2nd Florida Infantry

@DHTidwell Also on fold3.com you can search the compiled records of the 2nd Florida by Company. You can even find his records if they (more than likely ) have them. I am doing research on an entire CS company and the people on this forum as well as advice, Fold3, and other online sources have come to proven invaluable. Also be prepared to search, find something which leads you to another search, and so forth.

Might I also suggest posting your particular question in the researching your civil war ancestry forum on this sight. Then posting your finding here once you have a solid grasp on it.
 
Last edited:
@DHTidwell Also on fold3.com you can search the compiled records of the 2nd Florida by Company. You can even find his records if they (more than likely ) have them. I am doing research on an entire CS company and the people on this forum as well as advice, Fold3, and other online sources have come to proven invaluable. Also be prepared to search, find something which leads you to another search, and so forth.

Might I also suggest posting your particular question in the researching your civil war ancestry forum on this sight. Then posting your finding here once you have a solid grasp on it.
Thank you for your input. I will follow up in that section. As you can see, I'm new here and need all the direction I can get.
I'll post my findings. Thanks again.
 
@DHTidwell , no problem! I am new here as well and the members here have helped out tremendously! @AndyHall , @ucvrelics.com among others have helped out! Just repaying the favor and if you need additional help please ask I will do what I can!
Thanks again... I posted my question in the "researching ancestry" forum so I'll see what comes of it. I'm not far from Tallahassee so I'll probably take a trip to the museum soon and look at their microfilm if I can't locate it online. I guess I have a new hobby....
 
I have to make a note about the photo of Richard Waller. I haven't seen that one before. There was a discussion on another thread on here where the Florida troops got supplied from. He is clearly wearing a type 1 Richmond depot jacket. Great evidence they were supplied rather quickly from Richmond being the type 2 jackets were coming out shortly after the 2nd Fl. arrived in Virginia. I don't think you would see any type 1 jackets in the 5th or 8th Fl. They arrived months later than the 2nd. Thanks for posting those pics.
From that post.

Uniform and Equipment Returns of the 2ndFlorida Infantry


The 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment was clothed with uniforms provided by the state of Florida in late 1861. ..the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, at the third session thereof, passed an act providing that if the several States should clothe the troops raised in each State for service of the whole, the Secretary of War should pay the value in money of such clothing to the Governors of the States so furnishing the same, and the Honorable L. P. Walker, late Secretary of War, after the passage of said act, sent a letter to Honorable M. S. Perry, late Governor of this State, wherein, after referring to such law, he urged the Governor to proceed to procure clothing for the Florida Volunteers, stating the inability of the Confederate States to provide for all the troops in service; and your memorialists further show that the late Governor Perry, on the receipt of said letter, proceeded to contract for as much clothing as could be made, but did not succeed in providing more than has been found sufficient to clothe the 2nd Regiment of Infantry..."


From: "A Journal of the Proceedings of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Florida, at its Eleventh Session, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Tallahassee, on Monday, November 18, 1861:"p. 69] Effects and articles of clothing of soldiers of the 2nd Fla.


In the compiled service records are some receipts for clothing in the summer of 1861 including jackets, caps, pants, drawers, shirts, shoes, blankets, and socks. Some of these receipts show that some of the above items were drawn after the regiment reached VA.


Here is some data culled from the compiled service records of the regiment, most of it dealing with their early service in Virginia through 1862.


On July 30, 1862 Col. G.T. Ward (later KIA at Williamsburg) drew the following ordnance stores for his regiment:


2 "Artillery swords”

78 Cartr. Boxes

145 cartr. box belts

174 waist belts

84 cap pouches

174 Bayonet scabbards

483 knapsacks

6 sword belts

43 canteens

36,000 Cart., Cal. .69

39 packing boxes


Received on Aug. 7, 61 for Capt. Daniels' Co. at Richmond, VA for 87 men [there is a similar receipt for Capt. Theo. Brevard's Co]:


87 knapsacks

21 haversacks

87 cap pouches

87 waist belts

87 gun slings




The next month, Sept. 16, 61 Daniels drew six muskets and bayonets with scabbards, and six sets of cartridge boxes with belts, cap pouches, and gun slings. Two more knapsacks were received.


