FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 2, 2015
STATE PARK TO COMMEMORATE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE OF NATURAL BRIDGE
~38th Annual Reenactment to take place March
7 and 8~
TALLAHASSEE –
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Natural Bridge Battlefield
Historic State Park will host the annual reenactment of the Battle of Natural
Bridge on March 7 and 8.
Natural Bridge is recognized as the site of the second largest Civil War battle in Florida. In addition to being a historic landmark, the park also features distinct natural
characteristics. The park is named for a natural bridge formed by the St. Marks
River as it flows underground.
During the
final weeks of the Civil War, a Union flotilla landed at Apalachee Bay planning
to capture Fort Ward (located at San Marcos de Apalachee Historic State Park)
and march north to the state capitol. With a timely warning, volunteer Confederate soldiers from
the Tallahassee area met the Union forces at
Natural Bridge and successfully defended
against three major attacks. The
Union troops were forced to retreat to the coast and Tallahassee remained the
only Confederate capitol east of the Mississippi not captured by the Union.
As part of the
sesquicentennial commemoration, the historic march of the Union troops will be
re-created from their naval landing at the St. Marks Lighthouse to Natural
Bridge on Friday, March 6 around 1 p.m.
Saturday will
feature a skirmish at 3 p.m. The full battle will be reenacted on Sunday at
2:30 p.m. Both events will take place on the site of the original battlefield, which was acquired
by the state in 2009.
On
Sunday at 1 p.m., the Anna Jackson
Chapter 224 United Daughters of the Confederacy will celebrate their annual
pilgrimage to the site with a brief ceremony and the laying of a wreath
honoring the original participants of the battle.
During the
two-day event, period merchants will sell souvenirs
at an authentic period camp. Food and beverages will be
for sale, courtesy of the Tallahassee Elks Lodge. The
Natural Bridge Historical Society, Inc. and the park’s Citizen Support
Organization will be available to answer questions about the battle
and its historic context.
Other activities
during the weekend include prearranged school tours on Friday, living history
demonstrations interpreting civilian and military life during the 1860s, historic
presentations by volunteers from the John G. Riley Center/Museum of African
American History and Culture, and demonstrations from the Ladies Soldiers’ Friend Sewing
Society.
A donation of $3
per adult and $1 for children 6 and under is requested for admission to the
event. All proceeds help to maintain and preserve the park.
The Natural
Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park is located six miles east of Woodville
on the Natural Bridge Road, just south of Tallahassee.
For additional
information, please contact Rob Lacy at 850-922-6007 or Rob.Lacy@dep.state.fl.us.
WHAT: Annual
Battle Reenactment
WHERE: Natural Bridge
Battlefield Historic State Park
7502 Natural Bridge Rd.
Tallahassee, FL 32305
WHEN: Saturday,
March 7, 2015
Battle Skirmish at 3
p.m.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Battle Reenactment at
2:30 p.m.
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