A Guide to Civil War Records

The purpose of this guide is to identify and describe the state, federal, and private records pertaining to Florida’s Civil War era (1860-1865) housed at the State Archives of Florida. We hope this guide will assist and promote research into this time period.

Manuscript Collections

RG 900000 Manuscripts

M72- 1 Duke K. Bettis Civil War Letter, 1862

1.0 item

Background:

Duke K. Bettis served in Company I of the 39th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, also known as the 31st (W.M. Bradford's) Tennessee Infantry Regiment, during the U.S. Civil War. He was married to V.E. Bettis

Summary:

This series contains Confederate soldier D.K. Bettis’s four-page letter -- dated May 22, 1862 -- to his wife and children. Bettis comments on his wife's health, camp life, and payment of his debts.

 

M72-11 Albert Chalker, Jr. Letters, 1864-1865.

12 items

Background:

Albert S. Chalker was born on August 9, 1843 in Harney County, South Carolina. In 1850, he moved to Clay County, Florida. He was mustered in the Confederate Army at Callahan on May 16, 1863 under Capt. Robert Harrison in Company K of the Second Florida Cavalry Regiment. He served under General Joseph Finegan as a courier between Middle Florida and the mouth of the St. Johns River. On May 17, 1865, Chalker was honorably paroled on account of surrender. He returned to Clay County and married Martha S. Bardin. A prominent citizen in the town of Middleburg, he served as tax collector there until about 1890. At this time, he went West looking for an opportunity in which he might make back the property which he once possessed. While in New Mexico, he learned he had Bright's disease, which would be fatal. His son George retrieved him from out West and brought him home to Middleburg, where he died on January 26, 1906.

Summary:

This collection contains the letters of Albert S. Chalker, of the Second Florida Cavalry Regiment, and Martha S. Bardin of Middleburg. Dating from May 8, 1864 to November 25, 1865, the correspondence concerns his wartime experience at Baldwin, his involvement in the Battle of Natural Bridge, and his affections for Miss Bardin. Also included is a certification of enlistment of W. S. Bardin into Colonel Arthur Roberts' Company of Lake City, May 2, 1864.

 

M73-15 West Family Papers, 1827-1881

1.0  microfilm reel (35mm)

Background:

Dr. Theophilus West, a physician and druggist, of Jackson County, served as assistant surgeon for Company E, 8th Florida Infantry of the Confederate States Army. He accompanied his regiment to Northern Virginia, where he served out the war. Returning afterwards to Jackson County, Dr. West started anew at his plantation near Marianna and resumed his medical practice. In 1872, he moved to Marianna and opened the city's first drug store. After the death of his first wife, he married Annie Slade of Columbus, Georgia.

Summary:

The collection contains various papers of the Charles B. West family of Jackson County, Florida. It includes deeds, land grants, tax notices, seizure of property notices, and a confederate bond. Of particular interest is a civil war letter from Dr. Theophilus West, at a camp near Brandy Station, Company E, 8th Florida Infantry, to his sister, Mrs. A.M. Watson, Marianna, Florida, November 6, 1863.

 

M74-6 Langdon Loomis Papers, 1856-1906

1.25 cubic feet

Background:

Loomis Lyman Langdon was a military careerist, retiring as brigadier general in the U.S. Army. His service record reflects his involvement in many historic and tumultuous events in the history of Florida and of the nation. Langdon was born in Buffalo, New York on October 25, 1830. Graduating from West Point in 1850, Langdon joined the United States Army soon thereafter. In December 1854, Langdon was stationed with the First Artillery Regiment bound at Ft. Dallas, Florida during the Third Seminole War, eventually fighting in April 1856 in the Big Cypress Swamp. Over the course of the next thirty-one years, he served in nine other areas of the state.

After the outbreak of the Civil War, Langdon helped repulse the Confederate attack on Santa Rosa Island and Fort Barrancas in Pensacola. Later on, he fought in the Battle of Olustee, followed by commanding Fort Pickens during the yellow fever outbreaks and during Geronimo's captivity. He died on January 7, 1910 and was buried at his alma mater, West Point.

Summary:

The collection contains the letters of Loomis L. Langdon of the First U. S. Artillery. Though they span the years 1856 and 1906, the letters deal principally with Langdon's activities in Florida during the Third Seminole War and the Civil War. A letter to his father of April 9, 1856 recounts the fighting at Big Cypress Swamp with the Seminoles. Included also is his report, dated February 20, 1864, of the Battle of Olustee and a general order issued by Secretary of War W. C. Endicott and printed in "The Pensacola Commercial" (July 20, 1888). Miscellaneous items include Langdon's summary of history of Battery "M" from 1861 to 1866; an exhibit citation for a shell collection gathered by Geronimo, Langdon's prisoner at Ft. Pickens; and a photograph of Langdon (along with the original negative).

 

M74-70 Green A. Chaires Papers, 1865-1866

2.0 items

Background:

Green A. Chaires belonged to the prominent Chaires family of Leon County. Born in 1827, he was the son of Green Hill and Hannah Hathaway Chaires. He died in 1902.

Summary:

The collection contains the pardon and amnesty for Green A. Chaires for participation in the Civil War, signed by President Andrew Johnson, September 7, 1865. It also includes a letter to Green A. Chaires, Tallahassee, from Jefferson Davis, in prison at Fort Monroe, Virginia, April 22, 1866, thanking Chaires for his offer to send Davis money for his comfort.

 

M75-86 Randolph Family Papers, 1814-1978

1.0 cubic feet

Background:

The Randolph family moved from Virginia to Florida in 1829 and settled in Tallahassee. Thomas Eston Randolph and Jane Cary Randolph had eight children. One son, Dr. James Randolph, served in the legislative delegation from Leon County in 1845; became a surgeon in the provisional army of the Confederacy; and was mayor of Tallahassee in 1876. In 1881, Dr. Randolph was appointed superintendent and physician in charge of the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee. With his father, he co-founded St. John's Episcopal Church. The Randolph daughters conducted the first girl's school in Tallahassee.

Summary:

The collection contains papers of the Randolph family of Leon County, Florida. Included are seven letters from Thomas Easton and William Duval Randolph, 1861-1862, to their family while serving in Pensacola during the Civil War. There is also a transcript of a diary account by Dr. Arthur Moray Randolph describing his journey to Virginia from Florida to tend his dying son in a Civil War hospital.

 

M75-89 George Messer Papers, 1861-1908

4 items

Background:

George W. Messer of Dellwood, Florida served in Company D of the 17th Regiment of the Georgia Volunteers during the Civil War. The regiment was commonly called the Decatur Guards.

Summary:

Contained in the collection are the personal papers of George W. Messer, most of which relate to his service in the Civil War. Included are a certification of his membership in the Decatur Guards and a letter from Judge J. H. Martin; a roll of the Decatur Guards; and a recorded copy of his parole from the Army of Northern Virginia dated April 10, 1865 and certified by W. A. McRae, clerk of the Circuit Court of Jackson County.

 

M76-131 United Daughters of the Confederacy Records, 1862-1865, 1898-1990.

13 cubic feet

Background:

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was created as a coalition of civic and patriotic societies of southern women on September 10, 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee. Its goals were set as the federation of all bodies of Southern women cultivating ties among those whose "fathers, brothers, sons, and mothers shared common dangers" and to perpetuate honor, integrity and other "noble attributes to true Southern character."

The Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has its origins in Jacksonville, where its first Florida chapter was chartered on November 7, 1895. In January 1897 this chapter was named the Martha Reid Chapter No. 19 in honor of Mrs. Mary Martha Reid, the matron of Florida Hospital, a Civil War hospital established in Richmond. In order for Florida to form a Division, three more chapters were needed. By July 14, 1897, five chapters had been chartered, and the First Annual Convention of the Florida Division U.D.C. was held in Jacksonville.

Summary:

The collection contains the records of the Anna Jackson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy Tallahassee, Florida from 1898 to 1990. It consists of correspondence, minutes, organizational papers, subject files, programs, membership lists, and yearbooks. In addition, it has some records of the Clara Ryder Hayden Chapter, 1930-1934. There are also miscellaneous items, publications, photographs, and scrapbooks pertaining to the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Civil War.

