Joshism
Captain
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
- Location
- Jupiter, FL
While visiting Tarpon Springs, Florida today I noticed a large hill near the Gulf on the south bank of the Anclote River. Inquiring of the charter boat captain, he said the hill is called Deserters Hill (alternately spelled Deserters' or Deserters's).
The name supposedly stems from the Civil War when some Confederate deserters (and possibly some escaped slaves) lit a fire on the hill to attract a Union gunboat (East Gulf Blockade Squadron). Instead, Confederates from Fort Brooke (Tampa) spotted the fire, caught the deserters, and hung them from a large oak on the hill. The bodies were supposedly left hanging there for awhile as a warning to other deserters. (This predates Tarpon Springs.)
The story isn't the captain's invention but I'm wondering what the truth is behind the tale.
The name supposedly stems from the Civil War when some Confederate deserters (and possibly some escaped slaves) lit a fire on the hill to attract a Union gunboat (East Gulf Blockade Squadron). Instead, Confederates from Fort Brooke (Tampa) spotted the fire, caught the deserters, and hung them from a large oak on the hill. The bodies were supposedly left hanging there for awhile as a warning to other deserters. (This predates Tarpon Springs.)
The story isn't the captain's invention but I'm wondering what the truth is behind the tale.