On November 11, 1861 Pvt. J.R. Bradley of Co. H, 2nd Fla. Inf. died leaving behind one knapsack containing the following:


1 pr. blue cotton pants

2 prs. white cotton drawers

2 white cotton and wool under shirts

3 blue striped cotton under shirts

1 red flannel shirt

1 pr. red flannel drawers

1 woolen neck handkerchief

2 prs white woollen socks

2 and one half prs white cotton socks

1 coloured cotton pocket handkerchief

1 gray uniform cap

1 double white woolen blanket

1 pr. shoes


On February 25, 1862 Pvt. James E. Fletcher of the 2nd Fla. died leaving behind:


1 pr. blankets

1 over coat

4 white shirts

4 over shirts

1 vest

3 pr. woollen socks

3 pr cotton socks

2 cravats

1 hair brush

1 cotton handkerchief

1 math [or match,] book

1 cap

2 pr. shoes

1 knapsack

2 pr pants

1 pocket knife


The regiment was certainly clothed in Richmond Depot patterns after the distribution of those goods became standard in the ANV. A couple of years ago on ebay a photo of a 2nd Fla. Regt. NCO was sold, with the guy wearing an RDII jacket (alas I did not save a copy!). The state of Florida did continue to forward clothing to their troops in VA and TN, but almost all of it went to the troops in the west between 62 and 64. Some shirts, drawers, etc. from Florida were forwarded to the 2nd, 5th, and 8th Fla. Regt.s in May, 64.


Perhaps the most interesting item I came upon after the regiment left Florida was a March 1, 1862 receipt for "one (1) bolt Whl Homespun" totalling 35 1/2 yards "being required for badges for the 2nd Fla. Regt."


On July 21, 1862 the regiment drew for its 386 men in Virginia:


113 pr. pants

15 "coats"

88 pr. cotton drawers

92 cotton shirts

118 pr. cotton socks

20 pr wool socks

97 pr. shoes

16 wool over shirts

5 cotton under shirts


One year later, after the Battle of Gettysburg, Capt. Chas. Seton Fleming's records contain receipts for clothing for several of the companies. These show the regiment received clothing on July 22, August 1, and August 10, 1863. These receipts for Cos. F, G, H, K, M show standard items like caps, jackets, pants, drawers, socks, and shoes.


James "Archie" Marshall,

VeteransMemorial Park and Museum, Tampa
 
From that post.

Uniform and Equipment Returns of the 2ndFlorida Infantry


The 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment was clothed with uniforms provided by the state of Florida in late 1861. ..the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, at the third session thereof, passed an act providing that if the several States should clothe the troops raised in each State for service of the whole, the Secretary of War should pay the value in money of such clothing to the Governors of the States so furnishing the same, and the Honorable L. P. Walker, late Secretary of War, after the passage of said act, sent a letter to Honorable M. S. Perry, late Governor of this State, wherein, after referring to such law, he urged the Governor to proceed to procure clothing for the Florida Volunteers, stating the inability of the Confederate States to provide for all the troops in service; and your memorialists further show that the late Governor Perry, on the receipt of said letter, proceeded to contract for as much clothing as could be made, but did not succeed in providing more than has been found sufficient to clothe the 2nd Regiment of Infantry..."


From: "A Journal of the Proceedings of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Florida, at its Eleventh Session, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Tallahassee, on Monday, November 18, 1861:"p. 69] Effects and articles of clothing of soldiers of the 2nd Fla.


In the compiled service records are some receipts for clothing in the summer of 1861 including jackets, caps, pants, drawers, shirts, shoes, blankets, and socks. Some of these receipts show that some of the above items were drawn after the regiment reached VA.


Here is some data culled from the compiled service records of the regiment, most of it dealing with their early service in Virginia through 1862.


