No Battle of Marianna Reenactment This Year in Florida

Battle of Marianna Reenactment, 2011
Courtesy Ashley Pollette

The Marianna Day Committee tells me there will not be a reenactment of the Battle of Marianna in Florida this year.

The small reenactment had been a feature of Marianna Day observances over the last few years, but was expensive to produce and difficult to coordinate. As a result, last year's event will be the last, at least for now.

Marianna Day, 2011
Courtesy Ashley Pollette

The Committee does plan to host other events to commemorate Marianna Day, which honors the anniversary of the 1864 battle. The William Henry Milton Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) will continue to hold its annual memorial ceremony at the Battle of Marianna Monument downtown, the Blue Springs Chapter of the Children of the American Revolution (CAR) will provide information on the numerous noteworthy people buried at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, scene of heavy fighting during the battle. The Committee will also announce other events over coming weeks to commemorate the anniversary of the battle.
Fought on September 27, 1864, the Battle of Marianna was a small but highly significant action. It took place at the culmination of the deepest penetration of Florida by Union troops during the entire War Between the States. On their way to and from Marianna, the Federal soldiers covered more land miles than did Sherman on his March to the Sea through Georgia.

To learn more about the Battle of Marianna, please visit www.battleofmarianna.com or consider my book, The Battle of Marianna, Florida (Expanded Edition). It is available in both print and Kindle editions by following the links below. You can also find it on iBooks.

Book:  The Battle of Marianna, Florida: Expanded Edition - $17.95
Kindle:  The Battle of Marianna, Florida - $9.95

Reenactment of Battle of Marianna, Florida set for September 24th.



Ely-Criglar Mansion in Marianna

Marianna Day, which features a parade, live music, memorial services and a battle reenactment, will be observed on Saturday, September 24th, in Marianna, Florida.
The city is located along Interstate 10 and U.S. 90 in the Florida Panhandle, 66 miles west of Tallahassee, 133 miles east of Pensacola, 55 miles north of Panama City and 36 miles south of Dothan, Alabama.

The annual Marianna Day event commemorates the Battle of Marianna, a Civil War engagement that culminated the deepest penetration of Confederate Florida by Union troops during the entire Civil War. It was one of the fiercest small battles of the war and involved full speed cavalry charges, a bayonet assault and hand to hand combat.

St. Luke's Church, Scene of Heavy Fighting

The Battle of Marianna took place on September 27, 1864, when a Union column led by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth launched simultaneous frontal and flank attacks on the city, which was defended by the Confederate forces of Colonel Alexander Montgomery. Both commanders had been wounded earlier in the war - Asboth at Pea Ridge and Montgomery at Second Manassas - and many of their men had already fought on some of the largest battlefields of the war. The result was a confrontation unlike any other fought in the Deep South during the entire war. To learn more, please visit www.battleofmarianna.com or consider the book: The Battle of Marianna, Florida: Expanded Edition (also available for Kindle and iBooks download).

The main day of events will begin on Saturday morning (Sept. 24th) was a parade through downtown Marianna. The downtown reenactment will immediately following the end of the parade. Other events planned for the day include memorial services, a fall festival featuring live music at Madison Street Park beginning at noon and a mock battle complete with cannon fire (not a representation of the real battle) at 3 p.m. at Citizens Lodge Park on Caverns Road. A second mock battle will be held at Citizens Lodge Park on Sunday (Sept. 25th) at 3 p.m. Please click here for more information on the weekend's events.

"The Battle of Marianna, Florida" - Expanded Edition now available!

I'm pleased to announce that the Expanded Edition of my book, The Battle of Marianna, Florida, is now available.

The new Expanded Edition includes nearly 50 pages of additional information as well as maps, new photographs, expanded casualty lists, bibliography and other features not included in the original. It also offers a much more detailed accounting of the battle and the 1864 raid across Northwest Florida.

The Battle of Marianna was fought on September 27, 1864, at the climax of the deepest penetration of Confederate Florida by Union troops during the entire Civil War. Leaving Pensacola Bay on September 18th and led by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, a column of 700 mounted Union solders devastated the populated areas of Walton, Holmes and northwestern Jackson Counties before reaching Marianna on the 27th.

The battle was one of the fiercest small engagements of the war. By the time it was over, nearly 20% of Marianna's male population had been taken prisoner and the bodies of killed and wounded men stretched from one side of the town to the other. A sharp street fight waged between bodies of both cavalry and infantry, the battle is sometimes known as "Florida's Alamo." Many of the participants were seasoned veterans and those who left accounts almost all agreed that it was the fiercest battle of its size they encountered during the entire war.

The new book includes expanded detail on the route of the troops to and from Marianna along a path that was longer in miles than Sherman's March to the Sea. It also includes an expanded narrative of the battle itself as well as new sources on the smaller fights at Eucheeanna, Campbellton and Vernon that took place as the Union column moved through the Florida panhandle.

The new book is now available by clicking the ad at the top of this post. Signed copies can be obtained through Chipola River Book and Tea in Marianna (on Lafayette Street across from the Battle of Marianna Monument). The book is also available in electronic format as a download for the Amazon Kindle reader device or the free Kindle software for computer or smart phone.

