St. John's Bluff
Civil War Florida

American Civil War
October 1-3, 1862

Brigadier General John Finegan established a battery on St. John' s Bluff near Jacksonville to stop the movement of Federal ships up the St. Johns River.

Brigadier General John M. Brannan embarked with about 1,500 infantry aboard the transports Boston, Ben DeFord, Cosmopolitan, and Neptune at Hilton Head, South Carolina, on September 30.

The flotilla arrived at the mouth of the St. John' s River on October 1, where Cdr. Charles Steedman' s gunboats—Paul Jones, Cimarron, Uncas, Patroon, Hale, and Water Witch—joined them.

By midday, the gunboats approached the bluff, while Brannan began landing troops at Mayport Mills. Another infantry force landed at Mount Pleasant Creek, about five miles in the rear of the Confederate battery, and began marching overland on the 2nd.

Outmaneuvered, Lieutenant Colonel Charles F. Hopkins abandoned the position after dark.

When the gunboats approached the bluff the next day, its guns were silent.

Result(s): Union victory

Location: Duval County

Campaign: Expedition to St. John' s Bluff (1862)

Date(s): October 1-3, 1862

Principal Commanders: Brigadier General John M. Brannan [US]; Lieutenant Colonel Charles F. Hopkins [CS]

Forces Engaged: Expeditionary Force: 2 infantry regiments, a light artillery battery and detachment of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry (total force 1,573) [US]; a small artillery and cavalry force [CS]

Estimated Casualties: Unknown


American Civil War Fortifications
Coastal Brick and Stone Forts
The design, construction and operational history of fortifications, such as Fort Sumter, Fort Morgan and Fort Pulaski. Stone and brick forts stretched from New England to the Florida Keys, and as far as the Mississippi River. A handful of key sites remained in Union hands throughout the war, the remainder had to be won back through bombardment or assault.
Gettysburg Soldier playset
Gettysburg Playset
12 to 26 piece soldier play sets.  Ages 6 and Up


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American Civil War Book Titles

Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide
While Confederates fought to preserve their sovereignty and way of life, Union troops descended on Florida with a mission to cripple the Confederacy: to destroy seashore salt works, to prevent the transfer of supplies and raw materials into, and to seize slaves and cattle
Confederate Military History of Florida
The political and military events in the Confederacy's least-populated state during the American Civil War. It begins with the secession of the Florida in January 1861 and continues through the actions at Santa Rosa Island, the Battle of Olustee, and the engagement at Natural Bridge.
The Battle of Olustee 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida
When the Civil War began in 1861, Florida although the third state to secede from the Union was of little strategic importance to North or South. By the end of 1863, this position had changed dramatically. For the struggling Confederacy, Florida had become a crucial source of supplies, most especially for the troops in Savannah and Charleston 		Confederate Florida
The Road to Olustee
A campaign study and a quick history of Confederate Florida.
The political and social undercurrents of the time, and sheds light on the complex circumstances of the fateful Union campaign. Particularly of interest are the great chapters on the blockade and raid strategy of the Federal forces

The Railroads of the Confederacy
The story of the first use of railroads on a major scale in a major war. A complex and fascinating tale, with the railroads of the American South playing the part of tragic hero in the Civil War: at first vigorous though immature; then overloaded, driven unmercifully, starved for iron; and eventually worn out
The Northern Railroads in the Civil War, 1861-1865
Account of the impact of the railroads on the American Civil War and vice versa. How the North was helped to victory through its effective use of the rails, also how the war changed the way railroads were built, run and financed after the war.
Great Maps of the Civil War: Pivotal Battles and Campaigns Featuring 32 Removable Maps
Fifteen chapters in Great Maps of the Civil War each contain two or three maps that can be pulled out of a pocket. Ten of the maps are 18" x 24"; others are smaller. In addition to a discussion of the battles and the roles of the maps, the book tells about Civil War mapmakers and the methods they used.
A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War
Informative text enhanced 24 three-color maps and 30 black/white historical photographs. Compact, comprehensive, "user friendly", and providing a narrative history along with a complete cartographic display of the famed American Civil War battle of Gettysburg

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles
The violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor
Civil War Journal - The Conflict Begins
These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war.
Civil War Journal
Collector's Edition 4-DVD Set
Made exclusively for Books Are Fun. Discs include: · Stonewall Jackson · Sherman and the March to the Sea · West Point Classmates-Civil War Enemies · Robert E. Lee · Battle of 1st Bull Run · The 54th Massachusetts · John Brown s War · Destiny at Fort Sumter
Gettysburg / Gods and Generals
The tide of the war changes during three fierce days of combat at Gettysburg [Disc 1] the gripping saga of the tactics command errors and sacrifices behind the bloodiest battle ever fought on U.S. soil. Gods and Generals [Disc 2] reveals the spirited allegiances and fierce combat of earlier Civil War struggles

History Channel Presents The Civil War
From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one
The Blue and the Gray
The Complete Miniseries
The Civil War proved a backdrop for this 1982 miniseries. Complete and uncut three disc set. Two families divided by the War Between the States. A Southerner caught when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper. He finds himself  where history's in the making from the Battle of Bull Run to Abraham Lincoln's assassination
Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union

Kids Zone Gettysburg

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Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.