The original Civil War material includes: a 1862 diary of David E. Coombs, 9th Maine Infantry, describing operations around Charleston, S.C.; a letter, 1862, written at Camp Finnegan by Evander L. Fletcher, 2nd Florida Infantry Battalion; a letter, 1863, from Capt. J.T. Bernard, 8th Florida Infantry Regiment, requesting a leave of absence; and a journal by John David Cay written while he was held prisoner at Pt. Lookout in Delaware, 1864-1865.

For more on the UDC, see M89-26, M91-4, and M96-18.

 

M76-134 Joshua Hoyet Frier Memoirs, 1895-1903

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Joshua Hoyet Frier was born in Lowndes County, Georgia, and grew up near the Florida border. Frier's father and brothers were opposed to secession. One brother eventually enlisted in the Eighth Florida Infantry Regiment and was killed by Confederate authorities after he deserted. On his seventeenth birthday, May 20, 1864, Joshua Frier enrolled in a Florida militia company that eventually became the First Florida Reserves, Company B. The unit remained in north Florida throughout its service.

Summary:

The collection contains a photocopy of a journal of reminiscences written by Joshua Hoyet Frier from 1895 to 1903. Entitled "Reminiscences of the War Between the States by a Boy in the Far South at Home and in the Rank of the Confederate Militia." Frier's memoirs describe the period immediately before and during the Civil War. It also documents his service in the First Florida Reserves from 1864 to 1865.

 

M81-6 William T. Bauskett Papers, 1911-1917

1.75 cubic feet

Background:

William T. Bauskett (1866-1917), a newspaperman and congressional clerk, was appointed state historian to write a history of Florida. The project was funded by the Florida legislature for two years (Ch. 6135, Laws, 1911). Bauskett prepared a manuscript, but it was never published.

Summary:

The collection consists primarily of Bauskett's manuscript for his history of Florida. Included are research materials and some correspondence relating to the project. The history spans the 1770s through the early 20th century. The chapters cover the scope of Florida's history, with significant documentation of Indian affairs, Andrew Jackson, and the Civil War. Biographical information on the author includes a photograph and an obituary.

 

M81-11 Matthews Family Papers, 1856-1910

.25 cubic feet

Background:

David Matthews and his family moved from Cherokee County, Alabama to Florida in November 1874. The family homesteaded on Picciola Island, near Leesburg, Florida. With them came Matthews' brothers, Lark and Ezekial, who homesteaded in the area as well. During the Civil War, David Matthews served in several Confederate military organizations. Pension records and his letters mention Company C, Sixth Georgia Cavalry Regiment; while a May 1865 parole shows him to be in Company C, Thirteenth Alabama Infantry Regiment. His letters also mention service in the First Georgia Cavalry Partisan Rangers and the Fourth Georgia Cavalry Regiment.

Summary:

The collection consists primarily of the correspondence of David and Nancy Matthews and other correspondence relating to them by family and friends. Most of David Matthews' letters were written from camp and field locations in Tennessee and Georgia, while most of Nancy Matthews' letters were written from Cherokee County, Alabama. The letters present a detailed picture of life during the war, at the front and at home. Also included are military records, newspaper clippings, receipts and agreements, and photographs of the Matthews family.

 

M82-55 Duncan Galleries Confederate soldiers photographs, 1861

Two photographs

Summary:

This collection contains two photographs taken of the Company B of the 9th Mississippi of New Orleans in a camp at the Warrington Navy Yard at Big Bayou in Pensacola, Florida on April 21, 1861. The photographs were found in 1972 in a scrapbook of original sketches belonging to artist C. F. Allgower, illustrator for Harper's Weekly in April 1861. The photographs are some of the earliest known Confederacy or Florida photographs.

 

M83-4 Albert Peck Papers, 1861-1865

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Albert W. Peck served as an enlisted man and officer in Company D, 17th Connecticut Infantry Regiment from 1862 to 1865. His unit served in Virginia until 1863 and was engaged at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, losing heavily in both battles. In August, 1863, the 17th Connecticut was transferred to South Carolina, where they engaged in raids at Johns Island. By early 1864, the unit had been sent to Jacksonville to reinforce federal troops after their defeat at Olustee.

Summary:

This collection contains the papers of Albert W. Peck of the 17th Connecticut Infantry Regiment. It includes a retrospective account of his Civil War service written in 1906. He writes about skirmishes in Northeast Florida, particularly those against the Confederate guerilla leader, Captain John Jackson Dickison; the towns of Jacksonville, Picolata, and St. Augustine; and details of military and civilian life during the war. His reminiscences cover the hardships of war, lack of food, his hospital stay, and other topics of interest. The collection also contains original Civil War letters from Peck to family members when he was stationed in Picolata, Florida, from August, 1864 to February, 1865. They document Peck's life as a Civil War soldier, and concern not only the action of battle but his daily routine.

Other materials include photocopies of an article on the history of the 17th Infantry Regiment, written by Bvt. Brig. General William H. Noble, late Colonel of the 17th Connecticut Volunteers. It recounts the regiment's involvement at Chancellorsville, Va.; Gettysburg, Pa.; Morris Island, Johns Island, and Fort Wagner, S.C.; and Welaka, Saunders, and Dunn's Lake, Fla. It also includes a copy of the muster roll of Company D of the 17th Connecticut, listing each soldier's name, rank, residence, date of enlistment, date of muster, and remarks (e.g., promotion, discharge, death).

 

M83-5 Washington Waters Papers, 1863-1864

1 folder

Background:

Washington Waters (1827-1864)settled in Madison County, Florida as a planter prior to the Civil War. On February 28, 1863, he enlisted in the Confederate Army, where he served in Company C, Fourth Florida Battalion of Infantry. He was demoted from the rank of corporal to private after being absent without leave. The Fourth Florida fought in Virginia in 1864 (early that summer the battalion became part of the Eleventh Florida Infantry Regiment); and on August 4 of that year, Waters was hospitalized in Richmond. He died there on August 6, 1864.

Summary:

The collection contains transcripts of two Civil War letters of Washington Waters. The letters are addressed to his wife and were written at Marianna, Florida on December 23, 1863 and March 17, 1864. Waters writes of his health and diet, poor medical attention, hopes for a furlough, and the treatment he received after being absent without leave. Much of the letters are devoted to advising his wife on running the farm and selling goods.

 

M83-32 George Barnard Civil War photographs, 1863-1864

1 cubic feet

Background:

Photographer George N. Barnard (1819-1902) was one of Matthew Brady's assistants during the Civil War. He followed Sherman's army throughout much of 1864 in Tennessee and Georgia.

Summary:

The collection consists of photographic prints of Tennessee and Georgia localities, most of which hosted battles during the war. Among the prints are a view from the Tennessee State Capitol at Nashville, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Orchard Knob, and Whiteside, Tennessee; also included are views of Allatoona Pass, Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, and Pine Mountain, Georgia.

 

M86-14 Map of Pensacola Bay, 1861

1 item

Summary:

This Civil War map of Pensacola Bay depicts the city of Pensacola, the Navy Yard, and Santa Rosa Island, showing the location of fortifications and the station of the blockading squadron. It was sketched by G. C. Rickman for Captain B. W. Powell of Company C, First Florida Infantry Regiment.

 

M86-40 Mark Boyd Papers, 1912-1968

12.25 cubic feet

Background:

Dr. Mark Frederick Boyd, born in 1889, was an internationally known doctor in the field of public health and tropical medicine, as well as an influential Florida historian. He co-authored the groundbreaking book, Here They Once Stood: The Tragic End of the Apalachee Missions, with Hale Smith and J. W. Griffin in 1951. In addition to his studies on Native Americans and early Spanish colonialism, Boyd worked on numerous Florida-related research projects, often for the Florida Park Service. He died in 1968.

Summary:

The collection contains the papers of Dr. Mark Frederick Boyd pertaining to both his Florida history research and his career in medicine. Types of records include correspondence, research notes and materials, an unpublished manuscript, news clippings, photographs, personal diaries, awards, and maps. The historical materials document Boyd's interests in Spanish missions and Indian affairs in Florida, as well as information on Richard Keith Call, Civil War activity in Florida, Spanish explorers, and desegregation.

