George,

That is my site. The story of a "massacre" at Marianna grew in the retelling. Only one Confederate was killed after the Southern surrender in the churchyard. Several were wounded.

Basically, what happened is that some of the Confederates attempted to surrender (some but not all). When they saw them putting down their weapons, the Federal officers stopped their men from firing. Another group of Confederates then took advantage of the pause to open fire, killing a Union soldier. The Federals opened fire again, prompting a full surrender by the Confederates. Despite the efforts of their officers, however, the Union soldiers fired one additional volley at the men of Norwood's home guards after they had put down their weapons. One man was killed and several others wounded.

Union officers then rushed into the fray and threatened to shoot their own men to prevent them from firing again on the prisoners. One officer from the 82nd U.S. Colored Infantry later received a Congressional Medal of Honor, in part, for saving the lives of the Confederate prisoners at Marianna.

Total Confederate casualties for the battle were much higher, but eyewitness accounts confirm that nearly all of these men were killed or wounded during the actual fighting.

The real story of the Battle of Marianna is the amazing fight put up there against veteran Union troops by local home guards, Florida reservists and a company of militia cavalry from Alabama. A number of seasoned officers on both sides wrote that it was the most intense they experienced during the war. More than 10% of the population of Marianna was killed, wounded or captured in the fighting.

If you are interested in learning more, my new book "The Battle of Marianna, Florida" will be available at www.battleofmarianna.net on next Wednesday. It will also be available through Amazon, etc., somewhere in the next 4-6 weeks.

Best,
Dale Cox