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The Battle of Marianna was a relatively minor engagement on September 27, 1864, in the panhandle of Florida during the American Civil War. The Union victory over Confederates defending the town of Marianna was instrumental in expanding Federal control of northwestern Florida.
Marianna, the home of Florida's ardent secessionist Civil War governor, John Milton, was an important supply depot and recruiting center for area Confederates. On September 18, 1864, a column of 700 Union Army troops under Brig. Gen. Alexander Asboth set out from the federally-occupied city of Pensacola and marched westward towards Marianna. On September 27, the Federal raiders reached Marianna at noon and found themselves challenged by a militia command of Confederate Army cavalry, reservists, and local volunteers, commanded by Col. Alexander B. Montgomery. Fighting began outside of the town and soon spread into the streets, with a focal point being the grounds of St. Luke's Church.
When the smoke cleared after a sharp 30-minute fight, some 18 men lay dead or dying, 32 were wounded, and dozens were being herded away as prisoners. Among the wounded was Thaddeus Hentz, a son of famed novelist, Caroline Lee Hentz, who was shot not far from his mother's grave.
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