 

M87-6 Roderick and James Shaw Letters, 1861-1864

14 items

Background:

Roderick (d. 1864) and James Shaw served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Roderick Gospero Shaw enlisted in Company G of the First Florida Infantry (the Young Guards) and was later made a lieutenant in the Fourth Florida Infantry. Roderick's brother, James Kirkpatrick Shaw, was a soldier in the First Georgia Infantry and later the Fifth Florida Cavalry Battalion.

Summary:

This collection contains 14 Civil War letters of Roderick Shaw and James Kirkpatrick Shaw, which were written primarily to their sister, Mrs. Jesse Shaw Smith of Quincy, Florida. One letter and a notated clipping are addressed to the soldier's uncle, Mr. Thomas R. Smith.

 

M87-10 Thomas Benton Brooks Correspondence, 1864

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Thomas Benton Brooks was a Union army officer and aide-de-camp to Major-General Quincy Adams Gillmore. Brooks joined the army on August 9, 1861 as a First Lieutenant in the First New York Engineers. He was promoted to captain on January 21, 1862 and to major and aide-de-camp on August 17, 1863 In 1864, he was sent to Florida to aid in a major expedition to establish a loyal Florida government and to interdict Confederate supplies landed at Jacksonville. He went to Fernandina to oversee operations to procure lumber on the Nassau and St. Mary's Rivers, in support of the larger Union expedition. On 20 February, 1964, the Union Army suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Olustee (Ocean Pond). Brooks resigned from the military on October 6, 1864, and returned to civilian life. He died on November 22, 1900.

Summary:

The materials in this collection date from early- to mid-1864 and deal primarily with operations in Florida relating to the major Union expedition of that year. They include correspondence from naval and army leaders on the expedition, reports from commanders, a newspaper account of the movements, and a pamphlet written about the Florida campaign. Of particular interest are three informative letters written to Brooks by Captain Alfred Sears of the First New York Engineers. Also included is a letterbook kept by Brooks from February to May, 1864, which contains copies of outgoing letters written by Brooks himself or letters he wrote as Quincy Gillmore's aide-de-camp; these letters were written from Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia. Together these items give a relatively complete account of operations around Fernandina in early 1864.

 

M87-19 Patrick Augustus McGriff Letters, 1861-1864

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Patrick Augustus McGriff, planter and Confederate soldier, was born November 6, 1826. He married Susan N. Harvin on June 30, 1852. He had previously been married to Susan's sister, Mary N. Harvin, who died April 5, 1851. A slave owner, he operated a large farm along the Georgia-Florida border. McGriff served in the Fifth and Twelfth Regiments of the Georgia Militia from March, 1864 to the end of the war. He died in a hunting accident on December 20, 1877, in Decatur County, Georgia.

Summary:

The collection contains the letters of Patrick Augustus McGriff written in 1864 while serving in the Georgia Militia. The letters detail military, social, and economic matters. Among the many topics he discussed were his trip to Atlanta through Albany and Macon, refugees, hospitals, Confederate wounded, Union prisoners, conditions in Atlanta, the movements of Union and Confederate forces, his concerns for his family, news from relatives, and the activities of his black servant, Onse, who attended McGriff during his enlistment.

In addition to the letters of Patrick McGriff, there are letters from two other Confederate soldiers. Two letters are from "Wm.," possibly Patrick McGriff's brother-in-law, from Camp Bartow in 1861 and James Island, S.C. in 1862. A final piece of correspondence is from "Jeff", apparently McGriff's nephew, written from Camp Milton, Florida on July 13, 1864, which contains some information about military activities in Florida during the period.

 

M87-21 Kilcrease Light Artillery (CSA) Records, 1863-1864

2 volumes

Background:

The Kilcrease Light Artillery, also known as Villepigue's Light Battery, was organized in 1863 as a Florida company in the Confederate Army, Dept. of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Fred L. Villepigue, who had served as Florida's Secretary of State (1853-1863), was elected Captain of the battery. The initial muster of the Kilcrease Light Artillery occurred at Camp Leon, Florida. By September 1863, the unit was stationed at Camp Ashby, Georgia, near Savannah. Ultimately, the unit was sent to reinforce the Confederate troops defending Charleston and Johns Island, South Carolina. The Kilcrease Light Artillery returned to Florida in March 1864 to support the Confederate defenses at Camp Milton, west of Jacksonville. In August 1864 at Brandy Branch, the unit skirmished with Union forces. In March 1865 at Natural Bridge, it assisted in repelling a Union thrust against Tallahassee. It remained stationed in north Florida until the end of the war. In May, 1865, the Kilcrease Light Artillery disbanded and its men were paroled.

Summary:

This collection consists of two items: a Company Descriptive Roll and a Morning Report Book for September 1863 to September 1864. The Company Descriptive Roll lists the commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted men of the unit. Entries in the book usually included name, age, height, complexion, color of eyes, color of hair, town and state of birth, occupation, place and date of enlistment, name of enrolling officers, length of enlistment, and additional remarks. The Morning Report Book gives a detailed unit status account. Included for each day are the number of officers and men present for duty, sick, or special duty, in arrest, absent sick, absent with leave, absent without leave, and men on special service. Also included is a remarks column with information on personnel changes, conditions of the battery's horses, etc.

 

M87-22 George Washington Scott Papers, 1850-1904

.25 cubic feet

Background:

George Washington Scott was a prominent merchant, planter, soldier, politician, and industrialist. Born in Alexandria, Pennsylvania on February 22, 1829, Scott visited Florida in 1850 and moved to Quincy the following year. In 1852 Scott, moved to Tallahassee and established a mercantile exchange and became involved in plantation agriculture. In 1860 Scott enlisted in the Tallahassee Guards, a Leon County militia organization. Upon the formation of the Confederacy he was appointed Captain of Company D, Second Florida Cavalry. Scott organized and was elected lieutenant-colonel of the Fifth Florida Cavalry Battalion in 1863. Scott’s unit participated in the February, 1864 Battle of Olustee and in subsequent actions in the vicinity of Jacksonville. In March 1865 Scott and his men played a prominent roll in the Battle of Natural Bridge. Scott's unit surrendered, and was paroled at Tallahassee, in May 1865.

Returning to his civilian career following the war, Scott briefly entered politics. In 1868 during the turbulent Reconstruction Era, he unsuccessfully ran for Florida Governor on the Democratic ticket. He became involved in real estate, cotton manufacturing, and the phosphate industry. In addition, he was a founder of Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Ga., which is named after his mother. Scott died on October 3, 1903 in Atlanta

Summary:

These papers document the many facets of the life of George Washington Scott; although the Civil War period is most heavily represented. The collection contains personal and official military correspondence, Civil War reports and hand-drawn maps, a partial muster roll of the Fifth Florida Cavalry, an account of the Battle of Natural Bridge by General William Miller, and other related items. There are also newspaper clippings, genealogical information, and a typescript copy of his diary from 1850-1851. The Civil War maps, hand-drawn by Scott, are also available in photographic prints.

 

M87-35 Council A. Bryan Papers, 1862-1902

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Council A. Bryan was born in Washington County, Florida on January 17, 1830. The Bryan family came to Leon County in 1832. He served as the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Leon County from 1855 to 1861. In February, 1862, Bryan enrolled in the Trapier Guards, which eventually became Company C of the Fifth Florida Infantry. The company was commanded by future Florida Governor William Dunnington Bloxham. In April of the same year the unit was mustered into Confederate service and sent to Virginia, where it became part of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Along with the Second and Eighth Florida Regiments, the Fifth was eventually organized into a Florida Brigade under the command of another future Florida Governor, Edward Aylsworth Perry. Council Bryan served in the Fifth Florida as a Lieutenant and then as Captain of Company C. His brother, Joseph L. Bryan, was a Sergeant in the same company. Following the war, Bryan was again elected to the position of Clerk of Circuit Court of Leon County. He died in 1907 and is buried in the Old City Cemetery in Tallahassee.

