The Battle of St. John's Bluff was fought from October 1–3, 1862, between
Union
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* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
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Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
and
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 ...
forces in
Duval County, Florida, 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 ...
. The battle resulted in a significant Union victory, helping secure their control of the
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
area.
History
![Saint_John%27s_Bluff_Battlefield_Florida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Saint_John%27s_Bluff_Battlefield_Florida.jpg)
The
St. Johns River was important in the Union effort of taking
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. If Federals controlled the St. Johns River then they could raid Confederate positions in the interior of Florida and also use the river as a barrier for control of the east. The Union wanted to control North Florida and use it as a haven for escaped slaves and use its position to initiate Reconstruction for Florida. Federals first occupied
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
in March 1862. Federal gunboats stationed at
Mayport Mills operated up and down the river.
Early in the war, in order to stop the movement of
Union Navy
The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were un ...
ships up the
St. Johns River, Confederate
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Joseph Finnegan established an
artillery battery on St. Johns Bluff, on the south side of the river 18 miles downstream from
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
. The Union victories at
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...
and
Fort Henry forced Florida Confederates to go to Tennessee to reinforce the Confederate Army. With few resources Finnegan managed to fortify St. Johns Bluff where Confederate troops used slave labor to construct defenses.
This was part of a series of Confederate defensive works that had been constructed near
Fort Caroline
Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière on 22 June, 1564, follow ...
and
Yellow Bluff Fort.
On September 11 Confederates opened fire on Union gunboat USS ''Uncas'' approaching the bluff. The USS ''Patroon'' joined the USS ''Uncas'' and opened fire on the bluff but failed to destroy the Confederate position. The Union dispatched over 800 soldiers to Florida from
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
to take the bluff expecting it to be a challenging obstacle. Union reinforcements arrived on October 1 at Mayport Mills. According to
Brigadier General John Milton Brannan, the leader of the Union's expeditionary force, "On the 1st instant the gunboats made a reconnaissance on the river, and were immediately and warmly engaged by the batteries on Saint John’s Bluff, on which they withdrew." Among the Union Army regiments participating in this engagement was the
47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, which landed on the bank of Buckhorn Creek at 7 a.m. on October 1 and marched toward "Parker's plantation," according to Colonel Tilghman H. Good, the regiment's commanding officer.
![Battery on St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Battery_on_St._John%27s_Bluff%2C_Florida%2C_sketched_by_Mr._H._Van_Ingen.jpg)
The next day, Union soldiers under Brannan approached the bluff from the rear. Brannan later reported that, on October 2, "a scouting party of the Forty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Captain Keck, of that regiment, surprised a camp of the rebels, taking some camp equipage and about sixty stand of arms of all descriptions, but chiefly rifles. The men effected their escape, having horses and being much favored by the intricate nature of the ground."
Reportedly, Confederate Colonel Charles F. Hopkins was panicked by Union reinforcements approaching from the rear and Union gunboats firing on the bluff while Captain Winston Stephens believed the Confederate position could hold off the Federal assault. After Hopkins decided to order a retreat from the Confederate position on October 2–3, Union troops occupied the Confederate position and seized the cannons. Two days later, on October 5, the Federals moved on to nearby
Yellow Bluff Fort, where Confederate troops had also retreated.
File:Map of St. John's Bluff.png,
Map of St. John's Bluff
File:FineganJoseph63.jpg,
Brigadier General Joseph Finnegan
File:CSAWinstonStephns.jpg,
Confederate Captain Winston Stephens
File:John_Milton_Brannan_by_the_Studio_of_Mathew_Brady_-_NPG_81_M465.jpg,
Brigadier General John M. Brannan
Aftermath
Jacksonville was reoccupied on October 3 after the Union victory at St. Johns Bluff. Finnegan believed that Hopkins' retreat from St. Johns Bluff was a "gross military blunder" but Hopkins still defended his position for retreating. The Confederate threat in North Florida no longer prevented Federals from seizing the St. Johns River and Jacksonville.
See also
*
Florida in the American Civil War
Florida participated in the American Civil War as a member of the Confederate States of America. It had been admitted to the United States as a slave state in 1845. In January 1861, Florida became the third Southern state to secede from the ...
References
External links
Fort Caroline National Memorial- official National Park Service website
CWSAC Report Update
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Johns Bluff
Saint John's Bluff
History of Jacksonville, Florida
Saint John's Bluff
Saint John's
Duval County, Florida
1862 in the American Civil War
1862 in Florida
October 1862 events