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  CIVIL WAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REMEMBERING THE CIVIL WAR

 

 

 

 

 

OVERVIEW OF CIVIL WAR FLORIDA

 

 

 

 

 

JAX DURING CIVIL WAR

 

 

 

 

 

SHIPS & BOATS

 

 

 

 

 

BATTLES & FORTIFICATIONS

 

 

 

 

 

MILITARY LEADERS & UNITS

 

 

 

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

 

 

 

 

 

LINKS

 

 

 

REMEMBERING THE CIVIL WAR

 

 

 

 

  • UPCOMING CIVIL WAR EVENTS IN FLORIDA -- Includes reenactments, tours, expositions, & living histories.  From the "Battle of Olustee" homepage.

  • JACKSONVILLE DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Remembering History: Daughters of Confederacy Keep Past Alive," by Susan D. Brandenburg.  

  • CIVIL WAR MUSIC -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Putting Civil War to Song," by Charlie Patton.  Tells about Roger Butterley & Justin Murphy, two musicians from Jacksonville.  They recently produced a pop operetta about the Civil War.

 

OVERVIEW OF CIVIL WAR FLORIDA

 

  • FLORIDA CIVIL WAR TIMELINE -- From eHistory.com. 

  • OVERVIEW OF CIVIL WAR FLORIDA -- Thorough, well-organized website.  Its topics include women, African Americans, medicine, & naval activities.  Furnished by the State of Florida.

  • CIVIL WAR FLORIDA  -- "The Floridians: A Social History."  Includes a Civil War section.

  • CIVIL WAR FLORIDA -- Outline of Florida's history.  Includes a Civil War section.  From the Florida Heritage Collection.

  • CIVIL WAR FLORIDA, 1864-1865 -- "Far from Fields of Glory: Military Operations in Florida during the Civil War, 1864-1865" (a history text from 1996, by David James Coles) either is or will be available online in its entirety.  It is being provided by the Florida Heritage Collection.

  • MILITARY HISTORY OF FLORIDA -- Military History of Florida, by the celebrated Florida Confederate officer J. J. Dickison, either is or will be available online in its entirety.  It is being provided by the Florida Heritage Collection.

  • CIVIL WAR FLORIDA -- Listen to an audio report entitled "The Civil War in Florida."  Tells about the surprising number of military actions that took place in Florida.  Provided by the Florida Humanities Council.  NOTE: When you get to the webpage, click on the heading "Last Month's Programs."  Keep clicking this heading until you get to the page that contains the audio report you want. 

  • CIVIL WAR FLORIDA (INCLUDES AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIERS) -- Very nice website called "Florida in the Civil War."  Includes info about Florida's African American Union Troops.  Website furnished by the State of Florida.

  • AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPPORTERS OF CONFEDERACY -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "The Color of War: Black-and-White History in the South Is Full of Gray, by Nicole McGill.  Tells about African Americans who supported the Confederacy. 

  • PICTURES -- Lots of photos having to do with Florida's military history, including Fort Caroline, Castillo de Sand Marcos, the Civil War, & World War II. From the website "Exploring Florida: Social Studies Resources for Students & Teachers." 

  • FLORIDA HERITAGE COLLECTION -- Info about the subjects on this webpage may be available at the the marvelous "Florida Heritage Collection." This website gives full-text, online copies of hundreds of Florida books.  NOTE: When you get to the website, you can search in different ways.  These searches include by "Florida Themes" or by "Florida History Timeline."  You can also search by "Florida County" and by "Keywords."  With keyword searching, just type in "Jacksonville," "Duval County," or other keywords, such as words from a title.  ALSO NOTE:  Many of the individual Jacksonville items in the Florida Heritage Collection are listed in JacksonvilleStory.com, the site you're now in. However, Jacksonville info can often be found in books about Florida in general. Many of theses books are at the Florida Heritage Collection website.

 

JAX DURING CIVIL WAR 

 

  • OVERVIEW OF CIVIL WAR JACKSONVILLE -- Florida Times-Union article called "Jacksonville Divided During War," by Sharon Weightman. 