Summary:

The Council A. Bryan papers deal primarily with his Confederate service. Of particular interest is his correspondence with his wife, Cornelia Archer Bryan, from 1862 to 1864. Bryan often commented on the condition of the men in his company; his concern for his brother, Joe; and his concern for his wife. He also wrote of military activities and campaigns. The July 22-25, 1863 letter describes the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg.

A casualty list of the Florida Brigade for the 1864 Wilderness Campaign is also in the collection, as is a Confederate Veterans pamphlet and two letters written to Mrs. Mary Archer in thanks for her preservation of Florida's Civil War battle flags. One of the letters is written by Florida Adjutant General and Civil War hero Captain J. J. Dickison.

 

M87-36 Palmer Family Letters, 1856-1915

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Samuel Augustus Palmer was born June 26, 1827 in South Carolina. He came to Florida with his parents in 1829. Before the Civil War, Palmer studied to be a jeweler with Benedict Brothers in New York. Returning to Florida in 1856, he married Mary Rebecca Gassaway and resided in Monticello. Palmer enlisted in Company H, Third Florida Infantry Regiment on April 24, 1862. This unit was eventually assigned to the Confederate armies that fought in the western theater of the war. Much of Palmer's military career was spent either on the sick list or serving as a clerk or nurse. By late 1864, Palmer had apparently recovered sufficiently to rejoin his regiment in its invasion of Tennessee. He was captured by Union troops on December 16, 1864 near Nashville and imprisoned for the remainder of the war at Camp Douglas, Illinois. Samuel Augustus Palmer died on 13 February 1918.

Summary:

The Palmer family papers contain scattered correspondence from 1856 to 1915. The collection can be divided into pre-Civil War, Civil War, and post-Civil War documents. The Civil War letters all date from 1863. They are written by Samuel Augustus Palmer from camps in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. During most of this time, Palmer was sick or on detached duty away from his regiment. He writes about his own health, his concern for his family and business, his desire to return home, and the military situation in the area.

 

M87-37 Hanna Family Papers, 1856-1875

.25 cubic feet

Background:

The Hanna family lived in Gadsden County, Florida. Brothers Calvin and Hamilton Hanna were both Confederate soldiers who served in Company B, Eighth Florida Infantry Regiment. Hamilton Hanna was killed in August 1862 at the Second Battle of Manassas, while Calvin remained in service until the end of the war.

Summary:

This collection documents the Hanna family of Gadsden County, Florida. It consists primarily of letters to and from Calvin and Hamilton Hanna. Although several letters were written by Calvin and Hamilton from camps around Tallahassee, the majority of correspondence is from the boys' father, John Burrell Hanna, to his sons. Also included are letters from various other relatives. The correspondence contains information on local activities, on farm and family news, and on military matters. The wartime letters date from 1862 to 1864.

 

M88-3 Francis Rinaldo Nicks Letters, 1863-1864

2 items

Background:

Francis Rinaldo Nicks served in Company C, Third Florida Infantry Regiment. He was born around 1837 in Leon County. His family moved to Hernando County in 1855. Francis was mustered into Confederate service in August 1861. He apparently served throughout the war, although he was often absent from his unit due to illness.

Summary:

This collection contains two letters, dated 1863 and 1864, of Francis Nicks. The first letter was written in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on March 9, 1863. In the letter, Nicks describes the weather, living conditions, military activities, his hopes for a furlough, and his thoughts on the outcome of the war. The letter was written after the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River), which ended on January 1, 1863. A typescript of this letter is also included. The second letter is a photocopy of a letter written in Brooksville, Florida, in July 1864. It is written to Captain Walter Terry Saxon and, although unsigned, is believed to be from Francis Nicks.

 

M88-18 David Lang Letters, 1862-1864

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Lang, a native of Camden County, Georgia, was born on May 9, 1838. He attended the Georgia Military Academy in Marietta, graduating in 1857. Lang then moved to Florida with his family, where he worked as a surveyor in Suwannee County. At the start of the Civil War, Lang joined the First Florida Infantry Regiment. He organized and was elected captain of a new company that became Company C of the Eighth Florida Infantry Regiment. Upon the illness of Edward A. Perry, Lang temporarily commanded the entire Florida Brigade.

Among the company’s engagements was the Battle of Gettysburg. Lang's unit suffered casualties approaching 500 of the 700 men that began the battle, perhaps the highest percentage of losses for any Brigade in Lee's Army. Lang served with the Brigade until the end of the war, surrendering at Appomatox in April 1865.

After the war Lang married Mary Quarles Campbell with whom he had four children. He worked as a civil engineer before being appointed Adjutant General of the State Militia (1885-1894). Lang also served on the State Board of Pensions, was private secretary for Governors Mitchell (1893-1897) and Bloxham (1897-1901), and cashier of the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee from 1901 until his death in 1917.

Summary:

This collection consists of fourteen letters written by Lang during the Civil War from 1862 to 1864. They were written to Lang's cousin, Elizabeth Atkinson, of Marietta, and describe his experiences in camp and battle. A calendar gives the date and a brief description of the contents of each letter.

 

M88-23 Children of the Confederacy (Susan Bradford Eppes Chapter # 26) Scrapbook, 1953-1971

1.0 Volume

Background:

The Children of the Confederacy was created as a subsidiary organization to the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1896. The goals of the organization include stimulating and broadening the historical scope, patriotic interest, and memorial activities of the young people whose ancestors were involved in service to the Confederate government.

Summary:

This collection consists of a scrapbook from the Susan Bradford Eppes Chapter of the Children of the Confederacy. It contains information on the activities of the chapter, as well as historical materials relating to the Civil War. Included in the scrapbook are newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, poems, publications, and a variety of similar items. For more on the Children of the Confederacy, see M93-6.

 

M88-28 Joseph C. Shaw Papers, 1863-1910

3 cubic feet

Background:

Joseph C. Shaw was born in Ohio on February 17, 1840. He initially enlisted in the Sixth Michigan Infantry Regiment, before being discharged at Port Hudson, Louisiana in September 1863 to accept a commission in the Fifteenth Regiment Corps d'Afrique. This unit, consisting of black enlisted men with white officers, campaigned in Louisiana until late in the war, when it was transferred to Florida. The organization's nomenclature was later changed to the Ninety-ninth Colored Troops.

Shaw's unit campaigned in Florida for the remainder of the war. In March 1865, the regiment was part of the Federal expedition against St. Marks that resulted in the Battle of Natural Bridge. Upon surrender of the Confederacy, the Ninety-ninth served as part of the state's occupying forces until it was mustered out of service in 1866. Part of the unit was stationed at Tallahassee during this time. Among the other locations where Shaw served were Key West, Fort Jefferson, Punta Rassa, Charlotte Harbor, Cedar Key, Perry, and St. Marks.

Summary:

This collection contains the private and official papers, 1863-1910, of Joseph C. Shaw, who served during the Civil War as a commissioned officer in the United States Ninety-ninth Colored Troops. Shaw's official papers are concerned primarily with his actions as Regimental Quartermaster and courts-martial board member. The records include letters, reports, requisitions, circulars, and orders.

A few private letters are included in the collection; most of these were written from family and friends to Shaw. One file documents postwar efforts of Shaw to obtain a veteran's pension. Another post war file illustrates Shaw's attempt to clarify some final paper work with the auditors of his accounts as a quartermaster.

 

M88-45 Washington Ives Diary, 1860-1862

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Washington Mackey Ives was born September 29, 1843 in St. Augustine, Florida. His family moved to the Lake City area in 1845. Ives enlisted into the 4th Florida Infantry Regiment in the spring of 1862. After the war he returned to Lake City to practice law. Ives was elected Mayor of Lake City in 1875 and a County Judge in Columbia County in 1877. He also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1885.

Summary:

The collection contains a photocopy of a personal diary kept by Washington Ives, detailing his activities from March 1860 to May 1862. The entries contain information on his hunting, fishing, schooling in Jacksonville, local activities of vigilantes, militia duties, movements of troops and formation of various units for service in the Confederate Army, and early engagements between the Northern and Southern forces near Jacksonville.

