Central Florida's Civil War Veterans

Book excerpt: The saga of the War Between the States in Florida is not well known beyond the borders of the "Sunshine State," except the actions within the third state to secede from the Union were quite prominent: the battles of Olustee and Natural Bridge; the sinking of the USS Columbine on the St. Johns River; Gen. William Birney's Raid; the intrepid Cow Cavalry; Confederate spy sisters Lola, Panchita, and Eugenia Sánchez; and the "flight into oblivion" of the Confederate cabinet members. Following the war, in the midst of Reconstruction, many veterans from both sides of the Mason-Dixon packed what remained of their lives and traveled to the warm climate of the "Eastern Frontier" to begin a new life. This book serves as a memorial and tribute to those courageous veterans and their families who endured through this tumultuous time in American history. In the eloquent words of Capt. John Jackson Dickison, "Florida may be justly proud of her gallant sons; wherever her standard has been borne, they have covered it with glory, and, with their heart's blood, secured for her an honorable position among her sister states."