Battle of Marianna, Florida
The Battle of Marianna, Florida - An Introduction
St. Luke's Churchyard
This marker at St. Luke's
Episcopal Church
memorializes the fighting.
Ely Corner
This national landmark still
looks out on the scene of
the opening volley.
Most visitors to the Sunshine State zip past Marianna without so much as a
second thought. Signs point out the city for travelers heading south to the Gulf
Coast beaches on U.S. 231 or east and west along Interstate 10 and it is
definitely worth the stop!
Marianna was the home of Florida's Civil War governor, John Milton, as well as
the noted 19th century novelist, Caroline Lee Hentz. It also was the scene of a
fierce thirty minute Civil War battle that many participants would later recall as
the most intense of the war.
On September 27, 1864, the city was attacked by a column of 700 Union troops
from Pensacola. Headed by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, the Federal
raiders reached Marianna at high noon and found themselves challenged by a
rag tag command of Confederate cavalry, reservists and local volunteers. When
the smoke cleared, some 18 men lay dead or dying, 32 were wounded and
dozens were being herded away as prisoners.
The Battle of Marianna was not a massive engagement on the scale of
Chickamauga or Vicksburg, but its story is part of the real history of the
American Civil War.
Read on and learn how even a small battle can have massive importance to a
city, county, region and state. Plus, learn what there is to see in Marianna and
why this charming Southern city is worth a few hours off the beaten path!
Click the navigation bars at the top of the page or follow this link to begin your
tour:
