Battle of Natural Bridge
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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 Template:Convert stretch along which the St. Marks River runs underground, after dropping into a sinkhole.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
BattleEdit
The Union's Brig. Gen. John Newton had undertaken a joint force expedition to engage and destroy Confederate troops that had attacked at Cedar Keys, Florida and 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.<ref name="moh">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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 Florida State University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program is one of only four Army ROTC programs to have a battle streamer for their actions in the Civil War.<ref>The other three programs are: the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for the Battle of New Market, The Citadel, for the defense of Charleston and 7 other engagements, and The University of Mississippi for the defense of Vicksburg.</ref> Since it was originally part of the Army, FSU's Air Force ROTC unit also displays the same battle streamer.
While the raid was not aimed at Tallahassee, the defeat of the Union force is regarded as keeping Tallahassee as the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River that was not captured by the Union during the war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
LegacyEdit
The site has been preserved in the Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Site.<ref name="floridastateparks.org" /> As of mid-2023, the American Battlefield Trust and its partners have acquired and preserved Template:Convert of the battlefield that are now part of the state park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name="floridastateparks.org">State of Florida official website for Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Military history of African Americans in the U.S. Civil War
- United States Colored Troops
- Historical reenactment
- List of Florida state parks
- List of Registered Historic Places in Leon County, Florida
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
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External linksEdit
- Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park - Florida State Parks
- Natural Bridge Historical Society
- Union Account by Captain Thos. Chatfield