The award-winning Battle of Bloody Mose at Fort Mose Historic State Park is one of the most celebrated reenactments which takes place at a Florida state park. The historic battle took place on June 26, 1740 in the village of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, the first legally sanctioned free black settlement in the continental United States and became the site of the bloodiest battle in Florida’s part in the War of Jenkins’ Ear. The decisive Spanish victory at “Bloody Mose” was one of the factors that caused the end of the British invasion of Spanish Florida.

On June 21 and 22, the sixth annual commemoration will take place thanks to a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. The event opens with a presentation of the colors by the Naval Sea Cadet Battalion of Saint Augustine with a cannon and musket salute. Two reenactments will take place at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and throughout the day visitors will have the chance to visit vignettes of life in Saint Augustine under siege, the Yamassee confederation preparing for battle and strategic planning for the surprise attack at the Castillo de San Marcos.

During a lunch break at noon, visitors will be entertained with performances by Florida Living History’s Theater with a Mission from one of Spain’s oldest plays, Nuevo Mundo by Lope de Vega. The second day of the event will allow visitors to meet and interact with reenactors. Invite family and friends to this amazing event and experience just a bit of the history that encompasses Florida.

Admission to the event is free and takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.