Florida in the Civil War

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Introduction
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Florida seceded from the Union on 10 January 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America 8 February 1861. Soldiers from Florida served in both the Union and the Confederate armies. Florida raised 44 regiments and other units that served in the Confederate army. Florida also raised 4 regiments and other units that served in the Union army. She was readmitted to representation in Congress on 25 June 1868. Florida Units by Number or by Name 'Confed. Units 1st-11th A to Z A to Z 1st-11th Union Units'

Confederate Records
In order to locate the compiled service records of a Florida Confederate soldier, the unit in which he served must be known, or located through the use of an index. The index to Florida Confederate Service records is located on Family History Library microfilms. The service records are organized by the units in which the solider served. Within the unit, the service records are listed alphabetically by the soldier's last name. Florida Confederate service records are on 104 film reels(beginning with Family History Library microfilm )

Pension applications for widows and Confederate veterans began in 1885 and continued through 1955. The applications are indexed on Family History Library microfilm. The applications are on 169 rolls of microfilm at the Family History Library and are arranged by file number (beginning with Family History Library microfilm ). These same records can be viewed online at the State Archives of Florida.

State militia records for the Confederate period are at the state arsenal in St. Augustine. For information, write to:

Adjutant General Department of Military Affairs Attn.: M.I.L.P. P.O. Box 1008 St. Augustine, FL 32085-1008 Telephone: 904-823-0315 Fax: 904-823-0309

Florida Confederate Pension Application files are indexed and can be searched and viewed on this site. They are for both the veteran's and the widow's applications.

Union Records
The Family History Library and the National Archives have the following records:


 * Compiled service records: Family History Library microfilms
 * Index to service records: Family History Library microfilm
 * Index to pension records: Family History Library microfilms
 * (Pension records are only at the National Archives)

Civil War Pension Index Cards - A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch Record Search. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars, of that time period, may be included.

Southern Claims Commission. If a Union sympathizer in Florida claimed a loss during the Civil War due to Union military confiscation, he could apply to the Southern Claims Commission for reimbursement. Only a few applied per county, but their neighbors were called as witnesses and asked dozens of questions. Hundreds of all kinds of residents in a county may be mentioned in answers to Commission questions, and their wartime activities described. To learn how to find records mentioning these neighbors in Florida counties during the Civil War see the Southern Claims Commission.