The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-06-04
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THE BATTLE OF THE NATURAL
BRIDGE

! of the Natural Bridge tied for first
honors for the prize offered by the
! Daughters of the Confederacy for the
/ best essay at their recent convention
held in Gainesville.
1t was written by Franklin Badger
Ezell. y year-old boy OF Leesburg
! in the employ Of the Leesburg Com
mercial.
1t was the only essay written on
Florida history:
| have chOen this subject of THE
/ Battle Of the Natural Bridge" for it
! is near the scenes of other important
battles in Florida. The battle of Mar
ianna and the battle of Olustee."
! The scene Of the Battle of the Nat
rral Bridge" was about ten miles from
! Tallahassee. The St. Marks river
sinks under to reappear some distance
below, thus forming what is known
as the Natural Bridge and it was here
that the battle was fought.
During the Civil War many at
! tempts We're made by the enemy to
! penetrate into the interior of Florida
! bnt each time they were met and driv.
! en- back with loss by our gallant men
under the leadership OF Caut. t. j.
! Dickson or Col. G. w. Scott. Their
/ brave deeds in defense Of our liberties
| have been recorded by Mrs. Dickson
| in her book "DickisOn and His Men
But the last and most formidable
demonstration to get possession of st.
| Narks and Tallahassee and to cut the
railroad which carried supplies to our
army in the field has received little
notice. and no effort has been made
TO perpetUate the fame of the few
who perilled their lives to keep back
| hostile feet from our beautiful capital
city
! believe we must reserve from obi
yiCn the facts Of the Battle of the
Natural Bridge" and to keep green
the memory of our gallant defenders.
! Not tie smallest item Of our glorious
history should be lost
GEN Samuel Jones in his report to
Gen. Joe Johnson, says: con the 4th
Of March 1865 a fleet of IA vessels
appeared off st. Marks lighthouse and
landed force of four thousand men,
with artillery, ammunition and ambul-
2nces, Brigadier Gen. John Newton,
commanding
On the first information that the
enemy had landed, the militia were
,eiled cut and every man and boy
capable of carrying arms responded
promptly to the call Never since the
commencement of WE: have the peo-
ole exhibited greater enthusiasm.
All Of the available troops in the
district within reach were ordered to
Tallahassee.
On the 5th of March the enemy
moved inland. A part of the 9Th bat
talon of Florida cavalry, under com
mand of Lieutenant Colonel Scott, OBJ
posing them and checking their adj
Va~ce.
They reached Newport in the after
noon after capturing a piece of artil
lery, the horses of which had become
unmanageable, shelled the village and
burned a few houses on the left Of the
river.
Colonel Scott being heavily pressed
by the enemy retreated toward New.
port burning the bridge at that point.
The enemy finding it impossible to
force a passage of the river at New
port, marched in the direction of the
Natural Bridge Colonel Scott with
a squadron of cavalry, and Gen Mil
Ter with a small body of militia met
them there and repulsed them. The
reserves a few cavalrymen and Sec
ton of artillery arrived at the Natural
Bridge in the morning just in time to
meet and repulse two more attacks.
The enemy then formed under cover
Of thick hammock and maintained
an obstinate fight at intervals for ten
or twelve hours.
Early in the afternoon a part OF the
2nd Florida cavalry under Col. J.
Carraway Smith arrived Our artil
lery pieces under Col. PatrlcF
Houston opened a brisk fire, which
our men followed with charge whe~
the enemy fled in disorder leaving
their dead and wounded on the field.
They arrived during the night. In the
morning a few cavalrymen followe'
and overlook them near East river
and after some fighting. captured a
lieutenant of marines and Is negro
troops. The enemy's loss estimated
at not less than 300 killed, wounded
and captured. Prisoners represent
their loss particularly heavy in Off
GERS. General Newton was severely
wounded.
Our loss was three killed and p
wounded. Among the killed was
Capt. H. r. Simmons. Second Florida
Cavalry when CALAMITY leading his
company. We had less than 1000 men
in action.
In this affair there was a company
called the "Old Mems Company" and
another called Home Guards" no
man being under so years of age, the
former commanded by Dr. English of
Tallahassee and the latter by Sam