When Union troops headed west from Jacksonville in February of 1864 one of General Seymour’s objectives was the railroad bridge over the Suwannee River near the present day town of Live Oak. If the Federals could destroy this bridge it would cut off rail communication between the eastern and western parts of the state. The Confederates constructed two earthen forts on the eastern bank of the river to protect the bridge. The tracks ran between the two forts. One of the two earthworks is preserved in the Suwannee River State Park. A boardwalk crosses the river face of the fort. The fort is a short walk from the parking lot and easily accessible (shown below). Pictures are also shown from an observation platform located on the river. I could easily see the point where the Withlacoochee River joins the Suwannee River and the point where the railroad bridge crosses the river. Steamboats could come up the river from the gulf to this point where the town of Columbus sat. The town no longer exists.

The next 8 pictures are of the earthwork