 

M88-57 Thomas J. Clark Papers, 1862-1864

7 items

Background:

Thomas J. Clark was a native of Jefferson County, Georgia. Born in 1840, he married Martha Ann Law on January 21, 1858. The couple lived in Hamilton County, Florida, and had a daughter named Eliza Irvin Clark, born October 10, 1861.

Clark enlisted in the Confederate Army on April 25, 1862 at Camp Leon, near Tallahassee; he enrolled in Company H, Fifth Florida Infantry Regiment, which was commanded by Captain John Frink. The Fifth Florida remained in its native state until the summer of 1862, when it was ordered to reinforce the Confederate forces in Virginia. The regiment saw its first combat at the Battle of Second Bull Run (Manassas) in August, and was also engaged in the bloody Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg, Maryland), on September 17, 1862. In the latter action, Thomas Clark was severely wounded in the leg and chest. Evacuated to a military hospital in nearby Shepherdstown, Virginia, Clark was captured and paroled by Union forces on September 25, 1862. He remained in the Shepherdstown hospital after his parole, where he died in mid-November.

Summary:

This collection consists of photocopies of papers related to Thomas J. Clark. It contains four letters written by Clark to his wife between June and September, 1862. The last letter from Clark, dated September 7, 1862, gives a brief description of the second Battle of Manassas and the beginning of the Confederate invasion of Maryland. The collection also contains an undated poem written by Clark and an April 18, 1864 letter from James Clark (Thomas' brother) to Martha Ann Clark. Written from Baldwin, Florida, James Clark describes activities in the state following the Battle of Olustee on February 20, 1864.

 

M88-70 Wilbur Wightman Gramling Diary, 1864-1865

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Wilbur Wightman Gramling was born on March 30, 1843. Wilbur Gramling enlisted in Company K of the Fifth Florida Regiment at Tallahassee on February 20, 1862. His brother Irvin enrolled in the same unit. On May 6, 1864, at the beginning of the Battle of the Wilderness, Gramling was wounded in the right arm and captured by Federal troops. He spent the rest of the war in various POW camps, including the infamous Elmira camp in New York. He took the oath of allegiance to the United States government on June 21, 1865. He died on December 3, 1870 from a lung ailment contracted at Elmira.

Summary:

This collection comprises one of the very few surviving diaries written by a Florida soldier in the Civil War. It is even rarer in that it documents the experiences of a Florida serviceman who was incarcerated in a Union prisoner-of-war camp. The entries are relatively short, concentrating on topics such as food, weather, living conditions, illnesses among the prisoners, war news, condition of family and friends, and the hope for exchange. Of particular interest is Gramling's May 23, 1864, entry in which he mentions seeing President and Mrs. Lincoln pass by his prison in a carriage.

 

M88-71 United Confederate Veterans, Florida Division Records, 1861-1865, 1887-1928

.50 cubic feet

Background:

The Florida Division of the United Confederate Veterans was formed in 1891 as a social, literary, historical, and benevolent organization for Civil War Confederate veterans in Florida. The Division was divided into three brigades which were made up of local Camps. The organization aided and assisted Confederate veterans who were indigent or in distress.

Summary:

This collection consists of records pertaining to the No. 1 Brigade of the Florida Division of the United Confederate Veterans and Camp Ward No. 10 in Pensacola. The records include a record book, 1887-1928, that contains meeting minutes, lists of members and officers, and clippings. The volume also includes a tipped-in letter, dated October 27, 1861, from Thomas M. Jackson of Company K, First Florida Infantry Regiment.

The collection also includes a number of photocopied Civil War letters. There are eleven letters, dated 1862-1865, from Samuel House, who served in a Tennessee artillery unit. The letters are written from camps in Columbus, Corinth, and Vicksburg, Mississippi and from Governors Island, New York, where House was imprisoned. There is one letter from John House, Samuel's brother, written while he was a prisoner-of-war at Johnson Island, Ohio.

 

M88-72 Byrd Family Papers, 1850-1970

2.0 cubic feet

Background:

The Byrd family was a prominent Tallahassee family. Thomas Blake Byrd married Rubie Bernard in 1884. She was the daughter of Judge Jesse Talbot Bernard and Mary Bradford of Alachua County, Florida. The family operated a successful grocery store in Tallahassee from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s.

Summary:

This collection contains the family papers and photographs of the Byrd family of Tallahassee from 1850 to 1970. The papers include both business and personal correspondence, receipts, store ledgers, school records, and documents concerning land sales.

 

M88-74 Chapman Family Papers, 1858-1883

1 folder

Background:

Giles P. Chapman was born in South Carolina. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Chapman was a married farming living in Sumter County, Florida. His parents still resided in South Carolina. In May 1862, Chapman enlisted in the Marion Dragoons, which later became Company C, Second Florida Cavalry Regiment. He was discharged for disability in December of that same year and died in November 1863 from measles complications.

Summary:

This collection contains photocopies of ten letters, dated 1858-1883, of the Chapman family. The wartime letters document military activities in east Florida, including the areas of Jacksonville and Palatka. Particular mention is made of the 1862 fighting at St. Johns Bluff.

 

M89-22 William D. Rogers Letters, 1862-1865

14 items

Background:

William D. Rogers of Milton, Florida, enrolled in Company K of the First Florida Infantry on May 31, 1861. When his term of enlistment for the original First Florida expired in early 1862, Rogers remained in the service in McDonnell's Florida Battalion, participating in the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. In mid-1862 he joined the newly reorganized First Florida Infantry, serving with that unit until the fall of 1863. In October 1863, Rogers transferred to the Fifteenth Confederate Cavalry (also known as the First Alabama and Florida Cavalry). Along with his brother, John Franklin Rogers, William remained in the Fifteenth Cavalry until November 17, 1864, when the two were captured by Federal forces at Pine Barren, Florida. They were imprisoned at Ship Island, Mississippi, where William died on March 8, 1865.

Summary:

This collection contains photocopies of twelve letters written by William D. Rogers during the civil war, 1862-1865. The letters provide information on camp life and military operations. Rogers describes the retreat from Corinth, Mississippi following the Battle of Shiloh (April 1862); and the participation of the First Florida in the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee (December 1862 - January 1863). One of the letters was written by Rogers from Ship Island shortly before his death.

 

M89-26 United Daughters of the Confederacy, Florida Division Scrapbooks, 1930-1986

8 volumes

Background:

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was created as a coalition of civic and patriotic societies of southern women on September 10, 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee. Its goals were set as the federation of all bodies of Southern women cultivating ties among those whose "fathers, brothers, sons, and mothers shared common dangers" and to perpetuate honor, integrity and other "noble attributes to true Southern character."

The Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has its origins in Jacksonville, where its first Florida chapter was chartered on November 7, 1895. In January 1897 this chapter was named the Martha Reid Chapter No. 19 in honor of Mrs. Mary Martha Reid, the matron of Florida Hospital, a Civil War hospital established in Richmond. In order for Florida to form a Division, three more chapters were needed. By July 14, 1897, five chapters had been chartered, and the First Annual Convention of the Florida Division U.D.C. was held in Jacksonville.

Summary:

The collection contains scrapbooks of the Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy from 1930 to 1986. The series is incomplete; there are several gaps. The scrapbooks only cover the years of 1930-1937, 1972-1974, 1976-1977, and 1983-1986. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, photographs, and memorabilia detailing the activities of the Florida Division. For more on the UDC, see M76-131, M91-4, and M96-18.

 

M90-2 Confederate States of America., Army – Florida Reserve Letterbook, 1864-1865

1 folder

Background:

The Florida Reserve functioned as a home guard and adjunct to Confederate States of America troops in repelling coastal raids and interior incursions by Union forces into Florida. It was organized into local companies of men from 45 to 50 and between 17 and 18 who had been exempted from conscription into Confederate forces. This force was commanded by Brig. Gen. William Miller, who also served as superintendent of conscription and Commanding General of the Military District of Florida. Major William G. Poole served as Assistant Adjutant General on the staff of General Miller.

