The Civil War and the Ravines

The Civil War and the Ravines. , During the Civil War (1861-1865), Florida was a Confederate state. Union forces controlled the St. Johns River, threatening Palatka. The hills above the ravines were an ideal location for a militia camp. Soldiers there had fresh water in Whitewater Branch, a view of the Union “forces” activities in the city below, and the ability to retreat rapidly if necessary., A Soldier described Camp Call in letters home , In 1862 there was at least one Confederate unit housed around the ravines area. Sergeant I. McQueen Auld of Company C of the 5th Florida Infantry described their camp. Named Camp Call, it seems to have been adjacent to Whitewater Branch and the ravines. He wrote, “The springs is in a hollow about 50 feet below the surface of the earth with almost a perpendicular descent.” Later that year, Camp Call was abandoned as Company C relocated to Augusta, Georgia., Confederate hero J.J. Dickison operated in the area , After the battle of Olustee in 1864, Company H of the 2nd Florida Cavalry, commanded by Captain J.J. Dickison, was ordered to the Palatka area. They set up camp on the hills overlooking the city. In 1864, Dickison engaged in a battle with the federal gunboats Ottawa and Columbine. Dickison succeeded in capturing the Columbine. In July 1864, Dickison's troops fought another battle with Union troops in Palatka. The Union army retreated during the night, abandoning Palatka, which Dickison held for several weeks. Dickison lost his son in that battle., (photo captions) , . Captain John J. Dickison, known as “The Swamp Fox”. , . The capture of the gunboat Columbine by the 5th Florida Cavalry has been called “The only capture of a warship by cavalry in the annals of naval history.”