The Civil War in Florida may not have been the scene for the decisive battles everyone remembers, but Florida played her part. While Confederates fought to preserve their sovereignty and way of life, Union troops descended on Florida with a three-part mission to cripple the Confederacy: to destroy seashore salt works, to prevent the transfer of supplies and raw materials into and out of the state, and to seize slaves and cattle.

• Union soldiers skirmished with the infamous Confederate Cavalry Captain John J. Dickison, who held his ground in Florida using guerrilla tactics

• Mayor C. Bravo ran up a white flag from Fort Marion, then personally met Commander C. R. Rogers at the dock to surrender St. Augustine to the Union in 1862

• In 1864, Florida’s government organized the “Cow Cavalry,” whose duty was to protect and escort Florida’s cattle northward

Divided into four regions—Northwest, Northeast, Central, and South—Discovering the Civil War in Florida chronicles Civil War activity in thirteen Florida towns, exploring both land and sea maneuvers. Maps showing the major skirmishes in each geographical area, as well as railroads that existed at the time, highlight the text. Sprinkled throughout are photos from the state archives and woodcut illustrations from books written during or soon after the war. For each town, the author has included excerpts from official government reports by officers on both sides of the battle lines as well as excerpts from other sources, including first-hand reports of the death and destruction soldiers brought to Florida’s sparsely populated towns.

You can visit Civil War sites in Florida today. Some offer magnificent structures to explore, such as Fort Zachary Taylor in Key West. Others are places where only battlefield sites and memorials remain. Read a short history of each site and find out about amenities, directions, hours, and admission fees.