Battle of Vernon ( Florida ) The Battle of Vernon , Florida was a minor skirmish of the American Civil War that took place on 28 September 1864 , near the town of Vernon , Florida . Coming a day after the larger Battle of Marianna , this conflict involved a company of Home Guard troops from Vernon who were going to the aid of their Confederate compatriots in that city . Unbeknownst to the Southerners , their route had taken them straight toward the withdrawing Federal column under Brigadier General Alexander Asboth , which was returning to their main base at Pensacola after their victory at Marianna . The two forces met on a wooden bridge across Hard Labor Creek in Washington County ; refusing to heed Union demands to disperse , the badly - outnumnered Floridians chose to resist and were quickly defeated , with most of them being taken prisoner . Prelude . In the summer of 1864 , Florida Governor John Milton ordered the creation of Home Guard units in the state ' s counties . Located in the Florida Panhandle , Washington County had few men of military age left who were not already in Confederate service , invalids , too old or young to fight , or had already defected to the Federals ( as many county residents , including the Sheriff , had already done ) . With only about thirty available men , the local Home Guard company chose Second Lieutenant W . B . Jones , a veteran of the 6th Florida Infantry who had been discharged for wound s received in Tennessee , to lead them . Upon learning of the approach of Federal forces to Marianna , Confederate commanders there had sent out messengers to outlying towns and villages , asking them to come to their assistance with all possible speed . Though the message sent to Jones did not arrive until after the Battle of Marianna had concluded , Jones was still determined to do what he could to help his brothers in arms . Assembling his company , he went through Vernon and forced every man there to join him , regardless of age — men " considerably older than sixty " were forced to shoulder their rifle s and accompany his column . By the time he set out on the morning of the 28th , Jones had managed to assemble about fifty mounted men altogether . Meanwhile , the Federal column — over 700 strong — had left Marianna to return to Pensacola in the early morning hours of 28 April , driving a large herd of confiscated cattle , horses and mules , and accompanied by over 600 liberated slaves . By noon , they had reached Orange Hill in Washington County , where they burned the barns and outbuildings of the Everett Plantation , then stopped for lunch . Resuming their march shortly thereafter , they reached a wooden bridge spanning Hard Labor Creek , about five miles northeast of Vernon . The battle . The Confederate and Federal columns met unexpectedly as they each approached the bridge from opposite sides of the creek . Uncertain of what to do , each side waited for the other to start something . After a few minutes Federal soldiers of the lead element , from the 1st Florida Cavalry ( US ) , demanded that Captain Jones and his men surrender . According to local legend , a Confederate named Stephen Pierce ( a veteran of the 4th Florida Infantry , invalided home from Tennessee ) cursed and taunted the Union soldiers , who responded by firing a volley into the Southerners and then charging across the bridge . Legend says Pierce was dragged behind a gallberry bush by enraged Federal soldiers and murdered , but recent research suggests he was killed during the initial exchange of fire , instead . Outnumbered more than ten to one , the Southerners scattered and rushed pell - mell back toward Vernon , with many being taken prisoner by the pursuing Federals . A few managed to escape , reporting that the Union troopers chased them all the way back to Vernon , shooting at them the whole time . Amazingly , only one man had been killed and one wounded — both from Jones ' Home Guard unit . Aftermath . The captured prisoners were sent first to Ship Island , Mississippi , then on to the Federal prison camp at Elmira , New York , where five of them died . Captain Jones survived his imprisonment , but came home " badly enfeebled " while managing to survive another thirty years . The Federals stopped briefly in Vernon to rest after the brief engagement , then resumed their march toward Pensacola later in the day . Although Confederate troops from Florida and nearby Georgia would pursue Asboth ' s retiring column , they were unable to catch it before they reached the safety of Union lines . Today , the Battle of Vernon — like many similar skirmishes throughout the nation during the Civil War — has largely been forgotten , save by local residents .