Summary:

The collection contains a photocopy of a letterbook of the orders and communications of the Headquarters, Florida Reserve and Headquarters, Military District of Florida, from October 13, 1864 to April 24, 1865. These orders were transmitted by Major Poole as directed by General Miller. They concern troop recruiting, troop movements, railroads, salt works and hospitals.

 

M90-5 Robert Henry Tate Letters, 1864

8 items

Background:

Robert Henry Tate was from Hall County, Georgia. He married Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Cantrell, age 19, on February 14, 1864. Tate left his bride shortly thereafter to serve as a member of the E Company, Second Florida Infantry. Robert died on July 9, 1884.

Summary:

This collection consists of photostatic copies of eight letters drafted by R. H. Tate, a member of E Company, Second Florida Infantry, to his wife Lizzie. The letters, written between March 29, 1864 and September 3, 1864, document R. H. Tate's wartime experiences. The letters seem to indicate that Tate was in action around the Wilderness, Petersburg, and Richmond.

 

M90-15 Zabud Feltcher Family papers, 1835-1870

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Zabud Fletcher was born in Georgia on May 20, 1807. He was the son of John Fletcher (1765-1860), a Georgia Militia captain and state legislator. The Fletcher family moved to Gadsden County, Florida in 1825. Zabud Fletcher married Sarah Ann Monroe, the orphaned niece of Dr. Malcolm Nicholson, probably between 1836 and 1838. Their children were Malcolm Nicholson, Susanna, John, Sarah, and William. Zabud died in 1864.

Summary:

The collection contains correspondence (1835-1870) of the Fletcher family. The bulk of the collection dates from the Civil War era. Although most of these materials are general in nature, some of the letters deal with two of Zabud Fletcher's sons, Malcolm and John, who served in the war.

 

M90-22 Architectural and technical drawings of Fort Zachary Taylor, 1969-1980

84 items

Background:

Howard S. England was born in Key West, Florida, and, except for service in the U.S. Marine Corps overseas, he was a lifelong resident. After retiring from his career as a Navy Civil Service Architect, he spent several years doing volunteer work in excavating, documenting, and researching Fort Zachary Taylor, a pre-civil war fort located on a small island in Key West harbor.

The plans for what became Fort Zachary Taylor were approved in 1836. Construction commenced in 1845 and five years later the structure was formally named after the recently deceased president. The fort was trapezoid in shape; with three seaward faces. Each of these faces mounted forty-two guns in three tiers. At the time of Florida's secession in 1861, construction of the fort was still incomplete. During the Civil War, Key West remained in Union hands and Fort Taylor was occupied by Federal forces. In 1898 the fortification was remodeled to accept more modern weapons and renamed Osceola Battery.

On December 7, 1973 Fort Taylor was added to the register of National Historic Landmarks. Today the Florida Park Service maintains the fort as a state park.

Summary:

The series contains the architectural and technical drawings of features of Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West, Florida executed by Howard S. England from 1969 to 1980. The architectural drawings include elevations, floor plans, and details (e.g. handrails and doors). The technical drawings depict several types of large guns, their carriages and equipment as well as their projectiles. All of these detailed line drawings provide the physical dimensions of each object presented.

 

M91-4 United Daughters of the Confederacy (Florida Division) Membership Applications, 1908-1992

24 microfilm reels (35mm)

Background:

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was created as a coalition of civic and patriotic societies of southern women on September 10, 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee. Its goals were set as the federation of all bodies of Southern women cultivating ties among those whose "fathers, brothers, sons, and mothers shared common dangers" and to perpetuate honor, integrity and other "noble attributes to true Southern character."

The Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has its origins in Jacksonville, where its first Florida chapter was chartered on November 7, 1895. In January 1897 this chapter was named the Martha Reid Chapter No. 19 in honor of Mrs. Mary Martha Reid, the matron of Florida Hospital, a Civil War hospital established in Richmond. In order for Florida to form a Division, three more chapters were needed. By July 14, 1897, five chapters had been chartered, and the First Annual Convention of the Florida Division U.D.C. was held in Jacksonville.

Summary:

The collection contains membership applications for disbanded and active chapters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Florida Division, from 1908 to 1992. These applications contain familial information which connects the applicant to the respective Civil War veteran. In addition, these applications may provide: the date and place of birth, marriages, and/or death of the veteran; the military unit served in and battles fought; and time and place if killed in action or died of wounds. Information of a similar nature is provided if the person was a civilian government officer or a private citizen who provided assistance to the Confederacy. The earliest applications provide only minimum information. After c.1925 the applications contain more complete genealogical information. For more on the UDC, see M76-132, M89-26, and M96-18.

 

M91-9 Grand Army of the Republic (Eustis Post #4) Minutes, 1884-1923

1 microfilm reel (35 mm)

Background:

The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was created in 1866 as a veterans' society for Union soldiers. It supported the formation of local posts in both northern and southern states. The G.A.R. Florida Department was created in 1867. Eustis Post No. 4 in Eustis, Florida was established in 1884. The local posts supported social, charitable, patriotic, and political activities.

Summary:

The collection contains a microfilm copy of the minutes of the Eustis Post No. 4 of the Grand Army of the Republic, Eustis, Florida, from 1884 to 1923. It documents the decisions and activities of the Post in remembering the Union veterans of the Civil War, providing benefits to veterans, and promoting patriotism.

 

M91-10 Lewis G. Schmidt Research files, 1860-1865

6 cubic feet

Background:

Lewis G. Schmidt is a historian and author. His primary area of study is the American Civil War. His works include The Civil War in Florida: A Military History, published in 1989 in four volumes.

Summary:

This collection consists of research materials accumulated by Lewis Schmidt, author of "The Civil War in Florida : A Military History." The materials, 1860-1865, include photocopies of newspaper clippings; Civil War soldiers' diaries, memoirs, and letters; and maps and illustrations. These records document military operations throughout the state, including those at Pensacola, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Fernandina, Key West, and Ft. Jefferson. Information is also provided on the naval blockade of Florida and on the battles of Santa Rosa Island, Olustee, Marianna, and Natural Bridge.

 

M92-1 Call family and Brevard family papers, 1788-1925

6 cubic feet; 27 microfilm reels

Background:

Richard Keith Call (1790-1862) was territorial governor of Florida from 1835-1840 and again from 1841-1844. Call's military service began in 1813 in the Creek War, where he met General Andrew Jackson and subsequently served as Jackson's aide de camp, beginning a lifelong friendship. He visited Florida with Jackson in 1814 and again in 1821 when Jackson established the new American territorial government there. He practiced law in Pensacola and later served as a member of the Legislative Council, delegate to Congress, receiver of the West Florida land office, brigadier general of the West Florida Militia, and territorial governor.

Richard Keith Call married Mary Kirkman (d. 1836) of Nashville, whose parents were enemies of Jackson and bitterly resisted the marriage. The Calls had two daughters, Ellen and Mary. Ellen Call married attorney Medicus Long, and together they had two surviving children, Richard Call Long and Eleanora K. Long ("Nonie"). Three other children died young: Mary Louisa ("Mina") at age 8; Ellen Douglass at age 20 months; and son Hugh. Ellen Call Long was active in many civic organizations and activities, including Civil War and Confederate memorial efforts and the Women's Committee of the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Summary:

This collection contains correspondence, writings, and other papers of Richard Keith Call and his family, 1788-1916, and Theodore Washington Brevard and Mary Call Brevard and their family, 1820-ca. 1920s. Included are personal and business correspondence; financial records; land records; commissions; speeches; manuscript poems, articles, books, and other writings; newspaper clippings; and scrapbooks documenting the personal and public lives of members of the Call and Brevard families. Together, the Call and Brevard Family Papers offer highly significant and unique documentation of Florida's territorial, early statehood, and Civil War history, the development of early Tallahassee, issues and attitudes concerning slavery and race, and the effects of the Civil War on the lives of planters of the Old South.

Notable are Call's writings regarding slavery and race, secession, the Union, and the Civil War. Call's civil, diplomatic, and military commissions are in the collection, including those appointing him territorial governor of Florida.