  • JAX DURING CIVIL WAR -- Info Civil War Jacksonville about  can be found in the book History of Jacksonville Florida and Vicinity 1513 to 1924 (by T. Frederick Davis, 1925).  Go to pages 116 - 137.  The entire book is online at the website for the Florida Heritage Collection.  STEP #1 -- When you get to the website, use a keyword search for the following words: "Jacksonville" "vicinity". This will retrieve the book.  STEP #2 -- Click on the link "Electronic resource (JPEG)."  This will retrieve the screen that allows you to choose a page number. STEP #3 -- Go to the bottom of the screen & select a page number.  This will open the book at that page.

  • AFRICAN AMERICANS & THE ST. JOHNS RIVER -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Before the Rails, Rivers Were the Roads," by Bob Phelps.  Tells about the St. Johns River during & after the Civil War.  Concentrates on the African American history of the river.  BACKGROUND INFO: Many slaves escaped to the Union gunboats that patrolled the river.  After the war, moreover, most of the pilots who steered the steamboats were African Americans.  

  • ORIGINAL RECORDS FROM CIVIL WAR JAX -- A must-see website called eHistory.com.  Provides a wealth of info about Jacksonville during the Civil War.  Much of the info comes from the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion.  These records are mostly composed of memos & reports that were written by Union officers.  NOTE: When you get to the website, type "Jacksonville" in the search engine box.  Or you could search for any other term you choose, such as "Camp Milton," "St. Johns Bluff," or "Truman Seymour" (the Union general who lost at Olustee).  

  • ORIGINAL CIVIL WAR INFO ABOUT JAX -- An interesting webpage from American Memory.  Offers a huge number of online magazine & newspaper articles from the 1800s.  Allows searches by any keywords that you choose.  Some of the articles include the terms "Jacksonville" and "Florida."  NOTE:  Make sure that you search "Full Text."  AN EXAMPLE OF AN ARTICLE:  One article is entitled "Up the St. Johns."  Among other things, it describes how Jacksonville appeared to a Union official in 1863.  The official noted that Hogans Creek separated the town from a stretch of woods beyond. The official worried that, if a large Confederate force tried to retake Jacksonville, the sluggish creek would not offer a strong enough defense.

  • 1864 -- MAP OF JACKSONVILLE & VICINITY -- Furnished by the Florida Center for Educational Technology.

  • 1864 -- ENLARGEMENT FROM MAP OF JAX -- Shows Civil War fortifications that partly surrounded Jacksonville.  Furnished by the Florida Center for Educational Technology.

  • CIVIL WAR MAPS -- Maps that were drawn during the Civil War.  Website includes maps that cover Duval County.   Placed online by the American Memory Project.  NOTE: When you get to the webpage's search engine, use such terms as "Jacksonville," "Duval County," or any other words.  You can also browse by geographic location & by subject.

  • AFRICAN AMERICAN CONFEDERATES -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "The Color of War," by Nicole McGill.  Tells about African Americans who fought for the cause of the South. 

  • UP THE ST. JOHNS RIVER -- "Up the St. John's River" (Civil War experiences, written in 1865), by Thomas W. Higginson, either is or will be available online in its entirety.  It is being provided by the Florida Heritage Collection.

  • CONFEDERATE FLAG -- Picture of flag sewn by women in Duval County during Civil War.  NOTE: When you get to the webpage, go about 3/4 down the page for the picture.  Provided by the State of Florida.

 

SHIPS & BOATS

 

  • UNION BLOCKADERS OF JACKSONVILLE -Brief history of the South Atlantic Blockade Squadron.  Furnished by "Florida Military Historians."  BACKGROUND INFO:  According to the website, the South Atlantic Blockade Squadron "was responsible for all naval operations on the east coast encompassing South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Their area of influence was not only as a blockading fleet offshore but also as an active arm to bring the war into the heart of the Confederacy via the river systems."

  • BLOCKADING SQUADRON -- Info about the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.  From "Florida Military Historians."

  • AMERICA (RACING YACHT) -- History of the racing yacht, America, from "History Central."

  • COLUMBINE (STEAMSHIP) -- A State of Florida web page that tells about the destruction of the Columbine, a Union steamship.  BACKGROUND INFO: The vessel was sunk in 1864 by Confederate land-based forces, a very unusual occurrence. It was lost on the St. Johns River near Palatka.

