St. Mark's Expedition (March 3-6, 1865)

 Even very late in the Civil War, after the Confederate Army of Tennessee ceased to be a formidable force, all the vital Southern ports had fallen, and William Tecumseh Sherman’s army was ravaging its way north to squash Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia between himself and Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Potomac, fighting still erupted in less prioritized theatres of the war. One such battle occurred in Western Florida, truly a sideshow of the war. A relatively tiny affair, the Battle of Natural Bridge nevertheless has gained attention for being one of the last battles of the war and one of only a mere handful of notable clashes in Florida.

 

Florida’s Little War

Even well into 1865, the war in Florida remained virtually the same. The Union Army, assisted by the navy’s steamships, launched various raids into Confederate Florida. Because Florida was not a priority, there was no attempt at a decisive push and the Confederacy remained alive if somewhat besieged. Occasionally there was a deviation from this pattern and it was soon to occur thanks to two small, but concerning actions.

The Battle of Marianna (September 27, 1864)

 After the disastrous East Florida campaign of early 1864, which culminated in the bloodbath of Olustee, the Civil War in Florida went back to the status quo of raids and specifically for the Federals occupation duties. There was one raid in September, however, that managed to leave a mark on Floridian memory. This raid’s high point was the Battle of Marianna, occurring at a lightly populated yet important location for the Confederate war effort.

A Raiding War

Though spared the larger battles in most other theatres of the war, West Floridian defenders were not in good shape heading into what would be the last year of the war. One Major-General Sam Jones reported, “The health of the whole command in this department has been unusually bad this season. It is believed that it would have been much worse had it not been for the use of quinine as a prophylactic, for the sanitary condition of the troops improved materially after its issue.” While quinine alleviated the diseases endemic to hot and in many places swampy Florida, the men were still severely short of clothes, especially shoes. The requests of Jones and other officers for clothes and other valuable goods went unheeded.[1]

Making matters worse, they were almost at the complete mercy of the Union military, with only strategic disinterest keeping the rebel presence alive in the interior. Fanny Chapman, a resident of Marianna, later wrote that “No part of our coast from Pensacola to Apalachicola was protected, while every bay, bayou, and inlet was blockaded, and the Apalachicola River was open to Federal gunboats at any time.”[2] The commander of the Union Army in West Florida was about to exploit Confederate weakness.

Alexander S. Asboth

Alexander Sandor Asboth was born in Hungary in 1811. He became an engineer for the government, then took part in the 1848 Hungarian revolt against Austrian rule. Like the other revolutions of that year, it failed and Asboth joined thousands of other European liberals in moving to America. Also like the other “Dutch”, he was a fervent supporter of the Union cause and joined the army in 1861.

The Battle of Santa Rosa Island (October 9, 1861)

 

Florida is not commonly associated with Civil War battles. I’ve already written on the Battle of Olustee, the largest and bloodiest confrontation in the state between Union and Confederate forces. While Florida is rightly seen as a sideshow theatre for most of the Civil War, it was considered important in 1861. One of the few remaining Federal outposts on southern soil in earl 1861 was Fort Pickens, situated on the western end of Santa Rosa Island in Pensacola Harbor. Secessionists had been trying to get the Federals to evacuate, and at times seriously considered an assault that would have made Pickens, not Sumter, the name associated with the start of the war.

Facing a heavy Federal blockade, the Confederates were keen to dislodge the Union presence on Santa Rosa Island. If they did so, they could construct more naval vessels and even send them out to challenge the blockade. In October of 1861 the Confederates launched their only major offensive action against the island, resulting in one of the few Floridian battles.

 

Across the Bay

General Braxton Bragg

As the war continued to shape up throughout 1861, Confederate president Jefferson Davis put his personal friend General Braxton Bragg in charge of Florida. Davis may have thought that this was a prime posting for his old army pal, as Fort Pickens remained a high-profile target. If it was taken, the harbor could be freed for both ship construction and naval operations. Bragg, however, was more concerned with his defensive obligations, expressing to his wife “This is a fearful responsibility.” He had to defend Florida with just 6,000 men. On a professional level he would much rather be in charge of the more important and critical New Orleans. Regardless of where he was, he would need success to advance his career friend, and he wrote to Davis for reinforcements. The president got him several regiments of additional men. Bragg’s numbers swelled to about 8,100 men, and these made up the Army of the Pensacola.[1]

Bragg’s main focus remained Pensacola and its access to the sea. The Pensacola Navy Yard was one of only three shipyards in the South. Its entrance was protected by three Forts. Two of them, McRae and Barrancas, were on the mainland. McRae was to the west of Santa Rosa Island. Barrancas was to the north, west of Warrington and the Naval Yard. All along the coast which ended in the Naval Yard, Bragg had placed batteries.  The third, Fort Pickens, was on Santa Rosa Island, situated near the west end of a long, then strip of land. Thanks to its separation from the main landmass, the island and fort were still held by Union troops.[2]