When the Civil War began, Bagdad was an important West Florida center for the lumbering and naval stores industries with

a large lumber mill complex and a shipyard. In early 1862, the Confederate government began withdrawing troops from the

Pensacola Bay area to reinforce their forces in Tennessee.

As part of this evacuation in March 1862, a detachment of the 1st Florida Infantry set fire to the lumber operations and shipyard in order to prevent their falling into Union hands. The fire inadvertently spread out of control and destroyed a number of adjacent homes. Most of the residents fled to Confederate held areas in the vicinity of Greenville, Alabama.

Throughout the war, Union forces periodically conducted raiding expeditions into Santa Rosa County from their base at Pensacola. During a series of raids in October 1864, Union

forces fought a skirmish with Confederate troops south of Bagdad and then briefly occupied.the community

Information Provided by Florida Department of State.