The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in what is now

Woodville, Florida Woodville is a census-designated place in Leon County, Florida, United States, just south of Tallahassee, Florida. The population was 2,978 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The American Ci ...

near

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

on March 6, 1865. A small group of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

troops and volunteers, which included teenagers from the nearby Florida Military and Collegiate Institute that would later become

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, protected by breastworks, prevented a detachment of

United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

from crossing the Natural Bridge on the St. Marks River. The

Natural Bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fr ...

is a stretch along which the St. Marks River runs underground, after dropping into a sinkhole.

Battle

The Union's Brig. Gen.

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

had undertaken a joint force expedition to engage and destroy Confederate troops that had attacked at

Cedar Key Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 702 at the 2010 census. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands near the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on Way Key since the end of the 19th ...

s, Florida and

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

and were allegedly encamped somewhere around St. Marks. The

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

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 John Mack may refer to: * John Martin Mack (1715–1784), Moravian bishop * John Mack (Medal of Honor recipient) (1843–1881), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient * John J. Mack (coach) (1870–1923), Yale University track coac ...

and Coxswain

George Schutt George Schutt (1833 – unknown) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Natural Bridge. Born in 1833 in Ireland, Schut ...

. Confederate forces under Brigade General William Miller, protected by

breastworks A breastwork is a temporary fortification, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position. A more permanent structure, normally in stone, would be described as a parapet or ...

, 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

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. Since it was originally part of the Army, FSU's

Air Force ROTC The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) ...

unit also displays the same battle streamer.

Monument

The site of the battle is now Natural Bridge Battlefield State Historic Site, a Florida State Park, and contains a monument with the inscription: It is notable that even though the inscription claims that Tallahassee was the only capital of the South not captured by the Union during the Civil war, in actuality Austin Texas was also not captured during the war and never had enemy troops in any direction from it in a 100 mile radius, unlike Tallahassee had.

Annual Memorial Service and Battle Reenactment

First reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge of 1865 in 1975

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.State of Florida official website for Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park The site is now called Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park. The Civil War Trust, a division of the

American Battlefield Trust The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization ( 501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the American Civil War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 through acquisition of battlefield land. Th ...

, and its partners have acquired and preserved of the battlefield that are now part of the state park.
Land Saved by the

, accessed May 18, 2018.

Notes

External links

Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park - Florida State ParksPhotos of the annual Battle of Natural Bridge reenactmentNatural Bridge Historical SocietyUnion Account by Captain Thos. Chatfield
*http://m.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/post-time-the-civil-war-battle-of-natural-bridge/nkH5w/

References

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