The Confederate Battery at Alum Bluff
Confederates at Alum Bluff
The Confederate army erected
earthen fortifications and placed
seven pieces of heavy artillery
overlooking the Apalachicola
River here at Alum Bluff.
Alum Bluff Battery
Much of the Confederate battery
site at Alum Bluff has eroded
away, but a few earthworks can
still be seen along the Nature
Conservancy's Garden of Eden
Trail.
Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve - Florida
Confederate Earthworks at Alum Bluff
Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve
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Little remains today to remind visitors
that Alum Bluff was an important Civil
War military post.
Much of the historic site has eroded
away and the rest has been reclaimed
by the forest. But a few Confederate
earthworks still remain, silent
reminders of much more hostile times
along the Apalachicola River.
After abandoning Apalachicola in the
spring of 1862, the Confederates
erected a series of artillery batteries
and other fortifications along the river
to prevent the Union navy from sailing
upstream. A fortified earthen battery of
seven heavy guns was placed here at
Alum Bluff.
The installation never came under fire,
but fever outbreaks and poor sanitation
claimed the lives of some of the
Confederate troops. These forgotten
soldiers are still buried here,
somewhere in the beautiful forests of
the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines
Preserve.
To learn more about other Civil War sites
along the Apalachicola, follow these links:
Copyright 2006 by Dale A. Cox
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