Chatot] never maintained peace with anybody." The Civil War Following the migration of Spanish settlers to Florida, the springs quickly generated considerable attraction. The clear waters were popular for fishing, drinking, and swimming. In 1840, a log hotel was established, drawing several families into this area. These early settlers were harassed and traumatized by the brutal activities of deserter gangs during the Civil War. On September 24, 1864, 700 Union soldiers briefly paused at the springs on their way to the Battle of Marianna. The soldiers, on a raid led by Brigadier General Alexander Asboth, destroyed the hotel and looted neighboring homes. Records indicate that, following the raid, the Union force sustained its first loss near the park and in the Ponce de León area. Also in the vicinity of the park, it is reported that Private Joseph Williams of Company H, the 86th U.S. Colored Infantry, was mortally wounded in an accidental shooting and left bleeding “in the lines of the enemy at Big Sandy Creek”. Ecology Ponce De León Springs comprises 386.94 acres of land in Holmes County and Walton County, Florida. The second-magnitude spring produces about 14 million gallons of water daily, outputting a 350 ft. spring-run stream. The water is approximately 20 ft. deep at the spring's head, where a vent concentrates groundwater discharge to the surface. Like other parts of the Floridan aquifer, the water remains a constant 68 °F. The springs' topography ranges from sloping to level, with streams collecting their drainage from the slopes, these stream systems of the Choctawhatchee River, River Valley Province, and the Coastal Lowlands Province. The park is also home to underlying Ocala limestone. The Floridan Aquifer The water in the springs emerges from the Floridan aquifer system, one of the most productive sources of groundwater in the United States and a major source of supply for agricultural, industrial, and rural uses. This system is a part of the principal artesian aquifer, "the largest, oldest, and deepest aquifer in the southeastern U.S." The aquifer spans 100,000 mi², across four states in the southeast U.S. Ocala Limestone The aquifer system contains 3,500 ft. of limestone and dolomite. Due to limestone's porous nature, its presence near the surface, along with Florida's rapid population growth, results in groundwater resources being highly susceptible to contamination. Discovered in its namesake, Ocala, Florida, Ocala Limestone is "soft, white, porous, and apparently very pure" when found