Civil War US Navy Raid Re-enactment 4 October
Veteran’s Memorial Park in Tampa will celebrate and host the re-enactment of the 1863 U.S. Navy raid on Confederate blockade runners on the Hillsborough River and the Battle at Ballast Point, the only land battle of the Civil War in Tampa. On June 30, 1862, a small battle took place in the Tampa Bay area over a two-day period early in the Civil War. A Union general sailed into Tampa Bay. Soldiers disembarked, went into town, and demanded Tampa’s surrender to the Union. A small Confederate militia group stationed in Tampa called the Osceola Rangers refused to surrender. The Union gunboat then began to open fire. The Union General warned the soldiers that they would fire again beginning at 6 pm in order to get civilians out of the way. The Osceola Rangers remained steadfast in their refusal to surrender. Gunfire began again and shots rang out most of the next day into Tampa. Eventually, in the late afternoon of July 1st, the Union soldiers stopped firing and the gunboat withdrew. There were no casualties in this battle. Skirmishes start at 1:30 pm. The Museum will be open and admission to the re-enactment and Museum is free. The Museum has displays and articles from all the services and memorabilia from local veterans. The Veterans Memorial Museum is a non-profit division of Friends of the Park and staffed by volunteers and is supported by donations. The Park is located on the east side of 301 between Adamo Dr and MLK. Parking and admission is free to all events.
