A ceremony honoring the combatants on both sides of the Battle of Natural Bridge, followed by a reenactment of the battle featuring Union, Confederate, and civilian reenactors, is held at the park the first weekend of March every year. The event is free and open to the public.[5]

The site is now called Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park.[5] As of mid-2023, the American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved 110 acres (45 hectares) of the battlefield that are now part of the state park.[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park". StateParks.Com. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients (M–Z)". Medal of Honor Citations. United States Army Center of Military History. 26 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  3. The University of Mississippi
    for the defense of Vicksburg.
  4. ^ Kleinberg, Eliot (March 28, 2019). "Florida Time: Was Florida captured during the Civil War?". nwfdailynews. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  5. ^ a b State of Florida official website for Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park "Main Page - Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park » Florida State Parks". Archived from the original on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  6. ^ "Natural Bridge Battlefield". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved June 20, 2023.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the National Park Service

Further reading

External links