  • MAPLE LEAF (STEAMSHIP) -- Website entitled "Maple Leaf Shipwreck: An Extraordinary American Civil War Shipwreck."  Gives a boatload of details about the Maple Leaf, a Union steamship.  BACKGROUND INFO:  In 1864, the Maple Leaf was sunk by a Confederate mine in the St. Johns River at Mandarin.  The remains have been explored by archaeologists, and many artifacts have been recovered.  

  • MAPLE LEAF (STEAMSHIP) -- Florida Times-Union article called "Area Wreckage Offers Window to Civil War," by Simon Barker-Benfield.  The article emphasizes how the examination of the ship & its contents give a greater understanding of the lives of the Union soldiers.  

  • MAPLE LEAF (STEAMSHIP) -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Key Characters in Ship Sinking Were from Area," by Dan Scanlan.  Tells how several of the people involved with the Maple Leaf & its sinking were from Northeast Florida.  These people included the ship's African-American pilot, Romeo Murray, who moved to Mandarin after the Civil War.  

 

BATTLES & FORTIFICATIONS

 

  • JAX AREA FORTIFICATIONS -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Millennium Moment: Sep. 4, 1864," by Simon Barker-Benfield.  Tells about a U.S. colonel's inspection of area fortifications in 1864.  

  • CAMP MILTON -- Florida Times-Union article called "Preserving Jacksonville History," by Steve Patterson.  Tells about the efforts to preserve the remains of Camp Milton.  BACKGROUND INFO:  Camp Milton was a Confederate fortification that was located in today's Westside neighborhood in Jacksonville.  Local historian & neighborhood activist Fred Singletary is the principle force behind the preservation efforts.

  • CAMP MILTON -- Info about Camp Milton.  BACKGROUND INFO: Constructed by Confederates, this location offers the only “works” structure that remains in Florida.

  • CAMP MILTON -- Info about Camp Milton. From official war correspondence provided by eHistory.com. 

  • FORT STEELE -- Webpage entitled "American Forts East."  Provides brief info & some links in regard to many forts that have been in Florida.  Includes the Jacksonville area forts of Fort George Island Battery (World War I) , St. Johns Bluff Battery (Spanish-American war), Mayport Battery (World War II), Camp Atlantic Beach (World War II), Fort Steele (Civil War),  Fort Caroline (French), Fort San Diego (Spanish), Fort San Nicholas (Spanish), and Yellow Bluff Fort (Civil War).

  • GREENFIELD PLANTATION -- USGenWeb info about Greenfield Plantation.  This Duval County residence was destroyed by Union troops during the Civil War.   Was located west of Mayport. 

  • OLUSTEE -- An outstanding website devoted to the Battle of Olustee (or "Ocean Pond").  BACKGROUND INFO: This engagement took place in Columbia County, Florida, in February, 1864.  Olustee was the largest Civil War battle to occur on Florida soil.  Union troops marched from Jacksonville to the battle site.  After their defeat, they retreated back to Jacksonville, where they stayed for the rest of the war.

  • OLUSTEE --  Provided by eHistory.com.  Gives an overview of the Union expedition to Florida in 1864.  BACKGROUND INFO: Jacksonville was captured, but the North's invasion was turned back at the Battle of Olustee.  The Union troops retreated to Jacksonville, where they stayed for the duration of the war.  The city served as a base operations for raids into the Florida interior.  The Northern soldiers tried to interrupt Confederate supplies.  These supplies came from the blockade runners that used Florida's harbors and from Florida's farmers, ranchers, & saltmakers.  

  • OLUSTEE -- Brief info about Olustee, from BlueGrass.net.  INTERESTING FACTS FROM THIS WEBSITE:  A principle reason that President Lincoln invaded Florida in 1864 was to try to readmit Florida to the Union.  This would probably have increased the number of votes for him at the upcoming Republican presidential convention.  Lincoln's young secretary, John Hay, came to Florida with the invading Northern troops.  Hay purchased land in Jacksonville so that, if Florida were readmitted to the Union, Hay could run for Congress as a Florida resident.

  • OLUSTEE -- AFRICAN AMERICANS -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Black Soldiers Fought, Died in Fields, Forests of Olustee," by Charlie Patton.  Concentrates on the role of the famous black unit, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The 54th was portrayed in the movie "Glory."    

  • OLUSTEE -- Info & pictures from JacksonvilleStory.com.

