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Draft:Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee

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Not to be confused with Florida Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The Florida Brigade was a unit that fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. It fought as part of the Army of Tennessee in the Western theater of the war. There was also a Florida Brigade in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The brigade was formed in November 1863. It was comprised of the following units: the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th Florida Infantry Regiments, as well as the 1st Florida Cavalry Regiment, which fought dismounted.[1] Portions of the brigade fought in nearly every major campaign of the Western Theater.[a]

Lieut. Henry W. Reddick. Born June 16, 1835 in Bibb Co. Georgia. Served in the 1st Florida Infantry.

Service History

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William Denham, a West Florida Seminary Cadet and private in the 1st Florida Infantry. He was captured during his first skirmish, but was released and recovered from his wounds.

The Brigade was not officially organized until November 1863, but was made up of units that were veterans of previous campaigns, including the 1st and 3rd, who had fought together since December 1862.[3]

On November 12, 1863, General Braxton Bragg issued his Special Orders No. 294, in an attempt to reorganize his army. It was this order that created the Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee. The brigade was to be led by "the Senior Colonel," who was William Scott Dilworth of the 3rd Florida. However, Dilworth had fallen ill following the Battle of Chickamauga and was on a forty-day furlough. Instead, the leadership of the Florida Brigade fell to Colonel Jesse J. Finley.[4] At the time of consolidation, the 1st and 3rd regiments totaled 240 men and 119 arms.[5]

According to letters and diaries, the Floridians were happy about the consolidation of the brigade. Their first combat together would be at Missionary Ridge. Despite the Confederates suffering a defeat in the battle, the Floridians themselves were praised by their superiors for their hard fighting. However, they also suffered hundreds of "irreplaceable" casualties. The 1st Florida Cavalry and 4th Florida Infantry, in particular, were nearly annihilated. [6]

Following Missionary Ridge, the brigade rested, refitted, and built cabins to endure the winter of 1863 in Dalton, Georgia. At the start of their next campaign, the Atlanta Campaign, the brigade was bolstered to over 1,200 men. It was during the battle at Resaca in May 1864 that General Finley was struck twice by artillery fire and ordered to the rear to convalesce, despite being "extremely loath to leave his gallant brigade in such a crisis." Colonel Robert Bullock took command of the unit until Finley's return in August.[7]

The Brigade's otherwise positive reputation was marred by two defeats in December 1864, first at Murfreesboro when they were routed and then again they "all but fell apart" after the Union assault on Shy's Hill during the Battle of Nashville.[8]

In March of 1865, the Brigade saw it's final battle at Bentonville.[9]

On April 9, 1865, the same day that General Lee surrendered at Appomattox, General Johnston reorganized his army and consolidated all Florida units into a single reorganized Florida 1st Infantry Regiment. When it came time for this unit to surrender, only around 400 men from what was once the Florida Brigade took the Oath of Allegiance on May 1, 1865.[10]

Engagements, Battles, and Campaigns

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Notes

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  1. ^ The only two campaigns that units in the brigade did not participate in were Iuka and Corinth.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Giambrone, Jeff (2013). "Review of "By the Noble Daring of Her Sons: The Florida Brigade of the Army of the Tennessee"". Civil War Book Review. 15 (2): 1. doi:10.31390/cwbr.15.2.19. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. ^ Sheppard, Jonathan C. (2012). By the Noble Daring of Her Sons. Tuscaloosa, AL.: University Alabama Press. p. viii. ISBN 9780817317072.
  3. ^ Sheppard 2012, p. 96.
  4. ^ Sheppard 2012, p. 157.
  5. ^ "Battle Unit Details: 1st Regiment, Florida Infantry". www.nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  6. ^ Sheppard 2012, pp. 159–166.
  7. ^ Sheppard 2012, pp. 179–180.
  8. ^ Giambrone 2013, p. 3.
  9. ^ Sheppard 2012, pp. 220–221.
  10. ^ Sheppard 2012, p. 221.
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