Civil War Years

Civil War Years. Cascades Park. In January 1861, Florida seceded from the Union, eventually joining 10 other southern states to form the Confederacy. The nation's bloodiest conflict began in April 1861 and ended in April 1865. When the Civil War began, cotton plantations surrounded Tallahassee, and two-thirds of the county's residents lived in slavery., The Civil War brought deprivations and tragedy. Tallahassee's soldiers fought in distant states, and many died from wounds or sickness. At home, the Union blockade and crippling inflation meant scarcities of household goods, clothing and medicines. However, Tallahassee families carried on with determination. Local Ladies Aid Societies supported the military effort. After the 1864 Battle of Olustee, Tallahassee homes served as temporary hospitals., In March 1865, Union forces landed on the coast, south of Tallahassee and proceeded north toward the capital city. In one of the last Confederate victories of the war, the Union advance was halted at the Battle of Natural Bridge. Tallahassee remained the only Confederate state capital east of the Mississippi River not captured by the Union., (Captions) , 1864 photograph of Susan Bradford Eppes of Tallahassee, who would later write a book of her wartime experiences. State Archives of Florida , Near right: 1865 map of Tallahassee in relation to Natural Bridge Battlefield. State Archives of Florida, Far Right: Photo of Confederate soldier Lawrence Anderson of Tallahassee, who was killed at the April 1862 Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. State Archives of Florida