The cold winter months of 1862 brought an end to most of the military operations in the Escambia/Santa Rosa area. However, the hiatus lasted but a few months until the weather began to warm with the arrival of spring. So, on March 6, 1863 Union Colonel Isaac Dyer ordered another expedition launched against Milton with over 100 Union troops. But instead of steamers, the soldiers were provided with eight long boats along with naval personnel to row them. Their destination was the landing site at Judge's Mill across Escambia Bay, north of Floridatown. Unfortunately, one of the eight boats missed the landing in the dark and ran aground somewhere up Escambia River. A second boat was sent out to look for them while the remaining six disembarked their troops at the landing and promptly marched off in an easterly direction toward Milton. Floridatown was the western terminus of the road that ran through Arcadia and into Milton. At 3:00 o’clock that morning the enemy column reached Arcadia in a cold drenching rain. There in the old village they found two slaves cooking breakfast and when questioned they told their captors that the food was for a Confederate patrol expected to arrive later that morning. In the house they also found other accoutrements of war indicating the truth of the two men’s story. In hopes of ambushing the incoming patrol, they hid themselves around the village and settled down to wait for their unsuspecting prey to enter their trap. Upsetting for their great plan of conquest, a vanguard of five cavalrymen arrived ahead of the main column. Their unexpected arrival spoiled the Union commanders hope of netting the whole column. As the southerners arrived, they were ordered to surrender but only two in the party obeyed the command. The Federals opened up on the remaining three troopers, mortally wounding one and slightly wounding another while the third jumped a picket fence with his horse and escaped through the thick woods to warn his comrades.
Triumphantly, the Union column returned to Escambia Bay only to learn that their expedition into Arcadia had not been as successful as they first imagined. Upon arrival they listened to the news that their missing boat upriver had run aground so hard that it could not be extricated from the mud no matter how hard the men tried. The extra boat sent to their aid attempted to transfer the marooned men into their own boat. However, the men shuffling about caused the boat to capsize, dumping all of them into the river. Thirty-six men went into the cold swift water laden down with their heavy equipment and heavy woolen uniforms and overcoats. Tragically eleven of them got caught up in the current and drowned in the darkness.
The Union troops returned to Ft. Barrancas, dejected and demoralized at the lost of so many of their comrades. Little was accomplished by the expedition other than their deaths. The southern cavalry was still in full operation keeping their scouts active watching the enemy troops in and out of Ft. Barrancas and making periodic attacks on their patrols.
Colonel Isaac Dyer (later Brevet Brigadier General) of the 15th Maine
Infantry Regiment, ordered the Escambia River Expedition 1863
Union troops landing at Judge's Mill north of Floridatown on the Escambia River
The capsizing of the Union long boats on Escambia River, drowning eleven soldiers
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