LEE COUNTY, Fla. - A sliver of American history in our own backyard. The year was 1865 and Fort Myers was known as Fort Harvie.

On February 20th, Confederate troops stationed in LaBelle launched a surprise attack on Union troops stationed near Centennial Park. The battle lasted a few days before Confederate forces withdrew.

"It was a cattle raising country and this area fed the confederate army with beef and other supplies. That set the stage for the battle", said Bryan Mulcahy with the Lee County Library. 

A statue honoring black Union soldiers sits on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River.

The victory allowed the Union to block food and supplies to Confederate soldiers in Georgia and Tennessee.

One Union soldier was killed and three others were wounded.