To read more about the battle, you can also visit www.battleofmarianna.com.

The Battle of Marianna, Florida - Anniversary This Weekend

This Sunday, September 27th, will mark the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Marianna, Florida.

A little known Civil War encounter, the small but fierce battle culminated the deepest Union penetration of Confederate Florida during the entire war. Leading troops from Pensacola Bay on September 18, 1864, Brigadier General Alexander Asboth covered a longer distance than Sherman's March to the Sea. His movement through Walton, Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties inflicted more economic damage on those counties than was sustained by any other in Florida during the four year conflict.

On September 27th, Asboth attacked a Confederate force at Marianna made up of militia, reservists, Confederate regulars, home guards and volunteers. Led by Colonel Alexander Montgomery, they waged a fierce battle in defense of the town. By the time the fight was over, 25% of Marianna's male population had been killed, wounded or captured and among the Union forces, the 2nd Maine Cavalry had suffered its bloodiest day of the war.

To commemorate the 145th Anniversary of the event, numerous organizations are joining hands this weekend for Marianna Day observances, reenactments, a parade, bluegrass festival and more. To learn more, please visit www.battleofmarianna.com.

Battle of Marianna, Florida Tours set for next Saturday...

If you are interested in learning more about one of the most significant Civil War actions in Florida, the Blue Springs Society of the Children of the American Revolution will offer a unique opportunity to do so next Saturday (September 27th).

The day will mark the 144th anniversary of the Battle of Marianna, Florida, and the C.A.R. will be hosting two guided tours of the Marianna battlefield.

The tours will begin at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the historic Russ House (Jackson County Chamber of Commerce) on West Lafayette Street (U.S. 90 West) in Marianna. The cost to participate is $5 for individuals over 12. Children 12 and under can take the tour for free.

Each of the tours will last 60-90 minutes and will give participants a chance to visit some of the key points associated with the fighting including St. Luke's Episcopal Church.

If you would like to learn more about the Battle of Marianna, please visit www.battleofmarianna.net or consider my book, The Battle of Marianna, Florida. You can click here for ordering information.

Special Series on the 1864 Raid on Marianna, Florida

If you are interested in the Civil War in the Deep South, you might enjoy a special series that is starting today at Civil War Florida.

The series provides a day-by-day telling of the story of the 1864 Union Raid on Marianna, Florida. The deepest penetration of Florida by Federal troops during the entire Civil War, this raid was longer than Sherman's March to the Sea and culminated at the small but bloody Battle of Marianna on September 27, 1864.

The first movements of the raid began 144 years ago today when advance troops crossed Pensacola Bay to establish a landing point for the main body of Brig. Gen. Alexander Asboth's Union command.

To learn more, check in daily for the latest updates at http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com.

Special Sale on Books by Dale Cox

To celebrate the upcoming April 30th release of my looooooooooong awaited multi-volume book, The History of Jackson County, Florida, http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ is having a special sale this month on my 2007 releases.

Included in the sale are:

• The Battle of Marianna, Florida - Regularly $19.95; On Sale for $15.
• The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida: The Confederate Defense of Tallahassee - Regularly $19.95; On Sale For $15.
• Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts - Regularly $16.95; On Sale for $12.

For the first time, a package deal on all three is also available for $40.

This sale is for a limited time only and will end with the release of the new book on April 30th. It is available only through www.exploresouthernhistory.com/booksale. Prices through stores and other outlets remain as normal.

If you would like a copy of any or all of these books, this likely the best price you will find this year.

Watch "Southern Heritage" and Chipola College TV online

Television programs on the history, culture and folklore of the South are rare these days. That is why an effort undertaken in 2007 by Chipola College TV in Marianna, Florida, is so noteworthy.

The college television station broadcasts a program on "Southern Heritage" every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The show features a fascinating array of topics, including author interviews, video reports on historic sites in Northwest Florida, looks at folklore and historic ways of doing things and more.

CCTV broadcasts on local cable but is also available online. For your convenience, I've added a link on the home page at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. The program airs Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. and to see it on the live stream, you should plan to click in at that time.

The link will also take you to CCTV any time and you might some of their other programs on Chipola College academics, athletics, arts and entertainment and more to be of interest.

Books still available for Christmas

If you would like to obtain copies of Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts, The Battle of Marianna, Florida or The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida, it is still possible to have them delivered in time for Christmas.

I checked this morning and both http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/ still have copies in stock and are promising delivery by December 24th.

If you are in Northwest Florida, Chipola River Book and Tea at 4402 Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna (across the street from the Battle of Marianna monument) also has a few copies of each left.

Last chance to order for Christmas!

If you hope to order copies of any of my books in time for Christmas, this is pretty much your last chance. Due to mail volume this time of year, this weekend is the last opportunity to make sure that book shipments are delivered by Christmas day. If you order before Monday, they should make it.

Copies are available of all three: The Battle of Marianna, Florida, The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida, and Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts.

You can order them online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox or through www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com or your favorite online bookstore. If you are in the Northwest Florida area, signed copies are available at Chipola River Book and Tea at 4402 Lafayette Street in downtown Marianna (on the same block as the Gazebo restaurant across the street from the Battle of Marianna monument).