WOODVILLE, FLA. (WTXL) - With a population of roughly 3,000, Woodville is just one of the many communities that make up the total 700 square miles of Leon County.
Woodville can be found just 15 minutes outside of Tallahassee. As you enter the town, one of the first roads you'll notice is Natural Bridge Road. Down that road, you'll discover a great deal about Woodville's history.
Home to the state of Florida's second largest civil war battle, confederate solders met the union forces in Woodville on March 6th, 1865; at what is now referred to as the Battle of Natural Bridge.
Reenactments join together every year to bring that battle to life. Over 300 people participate in the Battle of Natural Bridge every year. The Natural Bridge Historical Society puts on the event every year during the first full weekend in March.
Buzz Gifford with the Natural Bridge Historical Society says people come from all over to take step back in time, "we get quite a few people from the Woodville area; but we get people from as far as away as Tampa, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Mobile."
The union troops were defeated at the Battle of Natural Bridge, leaving Tallahassee as the only confederate capital east of the Mississippi to not be captured by union forces.
Event organizers hope the the reenactment continues to attract people to Woodville, and helps showcase the community's significant role in Florida's history.
The site of the battle is now known as the Natural Bridge Battlefield State historic site, and you can also find a monument there commemorating the victory.
