The Battle of Marianna, Florida
The Battle of Marianna was fought on September 27, 1864, at the culmination of the deepest penetration of Confederate Florida by Union forces during the entire Civil War. A small but fierce encounter, the battle was fought for control of the last Confederate post in Northwest Florida.
From September 18 - October 5, 1864, a Union force made up of the 2nd Maine Cavalry and parts of the 1st Florida U.S. Cavalry, 82nd U.S.C.T. and 86th U.S.C.T. carried out a raid that covered more land miles than Sherman's March to the Sea. Commanded by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, the column inflicted more economic damage on Jackson, Washington, Holmes and Walton Counties than was sustained by any other counties in Florida. The Federals were battled at Marianna by a ragtag command of Confederate regulars, reserves, militia and volunteers led by Colonel Alexander B. Montgomery in one of the fiercest small battles of the Civil War.
In this critically acclaimed volume, writer and historian Dale Cox provides the most in depth account ever written of the Battle of Marianna and Asboth's Northwest Florida Raid of 1864.