Apalachicola River, Part Eleven

Continuing our series on Civil War sites along Florida's Apalachicola River, this view shows the river as it winds the bend at Ocheesee Bluff. The historic bluff faces the river on the right side of the photograph.

This was an important site throughout much of Florida's early history. The trading post of John Mealy stood here at the time of the American Revolution. He provided horses, supplies and warriors from the adjacent Lower Creek village of Ocheesee to the British army during the Revolution.

In 1817, this was the site of an important battle of the First Seminole War. A convoy of U.S. Army supply boats were making their way upriver to Fort Scott (in Decatur County, Georgia), when they were attacked from both sides of the river at this point by Native American and African American Creek and Seminole warriors. The battle lasted for a number of days for a sudden cold spell brought the fighting to an end.

During the 1820s and 1830s, an important community developed here. Ocheesee was the county seat of Fayette County, now remembered as one of Florida's "lost counties." Established during the 1830s, the county was abolished after only a couple of years.

By the time of the Civil War, however, Ocheesee remained an important settlement and riverboat landing.

More discussion of the site's Civil War history is coming in the next post.