Battle of Marianna, battlefield tour

Although the Battle of Marianna took place more than 140 years in a busy
downtown district, there is still much to see.

The ideal place to begin your tour is at the Jackson County Chamber of
Commerce, in the historic Russ house at the intersection of West Lafayette and
Russ Streets. Inside the chamber, you will find a wealth of information on
Marianna and Jackson County.

To begin your tour, walk to the Lafayette Street side of the Russ House grounds
and look out at Lafayette Street. This is Ely Corner, where the serious fighting of
the battle began. The Union column approached from your right and the
Confederate cavalry were formed in a line of battle through the intersection. The
first Confederate volley at this point drove back the Union cavalry, but they quickly
regrouped and attacked again, driving the Confederates eastward (to your left)
down Lafayette Street.

To continue your tour, cross over Russ Street and walk east along the sidewalk on
the north side of Lafayette Street.

Immediately after you cross the street, you will see the Ely-Crigler home and
historic marker on your left. This house, originally red brick, has stood on this site
since around 1840 and was a prominent landmark at the time of the battle.

Continue walking east and you will see a Pizza Hut across the street. This is
approximately the location of the Confederate barricade that was placed across
the street on the morning of September 27, 1864.

As you continue east from this point, you are walking along the line where most of
the Confederate volunteers were positioned. From behind fences, shrubs, trees
and buildings here they ambushed the Union column as it charged along the
street in pursuit of the retreating Confederate horsemen.

Across the street you will see the historic Holden House (now a medical office),
another surviving landmark from antebellum times. Fighting raged in and around
this house, as is evidenced by sword marks found on an interior door. According
to local legend, some fun-loving Union soldiers pulled a prank on the occupants
of the home by placing a cannonball in the middle of the parlor floor. Although the
ball was of solid iron, they playfully told the homeowners that it would explode if
moved. The Union soldiers then rode away, but the cannonball remained in the
middle of the parlor floor – untouched – for many years!

As you continue your walk along Lafayette Street, you will soon come to St. Luke’s
Episcopal Church and grounds. Several historic markers here tell the story of the
church and one version of the battle. Heavy fighting took place here. The African
American soldiers of the 82nd and 86th U.S. Colored Infantries charged onto
these grounds and forced the surrender of Confederate volunteers who were
positioned behind the church and in the cemetery. The church itself bears a close
resemblance to the wood-frame structure that stood on this site during the battle.
That church was burned to dislodge several Confederates who would not
surrender. The grounds and cemetery are open to the public and if you look
closely you will see the headstone of Littleton Myrick, one of the men killed here.

In addition, St. Luke’s Churchyard contains the graves of a number of Florida’s
prominent 19th century residents. John Milton, Florida’s Confederate governor is
buried here, as is Caroline Lee Hentz, the noted novelist who called Marianna
home during the 1850s.

To complete your tour of the battlefield, walk back up the street to your car and
then drive east on Lafayette Street to Caledonia Street. Turn right and then
immediately left onto Constitution Avenue. You should park here to visit the Battle
of Marianna Monument in Confederate Park. From this point, continue another
block or so down Lafayette Street to the Jackson County Courthouse and park
once again. A historic marker on the northwest corner of the square tells another
version of the battle story and there is a Confederate veterans’ monument just
outside the courthouse entrance. Hand-to-hand combat took place here on the
square.

The original site of the Chipola River Bridge is no longer accessible, but you can
visit nearby Riverside Cemetery, which contains the graves of a number of men
who found in the Battle of Marianna. To reach the cemetery, go around the
courthouse and turn left (east) on Jackson Street. Follow Jackson to Bertram and
turn right. You will see the cemetery on your left.