The Battle of Fort Brooke

The Battle of Fort Brooke was a minor engagement fought during the Civil War near Tampa, Florida., Two Union Navy ships, the USS Tahoma and the USS Adella, bombarded the fort on October 16, 1863. As the conflict continued, the Battle of Ballast Point took place days later by the two Navy ships under the protracted diversionary bombardment of the City of Tampa and Fort Brooke. The Union divisions marched 14 miles to the Hillsborough River near the current site of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. They surprised, captured, and burned a pair of notorious blockade runners: the Scottish Chief steamship and the sloop Kate Dale. The fallen ships were owned by the future mayor of Tampa, James McKay. He and his crew escaped by mere minutes and quickly fled to warn others at Tampa's landing party. Confederate forces were then alerted to the raiding party's location, and Union forces were surprised by the 2nd Florida Infantry Battalion. A brief exchange of fire ensued with few casualties and the Union troops returned to sea. A Confederate cavalry unit known as the Ocklawaha Rangers finally caught up with Union raiders for full battle engagement. Union soldiers came under direct fire as they boarded dinghies in a tactical retreat.