Civil War enthusiasts commemorate 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla.- It’s a historic day in Southwest Florida. February 20 marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Myers.

To commemorate what happened in 1865, some local war enthusiasts portrayed Civil War soldiers.

Members of the “Sons of Confederate Veterans” dressed as Union and Confederate troops and gathered at the library in downtown Fort Myers to mark the anniversary.

On Second Avenue near the library, was the south side of the fort in 1865. If you could take a time machine back 150 years you’d be right in the middle of the southernmost land battle of the Civil War.

The bustling downtown area was a Union-occupied fort in what proved to be the closing weeks of
the Civil War.

Fort Myers was not a wooden stockade in 1865, but rather, four blockhouses, surrounded by earthen berms. Many cattle farms were located in the area.

“Those cattle were being either shipped or driven north to Confederate armies. The whole purpose of the fort, was to interdict that trade,” said Jim Powers.

Powers of the the Southwest Florida Museum of History, uses the word “interdict.” Another word would be raid, as in steal the cattle, to prevent beef from going to Georgia, to feed hungry southern troops.

At noon on February 20, 1865, 275 southern soldiers attacked Fort Myers.

The South had only one field cannon, the Union troops rolled out their artillery, and fired back.

One Union soldier was killed, several men on both sides were wounded; nobody knows the exact count.

At nightfall, the southern forces pulled back, abandoning their attack.

“They ran out of ammunition, they ran out of time, and they ran out of enthusiasm,” said Powers.

Many Southwest Floridians know little about the battle.

“If you’re a history buff, it’s really interesting. Otherwise, it just adds to your general education!”

A few years after the Civil War, the Postal Service tried to change the name to just Myers, Florida. However, local people wanted to remember the battle, and the fort. They objected, and so the name remained.