Much of this material also documents Ellen Call Long's attempts to defend her father against his critics, and her own experiences as an author and member of various civic and cultural organizations, including Civil War and Confederate memorial associations and women's organizations. Most notable of these materials is a Civil War diary of Ellen Call Long in which she discusses the progress and conclusion of the war and the assassination of President Lincoln. Ellen Call Long's correspondents included Princess Achille (Catherine) Murat, Octavia Walton Le Vert, Julia Ward Howe, John Stockton Littell, Henry Flagler, and Florida Governors Harrison Reed, George F. Drew, and William D. Bloxham.

The Call family and Brevard family papers are available online in the Collections section of the Florida Memory Project.

 

M92-2 J. T. Bernard Papers, 1842-1949

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Jesse Talbot Bernard was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1829. He taught school and practiced law in various locales in Florida. While teaching in the Tallahassee area he married Mary Elizabeth Bradford, daughter of Thomas Bradford, owner of the Pine Hill Plantation in Leon County.

In 1861 Bernard entered the Provisional Army of the Confederacy. He was appointed a Captain and Assistant Quartermaster for the Eighth Florida Infantry Regiment. He served in that capacity for the majority of the war until being assigned to General Robert E. Lee's staff where he remained until the end of the war.

After the war, Bernard returned to Tallahassee and resumed a career in law, real estate, and cotton merchandizing. He served as Leon County Judge (1869-1873) and was mayor of Tallahassee (1876). He died in 1909 and is buried in the Tallahassee city cemetery.

Summary:

This collection contains journals, letters, photographs, and reminiscences of J.T. Bernard and his family from 1842 to 1949. The majority of the letters are from Bernard to his family and wife, Mary, in Florida and give some account of the nature of Bernard's service during the Civil War and the conditions in the theater of operations in Virginia and Maryland.

 

M93-6 Children of the Confederacy (Florida Division) Membership applications, 1906-1993

11 microfilm reels (35 mm)

Background:

The Children of the Confederacy was created as a subsidiary organization to the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1896. The goals of the organization include stimulating and broadening the historical scope, patriotic interest, and memorial activities of the young people whose ancestors were involved in service to the Confederate government.

Summary:

The collection contains membership applications for disbanded and active chapters of the Children of the Confederacy, Florida Division, for the years 1906 to 1993. These applications contain familial information which connects the applicant to the respective Civil War veteran. In addition, these applications may provide: the date and place of birth, marriages, and/or death of the veteran; the military unit served in and battles fought; and time and place if killed in action or died of wounds. Information of a similar nature is provided if the person was a civilian government officer or a private citizen who provided assistance to the Confederacy. The earliest applications provide only minimum information. After c. 1925 the applications contain more complete genealogical information. For more on the Children of the Confederacy, see M88-23.

 

M94-3 Andrew Denham civil war pardon, 1865

1.0 item

Background:

At the close of the Civil War President Andrew Johnson continued the quick and simple political reconstruction of the Union begun by President Lincoln. To this end, President Johnson issued a Reconstruction Proclamation on May 29, 1865. Among the subjects included was the dispensing, upon petition, of personal pardons to former Confederate military and civil officers. Andrew Denham received this pardon for his activities as a civil officer of the Confederate States.

Summary:

This is the original document granting a personal pardon to Andrew Denham by Andrew Johnson. It sets forth the conditions of issuance and acceptance as well as the date of issue.

 

M96-11 A. B. Noyes Letterbook, 1864-1867

1 volume

Background:

Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, A.B. Noyes served as the United States customs officer at St. Mark's in Wakulla County, Florida. When Florida seceded he joined the Confederate Coast Guard. He subsequently took a commission as a Major in the Confederate Army and was assigned as the Chief Subsistence Officer of the Second District of the Military District of Florida.

Summary:

This volume consists of a letterbook that documents the communications between Major A. B. Noyes in Tallahassee and the officers under his command, the other subsistence officers in Florida, as well as his superiors. The last third of the volume is devoted to some of Noyes's correspondence following the war and is mostly dated at Saint Marks, Florida. The volume is very delicate and many pages are brittle. Most of the entries are illegible due to the inky bleed through.

 

M96-16 Angus Patterson Papers, 1858-1885

1 folder

Summary:

Angus Paterson (b. 1836-) was an attorney in Madison County, Florida. The collection contains some of his papers that pertain to his practice of law and a cash book. Also included are: a certificate that excused Patterson from military duty in the Confederate Army due to a physical disability; a certificate from the District Courts of the Confederate States, District of Florida admitting him to the practice of law in the Second Circuit of Florida; and an oath of allegiance to the United States taken by Paterson after the close of the war.

 

M96-18 United Daughters of the Confederacy (Florida Division) Scrapbooks, 1900-1935

12 volumes

Background:

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was created as a coalition of civic and patriotic societies of southern women on September 10, 1894 in Nashville, Tennessee. Its goals were set as the federation of all bodies of Southern women cultivating ties among those whose "fathers, brothers, sons, and mothers shared common dangers" and to perpetuate honor, integrity and other "noble attributes to true Southern character."

The Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy has its origins in Jacksonville, where its first Florida chapter was chartered on November 7, 1895. In January 1897 this chapter was named the Martha Reid Chapter No. 19 in honor of Mrs. Mary Martha Reid, the matron of Florida Hospital, a Civil War hospital established in Richmond. In order for Florida to form a Division, three more chapters were needed. By July 14, 1897, five chapters had been chartered, and the First Annual Convention of the Florida Division U.D.C. was held in Jacksonville.

Summary:

These scrapbooks contain information regarding different aspects of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. As keepers of the flame of the "Lost Cause," UDC members collected information regarding the activities of the people of the South during the Civil War as soldiers, families, slaves, civilian war workers, and as victims of the effects of total war. They collected information relating to the history and activities of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Florida Division, and its constituent chapters.

Some of the early volumes of this collection contain accounts by veterans from all the theaters where Florida troops fought. Many of these are in the veteran's own hand. As the years advance there are recountings of these tales by historians of the various chapters as well as second hand, "as told to", accounts by the offspring of those who experienced the war personally.

Information is not restricted to combat participation, and many essays on the history, myths, politics, symbols and other facets of the entire experience of the southern rebellion are included. The first volume also includes a brief collection of correspondence that concerns the purchase of land and construction of a monument on the grounds of the Olustee Battlefield.

The later volumes are more concerned with the functions and history of the United Daughters of the Confederacy organization while continuing with the heritage functions. These activities are recorded at the national, division, and chapter levels.

Copies of the indexes included with each volume are available in the case file.

For more on the UDC, see M76-131, M89-26, and M91-4.

 

M96-21 Fort Clinch architectural drawings, 1847-1900

94 microfiche

Background:

In 1842 four hundred acres of Amelia Island were set aside as a military reservation upon which was built Fort Clinch. Construction was begun in 1847 and the post was named in 1850 in honor of Brevet Brigadier General Duncan L. Clinch. With the outbreak of the Civil War the fort was seized by Confederate forces until March of 1863, when federal troops returned and garrisoned it to the close of the war. The fort saw some auxiliary use during the Spanish-American War and was sold in March of 1929.

Summary:

The drawings provide the plan and engineering basis upon which the fort was built. Also included are illustrations of the range and sighting charts provided for the fort's complement of guns. There are also maps that show the fort's relation to Fernandina, Amelia Island's location and the fort's relation to the mouth of the inlet.

 

M97-19 Francis Fleming’s Florida Confederate veterans papers, 1880-1908

3 microfilm reels

Background:

Francis P. Fleming (1841-1908) served as Florida's governor from 1889-1893. After his term as governor, he served on the board of trustees of the new Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home, records of which form the bulk of this series.

The Florida Soldiers' Home Association was formed in 1888 with Albert J. Russell, the state superintendent of public instruction and a Confederate veteran, serving as the organization's president. Four years later, the organization purchased ten acres of the Whitney homestead near Jacksonville in which to care for aging Confederate veterans. The Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home began operating in April 1893. In addition to President Russell, ex-Governor Fleming, William Baya, David E. Maxwell, and Walter R. Moore served as trustees.

