Editing Punta Rassa, Florida (section)

===Civil War===
Southwest Florida was relatively quiet in the early part of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. [[Union Army|Union]] troops and refugee Union sympathizers occupied [[Useppa Island]] in December 1863 and mounted a small raid into [[Charlotte Harbor (estuary)|Charlotte Harbor]] and up the [[Myakka River]], which resulted in some skirmishes with [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] troops and irregulars. In January 1864, Union troops landed at Punta Rassa and marched overland to Fort Myers, which they were able to seize before Confederate sympathizers could burn it. The troops on Useppa Island then moved to Fort Myers. As the year progressed, Union troops and sympathizers began driving cattle to Punta Rassa to supply Union ships on blockade duty and Union-held [[Key West]], reducing the supply of cattle available to Confederate forces. The increased shipping from Punta Rassa led the Union Army to build a barracks and a wharf there.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dillon|first=Rodney E. Jr.|date=January 1984|title='The Little Affair': The Southwest Florida Campaign, 1863–1864|journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly|volume=62|issue=3|pages=314–331|jstor=30146289}}</ref> The barracks was {{convert|50|by|100|ft}}, set on {{convert|14|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} pilings to place the building above storm surges.<ref name=smoot/> At the end of the Civil War, the U.S. military withdrew from the area.