On July 30, 1862 Col. G.T. Ward (later KIA at Williamsburg) drew the following ordnance stores for his regiment:


2 "Artillery swords”

78 Cartr. Boxes

145 cartr. box belts

174 waist belts

84 cap pouches

174 Bayonet scabbards

483 knapsacks

6 sword belts

43 canteens

36,000 Cart., Cal. .69

39 packing boxes


Received on Aug. 7, 61 for Capt. Daniels' Co. at Richmond, VA for 87 men [there is a similar receipt for Capt. Theo. Brevard's Co]:


87 knapsacks

21 haversacks

87 cap pouches

87 waist belts

87 gun slings




The next month, Sept. 16, 61 Daniels drew six muskets and bayonets with scabbards, and six sets of cartridge boxes with belts, cap pouches, and gun slings. Two more knapsacks were received.


On November 11, 1861 Pvt. J.R. Bradley of Co. H, 2nd Fla. Inf. died leaving behind one knapsack containing the following:


1 pr. blue cotton pants

2 prs. white cotton drawers

2 white cotton and wool under shirts

3 blue striped cotton under shirts

1 red flannel shirt

1 pr. red flannel drawers

1 woolen neck handkerchief

2 prs white woollen socks

2 and one half prs white cotton socks

1 coloured cotton pocket handkerchief

1 gray uniform cap

1 double white woolen blanket

1 pr. shoes


On February 25, 1862 Pvt. James E. Fletcher of the 2nd Fla. died leaving behind:


1 pr. blankets

1 over coat

4 white shirts

4 over shirts

1 vest

3 pr. woollen socks

3 pr cotton socks

2 cravats

1 hair brush

1 cotton handkerchief

1 math [or match,] book

1 cap

2 pr. shoes

1 knapsack

2 pr pants

1 pocket knife


The regiment was certainly clothed in Richmond Depot patterns after the distribution of those goods became standard in the ANV. A couple of years ago on ebay a photo of a 2nd Fla. Regt. NCO was sold, with the guy wearing an RDII jacket (alas I did not save a copy!). The state of Florida did continue to forward clothing to their troops in VA and TN, but almost all of it went to the troops in the west between 62 and 64. Some shirts, drawers, etc. from Florida were forwarded to the 2nd, 5th, and 8th Fla. Regt.s in May, 64.


Perhaps the most interesting item I came upon after the regiment left Florida was a March 1, 1862 receipt for "one (1) bolt Whl Homespun" totalling 35 1/2 yards "being required for badges for the 2nd Fla. Regt."


On July 21, 1862 the regiment drew for its 386 men in Virginia:


113 pr. pants

15 "coats"

88 pr. cotton drawers

92 cotton shirts

118 pr. cotton socks

20 pr wool socks

97 pr. shoes

16 wool over shirts

5 cotton under shirts


One year later, after the Battle of Gettysburg, Capt. Chas. Seton Fleming's records contain receipts for clothing for several of the companies. These show the regiment received clothing on July 22, August 1, and August 10, 1863. These receipts for Cos. F, G, H, K, M show standard items like caps, jackets, pants, drawers, socks, and shoes.


James "Archie" Marshall,

VeteransMemorial Park and Museum, Tampa
Thanks for sharing that info. It's so valuable in making a good Florida Brigade impression and I find Confederate uniforms and equipment so interesting.
 
@FloridaCSA do you have the,original documents? I am trying to translate a QM report for another Reg.
A Journal of the Proceedings of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Florida, at its Eleventh Session, Begun and Held at the Capitol, in the City of Tallahassee, on Monday, November 18, 1861:"p. 69

Can be found online through pdf from colleges here I know UF has it.
Try this link
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00027786/00010
I copied the rest from our company's website. Our Captain did most the research on there.
 