Chapter 8505, Laws of 1921, dissolved the Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home Association and transferred its assets to the Board of Commissioners of State Institutions. The act authorized the governor to appoint a Board of Managers to administer the Home, consisting of the president of the Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the State Commander of the United Confederate Veterans, the State Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, the Comptroller of the State of Florida, and an at-large position nominated by the four other board members. It further authorized the expenditure of up to $10,000.00 for repairs and improvements to the Home.

In the Home's final years the United Daughters of the Confederacy played a large role in its operation. In 1930, for example, U.D.C. President Macie Calhoun Medlin noted that the Home's managers, "assisted by devoted members of the U.D.C., have left nothing undone toward making the soldiers at our Home in Jacksonville as comfortable as possible. There are sixteen living there, now." Florida's Confederate Home remained in operation until 1938, when the last inmate died. The property was then sold, and the state commander of the United Confederate Veterans transferred funds to the state for the establishment of an endowment fund to be used for scholarships at the Florida State College For Women and the University of Florida.

Summary:

This collection consists of papers compiled by Francis P. Fleming concerning his interest in and activities relating to Florida Confederate veterans. The bulk of the collection is comprised of administrative records relating to the operation of the Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home (Florida Confederate Soldiers Home), of which Fleming served for a time as president of the Board of Directors. These records include applications for admission, correspondence, financial records, reports, and records relating to ownership and furnishing of the home.

The collection also documents Fleming's involvement with other Confederate veterans' organizations and activities, including his service as Florida Division Commander of the United Confederate Veterans and on the State Board of Pensions; his activities relating to the United Confederate Veterans, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Sons of Confederate Veterans; and his efforts in obtaining Florida pensions for Confederate veterans and their widows.

 

M97-20 William McLeod Civil War pocket diary, 1864-1865

1 volume

Background:

William McLeod was born in Richmond County, South Carolina on June 11, 1836. He moved to south Florida with his family in 1841. McLeod served in the Third Seminole War, enlisting in Captain Edward T. Hendricks' company in 1857. During his Seminole War service, he contracted a severe case of measles, which affected him later in life. In March 1862, following the outbreak of the Civil War, McLeod enlisted as a private from in Company B of the Seventh Florida Infantry Regiment (know as the South Florida Infantry), commanded by Captain James Gettis. He later served as a cook and then a second lieutenant. He was paroled in April 1865.

The Seventh Regiment served in Florida until mid-1862, when it was sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It served in east Tennessee and north Georgia for several years, with its first major engagement being at Chickamauga, Georgia in September 1863. In April 1865 the decimated regiment was consolidated with several other units into the First Florida Infantry Regiment Consolidated. Its remnants surrendered later that month.

Following the war, McLeod returned to Florida. He had married Susan Arnold at Alafia, Hillsborough County in 1864, apparently while on leave from the army. From 1867 until 1885 the couple had ten children. McLeod later received pensions for both his Seminole and Civil War service. He died at Ona, DeSoto County, on March 7, 1925.

Summary:

William McLeod's diary describes his experiences as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War from June 1864 through January 1865. The pages are written alternately in pencil and ink, some so faded as to be illegible. The diary begins during the Atlanta Campaign and describes day-to-day siege warfare and the various engagements in which he was involved, including the Battles of Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, and Jonesboro. The diary also mentions the Battle of Dalton, Georgia in October 1864 and the subsequent advance northward into Alabama and Tennessee. It provides details on the actions of the Seventh Florida Regiment at Franklin, Murfreesboro (Second Battle of), and Nashville. The diary concludes in the aftermath of the Confederate defeat at Nashville, documenting the withdrawal into Mississippi, McLeod's furlough on January 23, 1865, and his subsequent railroad trip into Alabama and Georgia. The diary ends on January 29, 1865 while McLeod was in Columbus, Georgia.

 

N2000-4 James Louis Boyd Civil War-era letters, 1861-1871

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Louis James M. Boyd served as 3rd Assistant Engineer aboard the U.S. gun boat "Albatross" from March 6, 1862. During his service, Boyd witnessed many Union naval operations carried out along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River. On August 26, 1863, Louis James M. Boyd was discharged from the U.S. Navy.

The "Albatross," a propeller-driven steamer rigged as a three-masted schooner, was constructed in Mystic, Connecticut in 1858. At the outset of the Civil War the ship was assigned to the Atlantic Blockading Squadron as part of President Lincoln's strategy to surround the Confederate states. In late 1862 the "Albatross" was paired with the "Hartford," in the Mississippi River campaign against Confederate-held Port Hudson, Louisiana. Out of seven warships, only the "Hartford" and the "Albatross" succeeded in running past the fort and continued disrupting Confederate blockade runners over the next few months. The "Albatross" remained on the Gulf Coast after the surrender of Port Hudson on July 9, 1863. In between breaks for repairs and one severe Yellow Fever outbreak, the ship assisted in the blockade of Mobile Bay until the end of the war. The "Albatross" was decommissioned in Boston Navy Yard on August 11, 1865.

Summary:

This collection includes letters written by Louis James M. Boyd to his wife, "Jannie," from April 23, 1862 to August 1871. There is mention of campaigns along Florida's Gulf Coast and up the Mississippi River. Of particular interest are those letters dealing with attacks on Port Hudson, Louisiana and assaults on salt works between St. Andrews and Pensacola, Florida. The letters also relate contemporary opinions of African-Americans serving in the Union army, the status of Maryland during the war, and the Southern response to the presence of the Union navy.

 

N2000-22 McKeown and Mayo Family letters, 1853-1863

.25 cubic feet

Background:

The McKeown and Mayo families were wealthy plantation owners who moved to Hernanado County from the Piedmont section of South Carolina in the early 1850s. The McKeowns operated a cotton press, blacksmith shop, and a sugar cane mill. Anna McKeown married Anderson Mayo and lived on a plantation named Mayo Hill. Anderson Mayo was a dentist, lawyer and politician in Hernando County.

Summary:

This collection contain letters by various members of the McKeown and Mayo families of Hernando County from the mid-1850s to the mid-1860s. The letters are routine in nature, discussing the health of family members, weather conditions, farming, and financial matters. The last four letters give some detail of McKeown brothers' service in the Civil War. Most of the letters have a typed transcription attached.

 

N2002-4 Seaborn Harris Civil War records, 1861-1862

1 folder (20 pages)

Background:

Seaborn Harris (1835-1863) joined the 4th Florida Infantry, Co. I (CSA) on September 25 1861. He served first as sergeant, and later as 1st Lieutenant. He was killed in action at the Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro on 2 January 1862.

Summary:

This series contains the military records of 1st Lt. Seaborn D. Harris, who fought in the civil war in the 4th Florida Infantry, Co. I (CSA). Included are requisitions, muster roll cards, and a letter written to his brother on 3 May 1862 describing conditions in Jacksonville, Florida. There are also some excerpts from the Harris family history and a photograph portrait of Harris.

 

N2003-3 Gregory Family Papers, 1861-1961

.25 cubic feet

Background:

Dr. William Gregory Fletcher was born in North Florida in 1886. His great-grandparents, Lewis and Mary Gregory, first came to Florida in the early 1800s. Originally from North Carolina, the Gregorys soon built a plantation in Liberty County and purchased several slaves. One of their sons, William T. Gregory, fought in the Civil War in the 4th Regiment, Florida Volunteers for Liberty County. William's grandson, William Gregory Fletcher, was born in Gadsden County. During the 1900s, William Fletcher was a licensed minister. He moved from church to church, including stints in Quincy, Miami, and Oakland, California. He was living in Oakland in the 1930s when he wrote most of the manuscripts in this collection.

The nineteenth century Gregory family plantation was located near the Apalachicola River. In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) moved the house to Torreya State Park. In 1961, William Fletcher's daughter, Isobel, donated a trunk from William T. Gregory's service in the Civil War to Torreya State Park, where it is displayed in the Gregory House.

Summary:

This collection consists primarily of several short typescripts written by Dr. William Gregory Fletcher during the 1930s about the Gregory family and rural life in North Florida in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Included are transcripts of several letters written during the Civil War. Finally, there is a series of correspondence between Fletcher's daughter Isobel and the Florida Park Service concerning the donation of a Civil War-era trunk. Included are a photograph of the trunk and a copy of a photograph of Dr. Fletcher.

 

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