Battle of Natural Bridge

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Confederate Brigadier General William Miller and his troops defended St. Marks at the Battle of Natural Bridge.

Photo Credit: Florida State Archives

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Union Brigadier General John Newton led the operation to attempt to capture St. Marks, leading to the Battle of Natural Bridge.

Photo Credit: Florida State Archives

The Battle of Natural Bridge was critical in keeping the Florida capital city under Confederate control

In February 1865, Brigadier General John Newton, Union commander of the District of Key West and Tortugas, proposed an operation to capture the small port of St. Marks, located on the Gulf coast south of Tallahassee. The plan was to land Union forces near the St. Marks Lighthouse, while a naval force ascended the St. Marks River to attack Fort Ward, a small Confederate fortification located there. If successful, it might have led to a movement to capture the Florida capital itself.

The expedition consisted of nine blockading ships, a number of transport vessels and approximately 1,000 soldiers. The land forces were made up of elements of the 2nd and 99th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiments, and the dismounted 2nd Florida Union Cavalry. The troops began landing on March 4, 1865. The next day they skirmished with Confederates at East River Bridge and at Newport Bridge, where they hoped to cross the St. Marks River. Confederate Major General Samuel Jones had sent what troops he could muster under Brigadier General William Miller to resist the invasion.

When the Federals arrived before daybreak on March 6, they found rebel forces already in position, with additional reinforcements steadily arriving.

Unable to cross at Newport, Newton learned of another point located over six miles to the north at Natural Bridge. Leaving the 2nd Florida Union Cavalry at Newport, he marched the black regiments to Natural Bridge. But the Confederates, using cavalry scouts, had anticipated the move. When the Federals arrived before daybreak on March 6, they found rebel forces already in position, with additional reinforcements steadily arriving. The Confederate defenders included infantry reserves, regular artillery and cavalry units, and assorted militia, along with a detachment of cadets from the West Florida Seminary (present-day Florida State University). The Confederates set up their troops in a large crescent-shaped line with converging fields of fire aimed at the crossing. The Southerners had a six-to-three advantage in cannons and held the high ground. During the day the Federals made several attempts to cross Natural Bridge, but were driven back by Confederate fire. Newton then withdrew his troops a short distance, where they repulsed an ill-advised but limited Confederate counterattack. 

Unable to cross the St. Marks, he ordered a retreat back to the coast. The Union navy, meanwhile, had also been unsuccessful in its efforts to ascend the St. Marks River. The Navy did, however, award Medals of Honor to the six white sailors who manned their howitzers at Natural Bridge while serving with the Army expedition. Union casualties totaled 21 killed, 89 wounded and 38 captured or missing, while the Confederates suffered 3 killed and at least 23 wounded. The victory at Natural Bridge kept St. Marks and Tallahassee in Confederate hands until the conclusion of the war two months later.

To learn more, see: The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida: The Confederate Defense of Tallahassee by Dale Cox, Published by the author, Expanded Edition, 2010.