Some sources on the 2nd Florida, with emphasis on Gettysburg:

- Florida Pension Applications.
- Florida Men Imprisoned at Fort Delaware, Papers 1861-1949, includes muster roll of Company B, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Miami.
- A History of Columbia County, Florida, by Edward F. Keuchel (Tallahassee: Sentry Press, 1981).
- Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian, Civil and Spanish American Wars.
- Confederate Military History, Extended Addition, vol. 16 (Florida).
- Papers of David Elwell Maxwell, 1862-1864, Mss2M4512b, Virginia Historical Society, Richmond.
- David Elwell Maxwell, Some Letters to His Parents ... The Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 4 (April 1958).
- Francis P. Fleming in the War for Southern Independence, Letters from the Front, The Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 28, No. 2 (Oct 1949).
- Memoir of Capt. C. Seton Fleming of the Second Florida Infantry, C.S.A., by Francis P. Flemming (Jacksonville: Times Union Publishing House, 1894).
- Floridians in the Fight, by Capt. W. D. Ballantine, Florida-Times Union, Jacksonville, July 16, 1895.
- Obituary of Francis P. Flemming, Confederate Veteran Magazine, vol. 17 (1909), p. 247.
- Letter of D. L. Dunham to Hal, Sept. 4, 1863, Orange C. H., from St. Augustine Historical Society.
- The Red Hills of Florida, 1528-1865, by Clifton Paisley (Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press, 1989), pp. 198-201.
- The Florida Brigade at Gettysburg, by Tom Elmore, The Gettysburg Magazine, issue 15 (1996).

The 2nd Florida contained 12 companies, instead of the usual 10. At Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863, the 2nd Florida advanced from Spangler's woods with the other two regiments (5th and 8th) of the Florida brigade at about 6:45 p.m. The 2nd Florida quickly pushed back the deployed skirmishers of the 1st Massachusetts, helped rout the 26th Pennsylvania at the Emmitsburg Road, and captured three cannon belonging to Battery C, 5th U.S., before being stopped by the 19th Maine on Cemetery Ridge. On July 3, at about 3: 25 p.m., the 2nd Florida advanced with the brigade, on the left flank of Brig. Gen. Wilcox's Alabama brigade. They took heavy artillery fire from multiple Union batteries posted on Cemetery Ridge, especially Pennsylvania Batteries C-F (combined); Battery E, Massachusetts; and the 15th New York. At Plum Run they encountered four companies of the 14th Vermont regiment, followed by the large 16th Vermont regiment directly upon their left flank, by which they lost many prisoners and their beautiful silk flag, inscribed with the battles of Williamsburg and Seven Pines, which was seized by Sgt. Charles D. Brink of the 16th Vermont.

A muscular farm boy named Lewis T. Powell, with Company I, was wounded and captured during the battle. Later adopting the alias name of Lewis Paine, he joined a disgruntled actor named John Wilkes Booth. On April 14, 1865, while Booth was engaged in the assassination of President Lincoln, Powell brutally attacked Secretary of State William Seward. Powell escaped, but was captured three days later. He was executed by hanging on July 7, 1865.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Francis P. Fleming, who joined Company H, studied law after the war and served as Florida's governor from 1889 until 1893.
 
Hi everyone! I was just doing a little research and came across this thread and thought I would share what I have in hopes of getting more information. I was researching Thomas Eichelberger from this regiment. I see that he was one of about 15 to serve the entire war and be mustered out in 1865, and that he was wounded at Williamsburg and during Picketts charge. I own the bible that he carried with him during his enlistment. I am assuming he had it at both of these battles, as well as the others in which the regiment served. Does anyone out there possibly have a picture or any other information on this individual? Thanks!
 
Thank you for the welcome! It is one of my more favorite items I have in my collection. It is one of the least assuming to look at, but I always love anything with a good back story! I dont think it will ever leave my collection. Hopefully someone out there has more information on this individual. You never know sometimes!
 
Hi everyone! I was just doing a little research and came across this thread and thought I would share what I have in hopes of getting more information. I was researching Thomas Eichelberger from this regiment. I see that he was one of about 15 to serve the entire war and be mustered out in 1865, and that he was wounded at Williamsburg and during Picketts charge. I own the bible that he carried with him during his enlistment. I am assuming he had it at both of these battles, as well as the others in which the regiment served. Does anyone out there possibly have a picture or any other information on this individual? Thanks!

After taking a look at his CSR in Fold3 it looks like his records are incomplete if you believe him to have survived the war. His CSR lists him as killed in 1862.
 

