Confederate forces guarded this Blackwater River crossing from 1862 to the end of the Civil War. On 12 Dec. 1862, Capt. J. H. Sikes and soldiers of Company D, 7th Confederate Cavalry, were captured during a dismounted skirmish with elements of the 13th Indiana Regiment. More than 50 soldiers were reported killed or wounded during this engagement. On 22 Dec. 1862, Union Lt. Col. George Stetzel, 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, reconnoitered with four companies to Joyner's Ford. Encountering Confederate soldiers across the river, the Federals captured four pickets and a horse.