florida's role in civil war and the union blockadeThe civil war began on April 12th 1861 when Confederate artillery opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Not all southerners were for slavery so some fought for the north. The Union sent ships to blockade or occupy Florida ports: St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Key West and Pensacola. This blockade caused many Floridians left without being able to trade their goods. The Union Army was unable to guard Florida's entire coast line. Smaller ships would slip through the blockade at night and continue to supply goods to the Confederate troops. An estimated 16,000 Floridians fought in the war. Most were in the Confederacy, but approximately 2,000 joined the Union army.
By 1863, the bigger Union Army was decreasing the Confederate's numbers and President Lincoln freed all the slaves. There were two large battles that that took place in Florida and both were won by Confederate troops. On February 20, 1864, the largest Civil War battle in Florida occurred near Lake City. It was called the Battle of Olustee. It was a victory for the Confederacy, but did not help win the war. The war was officially over in 1865. Florida officially surrendered April 26, 1865 once again, the states were united. |