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The historic Tallahassee-St. Marks Railroad is now a state park and "rails to trails" project. Prior to the Civil War, this was a vital link connecting Florida's capital of Tallahassee with the port of St. Marks on the Gulf Coast. The Confederates used the railroad extensively during the war to move troops, artillery and supplies in defense of the capital. The railroad achieved its highest military significance in March of 1865 when it was used to rapidly deploy Confederate troops south from Tallahassee in the face of an advance by Union forces. The railroad enabled Generals Samuel Jones and William Miller to put enough men into place to defeat Union General John Newton at the Battle of Natural Bridge on March 6, 1865 |
Enlarge A close-up of the historical marker at the park entrance just off Capital Circle in Tallahassee |
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This is a view looking down the old railroad bed from the Tallahassee end of the line. The railroad was notoriously bad and for parts of its history, the trains were actually pulled by mules or horses instead of locomotives. Today, the railroad is an extremely popular bike, walking and equestrian trail maintained by the state of Florida |
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