  • ST. JOHNS BLUFF -- This web page summarizes the Civil War engagement at St. Johns Bluff in Duval County in October, 1862.  The engagement ended in a Union victory.  From AmericanCivilWar.com.

  • ST. JOHNS BLUFF -- From JacksonvilleStory.com.

  • ST. JOHNS BLUFF -- From eHistory.com.

  • ST. JOHNS BLUFF -- From CivilWarTalk.com.

  • ST. JOHNS BLUFF -- From Heritage Preservation Services.

  • YELLOW BLUFF & OLUSTEE -- This webpage provides info about Yellow Bluff and about the Battle of Olustee.  BACKGROUND INFO: Yellow Bluff is a high spot on the banks of the St. Johns River, between downtown Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean.  During the Civil War, it was crowned with a series of trenches & earthworks that protected cannons.

  • YELLOW BLUFF -- Webpage entitled "American Forts East."  Provides brief info & some links in regard to many forts that have been in Florida.  Includes the Jacksonville area forts of Fort George Island Battery (World War I) , St. Johns Bluff Battery (Spanish-American war), Mayport Battery (World War II), Camp Atlantic Beach (World War II), Fort Steele (Civil War),  Fort Caroline (French), Fort San Diego (Spanish), Fort San Nicholas (Spanish), and Yellow Bluff Fort (Civil War).

  • YELLOW BLUFF -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Girl Scouts Help Give Old Fort a Face-lift," by John Carter.  Tells about the efforts of local Girl Scouts to preserve the remains of Yellow Bluff Fort.

  • YELLOW BLUFF -- Contemporary photo of the monument at Yellow Bluff Fort.  Brief info included. From an unnamed personal webpage.

MILITARY LEADERS & UNITS

 

  • J. J. DICKISION -- This website gives the entire contents of the book, Military History of Florida, by J. J. Dickison.  This book describes the state's Civil War activities as experienced by Dickison, a colorful Confederate general from Florida.  This book is part of the Florida Heritage Collection and was placed online by the State University System of Florida.

  • J. J. DICKISON -- Portions of Dickison's military book (See the description above).  Provided by CivilWarHome.com.

  • FLORIDA CONFED. MILITARY UNITS -- Info & links about Florida's Confederate military units.  Part of the James River Publications Civil War web site.

  • FLORIDA CONFED. PENSION RECS -- Online site for the Florida Confederate pension records.  Maintained by the State of Florida.

  • UNION GEN. TRUMAN SEYMOUR -- Info, picture & links for Truman Seymour, the Union general who lost at Olustee.

  • 112TH REGIMENT, NY VOLUNTEERS -- This web page gives two historical selections about the 112th Regiment, New York Volunteers.  This regiment was stationed at Jacksonville during the Civil War.   The two historical pieces were written in 1866 by William Hyde.  They were placed online by the website "Maple Leaf Shipwreck: An Extraordinary American Civil War Shipwreck."  

  • UNION REGIMENTS -- Histories of many Union regiments.  From "The Civil War Archive."

  • 54TH REGIMENT -- Info about the famous African American unit, the 54th Regiment.  From "The History Net."

  • 54TH REGIMENT -- Info about the role of the 54th Regiment in the Battle of Olustee.  From "The Black Phalanx," by Joseph T. Wilson.  BACKGROUND INFO:  The Northern forces invaded Florida in 1864, and Jacksonville fell as a result.  The reasons for the invasion include the following: To restore Florida to the Union; to give African Americans the chance to enlist in the army; to open an outlet for cotton, lumber, & other supplies from the South to the North; and to destroy sources of supplies for the Confederacy.

  • 55TH REGIMENT -- Info about the African American unit, the 55th Regiment, the sister regiment to the much better-known 54th.  Includes an interesting Civil War letter written from Palatka, Florida, south of Jacksonville.  From an article by Katherine Dhalle.

  • ARMY LIFE IN A BLACK REGIMENT -- Army Life in a Black Regiment, by Thomas W. Higginson in 1870, either is or will be available online in its entirety.  It is being provided by the Florida Heritage Collection.

 

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

 

CIVIL WAR INCIDENT IN CLAY COUNTY -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Boys became men fast during Civil War," by Mary Jo McTammany.  Tells about a Civil War incident in Clay County, Jacksonville's neighbor to the south.

 

LINKS