Suwannee River State Park - Live Oak, Florida

This beautiful and historic state park is nestled along the banks of the picturesque Suwannee River near Live Oak, Florida.

Located within the borders of the park is the site of the lost Florida town of Columbus. A prosperous community during the antebellum area, the town was an important riverboat port and commercial center. At its height it was home to more than 500 people, but not a single building remains today. Only an old cemetery along one of the park's hiking trails has survived.

The park is also the site of a Confederate fort built to protect the railroad bridge over the Suwannee River during the Civil War. Union troops named this bridge as one of their key objectives during their East Florida invasion of 1864, but were soundly defeated by a Southern army at the Battle of Olustee and turned back to Jacksonville without ever approaching their planned target on the Suwannee.

To learn more about Suwannee River State Park, please visit our new page on the park at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/suwannee1.

Graves of U.S. Soldiers that Florida may close to the public

This photograph shows the Fort St. Marks Military Cemetery at San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park in St. Marks, Florida.

Buried here are soldiers from the 4th and 7th U.S. Infantry Regiments and the 4th U.S. Artillery. They died in the line of duty, primarily from sickness, while garrisoning a fort on this site from 1818 through the early 1820s.

The graves were originally located nearby at a spot that was threatened by development, so the remains were removed and brought here to the state park where they would be preserved and protected.

Now, however, the state of Florida has San Marcos de Apalache on a list of state parks that it may close (temporarily or permanent) because of budget shortfalls.

A closure of the site would, of course, restrict access to and threaten the preservation of the graves of these U.S. soldiers that died here serving their country.

Please email Florida Governor Charlie Crist at Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com to urge him to find alternatives that will allow San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park and a number of other Florida State Parks and historic sites to remain open to the public. There are other areas of the budget that can be cut and creative measures that can be taken to save our Southern history.

If you would like to learn more about this highly significant historic site that dates back more than 300 years, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the San Marcos de Apalache heading at the top of the main page.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Six

Continuing our look at historic St. Augustine, Florida, this is the drawbridge and entrance to the historic Castillo de San Marcos.

Construction on the old fort began in 1672 and took decades to complete. It is the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Although it was subjected to sieges of almost 30 and more than 50 days, the Castillo was never taken in battle.

Part of the reason was the unique coquina stone from which it was built. This stone is found in only three places in the world, one of which is the St. Augustine area. When the British bombarded the fort, they were dismayed to find that their cannonballs sank into the soft stone instead of breaking and battering it to bits.

The fort is now a national monument and is located on the waterfront in historic downtown St. Augustine. I'll have more on the Castillo in the next post. Until then, you can read more by visiting http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

Spring Travel Part Four: Historic Blakeley State Park

One of the least known major battles of the Civil War took place in the sandy pine woods of South Alabama (or as they like to say around Mobile, "LA" or "Lower Alabama").

The Battle of Blakeley, sometimes called the Battle of Fort Blakely, was fought in April of 1865 and lasted for several days.

Blakeley had once been one of the most populous towns in Alabama and had vied with Mobile in importance during the state's early history, but yellow fever epidemics had virtually destroyed the town by the time of the Civil War. The site was of strategic importance, however, and the Confederates fortified it with artillery batteries, earthwork forts, rifle pits and miles of breastworks.

Although a siege had been underway for several days, the final assault began on the evening of April 8, 1865. The next day, Union troops stormed Redoubt #4 and broke through the Confederate lines in a bloody battle that left 216 men dead and 955 wounded.

The battlefield today is a fascinating and pristine state park that preserves an impressive network of breastworks, fortifications and battery sites, including the Union attack trenches and batteries. In addition, Historic Blakeley State Park protects the site of the original town of Blakeley, the old town cemetery, Native American sites and more. To learn more about this fascinating place that I consider one of the finest destinations of its type in the South, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/blakely1.

Vicksburg, Mississippi - Battery De Golyer

Continuing our look at Vicksburg, Mississippi, this is Battery De Golyer at Vicksburg National Military Park. The first stop on the driving tour of the Vicksburg battlefield, this battery was one of many established by Union troops during the Battle of Vicksburg.

Manned by gunners from several units, including the 8th Michigan Artillery, Battery De Golyer at one point mounted as many as 22 cannon. The guns bombarded the Confederate "Great Redoubt," one of the forts guarding Vicksburg.

The battery was named for Captain Samuel De Golyer of the 8th Michigan Artillery, who was mortally wounded while directing artillery fire during the Battle of Vicksburg.

Our look at Vicksburg will continue, but in the meantime you can read and see more by going to www.exploresouthernhistory.com/Vicksburg.

Castillo de San Marcos - St. Augustine, Florida

If you are interested in historic architecture and especially old forts, the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine, Florida makes for a fascinating visit.

Constructed by the Spanish more than 300 years ago, the old stone fort is the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. It was besieged numerous times, but withstood each attack and was never taken in battle.

Today the old fort overlooks historic St. Augustine, America's oldest city, and provides visitors with a fascinating look back at the history of the city that was half a century old by the time the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

If you would like to learn more about the Castillo, simply go to http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and look for the link under the "Battlefields and Forts" heading in the left hand column.