By the Noble Daring of Her Sons: The Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee

Preface

Preface Somewhere in an unmarked grave on the murfreesboro battlefield lie the remains of George Hartsfield. A soldier in the 3rd Florida infantry regiment, Hartsfield had already endured his share of suffering in the service, having been wounded at Perryville that october. Sufficiently recuperated, he rejoined his company in time for what would be his last battle. Hartsfield was representative of the majority of soldiers who fought in General Jesse Johnson Finley’s Florida Brigade; a North Carolina–born farmer, he was both illiterate and hailed from a non-slaveholding family. Perhaps the fact that Hartsfield has lain undisturbed in an unknown location for more than 148 years is also symbolic of Finley’s Florida soldiers. Their story, like his grave, remained forgotten, their deeds bypassed in the vastness of Civil War historiography. Between 1861 and 1862, Floridians like Hartsfield flocked to join the six regiments that eventually constituted the Florida Brigade of the West. As the fragile remains of the 1st and 3rd Florida infantry regiments’ battle flag attests , the brigade’s various regiments witnessed action in most major battles of the Western Theater. Until November 1863, the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th Florida infantry regiments, and the 1st Florida Cavalry regiment, Dismounted, served in separate brigades in different areas of the west. While the 1st, 3rd, and 4th regiments soldiered with the Army of Tennessee, the other regiments protected the important virginia-Tennessee rail line against east Tennessee Unionists. Following its organization in November 1863, the Florida Brigade became the epitome of the hard-luck Army of Tennessee. Below strength, shouldering a motley assortment of weapons, and shoddily equipped, the soldiers of the brigade followed their commanders through some of the hardest fighting of the war. From missionary ridge to Nashville, attrition whittled away at the already small units. A great many fell in battle, wounds incapacitated others, and still more wasted away in Northern prison camps. At the time of the surrender at Bennett Place on April 26, 1865, just over four hundred veterans remained with the brigade. This work presents the first full-length study of the Army ofTennessee’s Florida Brigade; it is therefore a survey of the battles and the hardships of military life during the American Civil War. While i strove to document as many of the Florida soldiers’ own experiences as possible, it became necessary when describing certain events to provide a glimpse of the big picture. Through the existing primary sources xii Preface of Florida soldiers, their Confederate comrades, and enemies, i set forth to give the most complete account of the western Florida Brigade’s role in the Civil War. Their history is more than just accounts of familiar battles; it is the tale of ordinary citizens who, during extraordinary times, were called to fight their fellow countrymen. it is one of schoolmates going to war and families left behind. Unfortunately , is also the chronicle of a people fighting to maintain a society built upon slavery. Without mentors, family, and friends, this book could not have been attempted, much less completed. i would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to those who accompanied me on this journey. This study began under the guidance of Dr. Jim Jones, and his suggestions and critiques helped mold this book. i consider it an honor to have him as a constant source of inspiration and, most important, my friend. i would also like to thank Professors michael Creswell, Peter Garretson, Joe m. richardson, and Tony Stallins , each of whom has helped me forge my academic career. my research for this topic led me to many archives and libraries in several states; at each the archivists and their staffs were extremely accommodating and provided an excellent environment for research. i would like to thank in paticular Dr. Boyd murphree and the archivists at the Florida State Archives inTallahassee. The Florida State library staff were also extremely helpful in locating various microfilmed newspapers and made available the Washington m. ives Jr. Papers. i would also like to extend my gratitude to the interlibrary loan staff at Strozier library at Florida State University, as well as to Special Collections; Norwood Kerr at the Alabama Division of Archives and History; Joan D. linn at the Keystone Genealogical library at monticello, Florida; melissa Smith of the Howard-Tilton memorial library at Tulane University; eric milenkiewicz of the Special Collections library at the University of California, riverside; John Coski at the museum of the Confederacy; James Cusick, curator...