St. Augustine and the Civil War

by Robert Redd

When Florida seceded from the Union in 1861, St. Augustine followed much of the South and widely supported the Confederacy. Many residents rushed to join the Confederate army. Union forces, however, quickly seized the lightly protected town and used it as a rest area for battle-weary troops. Seven Union regiments called the city home during the war. While no major engagement took place in St. Augustine, the city is filled with Civil War history, from supporting the Confederacy to accepting Union generals as respected residents. Join author Robert Redd as he details St. Augustine's rich history during the Civil War and in the postwar years.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction, American History

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2014

Reviews

[Josh Liller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers St. Augustine, Florida during the American Civil War. It's published by History Press who produce a large number of short books (about 150 pages) on the war and/or local history. Unlike many such books, this one includes an Index, Endnotes, and a fairly extensive Bibliography - things these books usually eschew due to their limited size.

The title is not technically a misnomer, but can be somewhat misleading. Only the first 1/3 of the book really covers events in St. Augustine 1860-1865 (and Reconstruction is almost completely unmentioned). Subsequent chapters deal with Confederate privateer whose short career ended by grounding on the St. Augustine Bar, the connections between the city and various individuals associated with Lincoln, connections between the city and Civil War generals (Union and Confederate), the African-American experience in St. Augustine (much of which deals with the Slave Market and whether it is accurately named), and a tour of Civil War sites in St. Augustine. Connecting people through the common thread of a certain place or event is a fine idea for a book, but two chapters out of seven in a book feels a bit odd. An Appendix provides a roster of the St. Augustine Blues (3rd FL Infantry Company B), but there is no chapter dedicated that company and its members or their experiences during the war which would have been on topic. A few odd factual misstatements have slipped through as well, such as confusing Presidents McKinley and Taft.

I'm going to give this a mild recommendation. The writing here is decent, it's a quick read, and seems well-researched; a solid product for a first-time author. It's not just not what I'm looking for in a book on this subject.

[Tom Harman · Rating 3 out of 5]

St. Augustine and the Civil War starts with promise. The opening portion does a respectable job covering St. Augustine during the war years, particularly under Union occupation. That section provides useful context and gives the reader a sense of how the city functioned during a relatively overlooked chapter of the conflict, though it would have benefited from greater depth and detail.

Unfortunately, the latter part of the book loses focus. Much of the remaining material shifts toward individuals who had only brief or tangential connections to St. Augustine. While interesting in isolation, these sections feel loosely tied to the city itself and dilute the narrative rather than strengthen it.

Overall, this is a serviceable introduction to St. Augustine’s Civil War era, but readers looking for a deeper, more tightly centered study of the city during the war may find it uneven. A solid concept that never quite fulfills its potential.