Florida in the Civil War (FL) (Civil War History) [Paperback]

Lewis N. Wynne (Author), Robert Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2003

Less than two decades after joining the Union, Florida became the third state to secede and join the newly formed Confederate States of America in 1861. After the firing on Fort Sumter the Florida peninsula became a battleground for both sides, a haven for deserters and Unionists, as well as a crucial source of supplies like salt and beef cattle. Union naval forces strove to strangle the stateís wartime economy by seizing blockade-runners while Federal soldiers, who held much of northeastern Florida, played havoc on the civilian population. Under such pressures Floridians fought their own civil war against the blue-clad invaders and against Union sympathizers and Confederate renegades. ÝÝAlthough the smallest in terms of population, Florida sent over 15,000 men to the Confederate army, and Florida regiments served in both the eastern and western theaters of war. They gave valiant service in battles from Shiloh and Chickamauga to Antietam and Gettysburg. Such fighting decimated the ranks of Florida units and caused anguish for those left behind at home. These home front Floridiansówomen, slaves, Seminoles, and Hispanicsóshouldered the heavy burdens of keeping families together and supplied with food. Their story of silent heroism and contributions to the rebel war effort are too often overlooked. And while the names of such Florida figures as John Milton, Pleasants W. White, Jacob Summerlin, or J.J. Dickison seldom appear in larger histories of the war, it was because of their efforts that Tallahassee was the only state capital east of the Mississippi River to escape Union occupation during the course of the war. ÝÝ

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In Florida in the Civil War, authors Lewis N. Wynne and Robert A. Taylor have captured, in both word and image, the essence of a Southern state and the people caught up in the maelstrom of an epic conflict that reverberates to this day. Illustrated with historic photographs, sketches, documents and other images culled from a variety of sources, this important volume tells the story of Floridaís unique role in the most divisive chapter of American history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (January 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738514918
• ISBN-13: 978-0738514918
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Civil War Florida 101 - An Introduction, August 25, 2003

By 

John P. Richardson "reverendlinux" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Florida in the Civil War (FL) (Civil War History) (Paperback)

As the preface to the book states, the authors intended for it to be an overview of the Civil War in Florida. And in this it succeeds. However, some glaring oversights by the book's editors/proofreaders and some repetitious narration mar an otherwise good book.

The Good:
As stated above, this book aims to be an introduction to the complicated history of the the Civil War in Florida. The authors did an outstanding job of covering the many aspects of war time Florida, from participation by Florida units in far off battles to the struggles of the populace on the home front. They managed to delve deep enough into the events and issues to keep the reader interested while not going so deep as to unbalance the coverage.

Also, the extensive bibliography at the end of the book gives the reader a great source for more detailed information on the many topics covered in this book.

The Bad:
The intent to make the book an overview of the war in Florida also serves as a drawback. The flow of the book is a bit uneven with the some chapters repeating too much of what had been stated in earlier chapters. It seems as if the authors each wrote certain chapters but did not read what the other wrote in an effort adjust their own portions to keep the narrative smooth. This occurs throughout the book in almost every chapter.

Some glaring errors appear in the book, all but one of which are grammatical in nature. Several times throughout the book there are sentances that have extra words or phrases in them; almost like they were taken from a rough draft and never finalized. Also, one date regarding events surrounding the aftermath of Gettysburg is wrong. This does not reflect highly upon the publisher, Arcadia, and does much to question the justification for charging $29.95 for the book.

Overall this is a good book for anyone who wants a quick reference or a springboard into learning about the Civil War in Florida. With the grammatical and factual mistakes corrected, this would be a perfect book for any school library. As it stands now, it's not a particularly good value but worth reading regardless.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Florida in the civil War, March 21, 2006

By 

D. Scott "Scotty to Travel" (London,Ontario,Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Florida in the Civil War (FL) (Civil War History) (Paperback)

A very informed book that keep me intrigued, a good history lesson on floridas part in the civil war, such as a state that supplied the confederates with food and many good men. Good book to read on a cold winter nite.
DWS