Attachments

  • Fold3_Page_8.jpg
    Fold3_Page_8.jpg
    96.2 KB · Views: 86
@Samwisep86 Thanks for the info! I dont know how I am just seeing this. Other sources I have found list him as being wounded at williamsburg, virginia and during picketts charge, and then mustering out at the end of the war with what few others were left. That is the first I have seen listing him as dying earlier, but I have also not been abe to find any information on him following the war. I do not even see anything on find a grave, on which I have had good luck on previously. I will keep digging. The power of the internet always surprises me!
 
I will continue to add to this post as time permits me to. I've studied the 2nd Florida and the Florida brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia a lot. My reenactment unit is company E of the 2nd Florida. Feel free to share any stories or info you might have. Here goes.

The 2nd Florida was organized April-July 1861 and mustered into Confederate service for 12 months near Jacksonville, Florida on July 13, 1861 and joined Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in the late summer. They fought at the Battles of Williamsburg, Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, and Malvern Hill in 1862.

In late 1862, the 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment was assigned to E.A. Perry's newly formed Florida Brigade alongside the 5th and 8th Florida. Perry's Brigade served under Anderson’s Division of Longstreet’s First Corps, of the Army of Northern Virginia.[1]

They fought in the Battles of Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, and Antietam from Aug-Sep 1862. Colonel David Lang took command of the Florida Brigade and led them at Fredricksburg in Dec 1862 and Chancellorsville in May 1863. Under Col. Lang's command the Florida Brigade fought at Gettysburg in July 1863. They were attached to Picket's Division, and took part in the famous attack on the Union center on the 3rd day.

After the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania in 1864, the Brigade was joined by the victors of the Battle of Olustee, the 9th, 10th, and 11th Regiments. General Joseph Finegan, the famous commander of Florida forces at Olustee, took command of the Florida Brigade, then were known as “Finegan’s Brigade”.[2]

In the last year of war the Florida Brigade fought at Cold Harbor in June 1864 and Petersburg during the winter. The Florida Brigade retreated with the Army of Northern Virginia and surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. By the time of surrender, the regiments were the size of modern-day platoons or companies. The 2nd, 5th, and 8th surrendered 68, 53, and 32 men respectively. The 9th, 10th, and 11th surrendered 124, 162, and 23. Most of the 11th had been cut off in the Army’s retreat and had previously surrendered

That's from Wikipedia but can be confirmed in this book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0817357742/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

It's a great book if your interested in the Florida Brigade in the ANV. I've read it twice. More to come.
Hi I'm a new member in the 3rd Florida infantry , I'm having a hard time getting in touch with my unit so I figured I might as well ask but what types of coats and jackets would be acceptable in a Florida unit , last time I wore a jean cloth sack coat but personally I prefer the cotton cadet grey coats and my captain mentioned last time we spoke a variety of 3rd colors but hasn't gotten back to me yet so I wanted to see if you knew .
 
Hi I'm a new member in the 3rd Florida infantry , I'm having a hard time getting in touch with my unit so I figured I might as well ask but what types of coats and jackets would be acceptable in a Florida unit , last time I wore a jean cloth sack coat but personally I prefer the cotton cadet grey coats and my captain mentioned last time we spoke a variety of 3rd colors but hasn't gotten back to me yet so I wanted to see if you knew .
FloridaCSA hasn't been here for over 2 years. Maybe some of the other thread participants can help you out.
 
Hi I'm a new member in the 3rd Florida infantry , I'm having a hard time getting in touch with my unit so I figured I might as well ask but what types of coats and jackets would be acceptable in a Florida unit , last time I wore a jean cloth sack coat but personally I prefer the cotton cadet grey coats and my captain mentioned last time we spoke a variety of 3rd colors but hasn't gotten back to me yet so I wanted to see if you knew .
The 2nd and 3rd Fla. would have different uniforms. The 2nd spent the whole war in Virginia with the ANV and would have been primarily supplied by the Richmond Depot so a Richmond Depot jacket would be a good choice. The 3rd spent the war with the Army of Tennessee so a Columbus Depot jacket would be a good choice. I do believe that's what most of the guys in your unit wear. Florida did not have any clothing buearo or depot so there's nothing unique to Florida.
 
Back
Top