— Ch. 1 · The Third State To Leave —
Florida in the American Civil War.
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
On the 10th of January 1861, delegates in Tallahassee cast a vote of sixty-two to seven. This decision pulled Florida from the American Union and made it the third state to secede after South Carolina and Mississippi. A public ceremony followed on the east steps of the capitol building where fireworks lit the sky above the crowd. Sixty-nine people signed the Ordinance of Secession that declared the nation of Florida had withdrawn its ties.
Edmund Ruffin arrived at the convention to urge immediate action against the North. He was a Virginia planter known for his fiery rhetoric regarding slavery. The delegates included fifty-one men who held slaves in 1860. Only seven of them were born within the borders of Florida itself. Governor Madison S. Perry called the special meeting to discuss the future of the state following Lincoln's election victory.
Opposition existed but carried little weight. Richard Keith Call raised his cane above his head when he heard the results. He told the visiting supporters that they had opened the gates of hell. His daughter Ellen Call Long recorded this moment as a warning of coming curses. Those who opposed the vote faced ridicule or worse violence from groups calling themselves regulators.
Salt And Cattle Under Siege
Florida served as a vital supplier of beef cattle and salt for the Confederate Army throughout the war. The state possessed an eight thousand four hundred thirty-six mile coastline that made blockade running difficult yet possible. Union naval forces patrolled these waters constantly to stop supplies from reaching southern armies.
Governor John Milton emphasized food production over sending personnel to fight elsewhere. Planters continued growing cotton despite pleas to raise livestock instead. Saltworks sprang up along both coasts with most located on the Gulf side from Tampa Bay northward through the Panhandle. The U.S. Navy began raiding operations against these facilities in 1862.
The fall of Vicksburg in 1863 cut off western supply lines making Florida even more critical. Eastern armies relied heavily on goods shipped out of Florida ports. Blockade runners used small bays and inlets to evade Federal ships. Trade included cotton exports and imports of cigars, medical supplies, and Spanish army shoes.