In reading up on St Simons Island, I learned that there was an old battlefield about 10 blocks from our home called "the Bloody Marsh.” My first thought was that it was the site of an Indian fight or Revolutionary War skirmish since I didn’t think there had been a Civil War battle here. As it turns out, this battle was fought in 1742 when Georgia was invaded by the Spanish.
Wait, what?!?
Apparently, the border between Spanish Florida and British Georgia in the early 18th century was a little unclear so the parties involved decided to work out their differences by force of arms.
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| 18th century Georgia soldier |
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| 18th century Florida soldier |
In 1740, the British attacked the Castillo de San Marcos at St Augustine, Florida and got their butts kicked. Two years later, the Spanish responded in kind by landing an invasion force on St Simons Island which threatened Fort Frederica. This time the Georgians prevailed and the matter was resolved.
A monument stands at "the Bloody Marsh" where the final action took place. It bears a quote from James Olgethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia:
"We are resolved not to suffer defeat. We will rather die like Leonidas and his Spartans if we can but protect Georgia and Carolina and the rest of the Americans from desolation."
Fans of American football may be familiar with “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,” a nickname for the annual war that is waged between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators. I guess one could argue that this struggle actually began 280 years ago.
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| 21st century Georgia "soldiers" |
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| 21st century Florida "soldiers" |
By the way, the big game is always played 60 miles south of here in Jacksonville which lies just 30 miles south of the Georgia/Florida line that was settled in 1742… on the Bloody Marsh.
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