Hidden History of Civil War Florida

by Robert Redd

Dig into a treasure trove of nearly forgotten Sunshine State Civil War history. At the outset of the Civil War, Florida's entire population was only a bit larger than present-day Gainesville. Still, the state played an outsized role in the conflict. Floridians fought for the Union and Confederate armies. Sunshine State farmers provided beef and other foodstuffs for the Confederacy, rations that proved increasingly consequential as the years wore on. The battles of Olustee and Natural Bridge, where boys from the West Florida Seminary entered the fray, helped keep Tallahassee as the only Confederate-held capital east of the Mississippi River. Even the conspirators involved in Lincoln's assassination wove a trail that led to Florida. Join author Robert Redd on a tour of the lesser-known aspects of Florida in the Civil War.

144 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2022

Reviews

[Josh Liller]

Another slim volume from the History Press. The author previously wrote St. Augustine and the Civil War so is clearly familiar with the subject matter.

Seven chapters cover: Florida's secession process; the Confederate seizure of Fort Marion and the subsequent Union recapture of St. Augustine, both without any shots being fired; Florida supplying the Confederate Army, particularly with beef; activity in the New Smyrna / Mosquito Inlet area during the war, and subsequent postwar activity by veterans; the Battle of Marianna in the panhandle; the West Florida Seminary Cadets and their participation in the Battle of Natural Bridge; and the Florida connections of John Wilkes Booth's associates Lewis Powell and Dr. Samuel Mudd. The last "chapter" is really more of an appendix, providing a guide to Civil War historic sites around Florida.

My favorite chapter was the one about cattle logistics, both a somewhat obscure part of Florida history and probably Florida's most important contribution to the Confederacy. I also liked the summary of the Marianna campaign and the West Florida Seminary which filed in details on both topics I didn't know. At a mere six pages, the St. Augustine chapter was definitely the weakest.

The author spends 20 pages on Endnotes and Bibliography, which is rare for a History Press book (Redd also did this for his aforementioned St. Augustine book).

The writing is fine. The topics selected are mostly ones that I think are indeed unknown to the average reader and probably not even well known to those interested in the Civil War.

Moderate recommendation.