"Everyday Soldiers": The Florida Brigade of the West, 1861-1862

• Other Authors: Sheppard, Jonathan C. (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: History
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-1770

Between 1861 and 1865 Florida placed 15,000 of its citizens under the Confederate banner. Nearly 6,000 of these civilians-turned-soldiers, in six regiments, would see service in the Western theater, or the area encompassing the lands between the Appalachian Mountains in the East and the Mississippi River in the West. Other than Fort Donelson, Florida troops were present in every campaign fought by the Army of Tennessee, the most well-known Confederate Army in the theater. Through casualties, sickness, and desertion, the brigade's number declined and at the surrender of the Army in 1865, little more than 350 remained to follow the colors. Through "Everyday Soldiers," the story of these regiments will be told, from their inceptions in Florida in the first year and a half of the conflict, through the disastrous Confederate campaign into Kentucky in the late summer and early fall of 1862. Few other theses have dealt with this unit, and in the instances that some did, few pages were devoted to their activities. This thesis will eventually become apart of the first complete history of the "Florida Brigade." Furthermore, through the letters, diaries, and memoirs of these soldiers from Florida, the lives of the soldier of the western theater can be discovered. === A Thesis Submitted to the Department of History in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts. === Spring Semester, 2004. === March 5, 2004. === Army of Tennessee, Regimental Histories, Civil War 1861-1865, Florida === Includes bibliographical references. === James P. Jones, Professor Directing Thesis; Edward D. Wynot, Committee Member; Edward G. Gray, Committee Member.