St. Augustine in The American Civil War - Early War

Early War

After the assault on Harper's Ferry by John Brown in 1859, St. Augustine Examiner owner Matthias Andreu devised the motto "Equality in the Union and Nothing Else", feeding a sense of mistrust towards the federal government that the paper promised could lead to war between the states. Once Abraham Lincoln was elected United States president solely by Northern states (not a single vote for Lincoln was recorded in the entire state of Florida), Andreu saw no hope in the south remaining with the north, and promoted secession, lest "violent abolitionists" incite slaves to riot.

On January 7, 1861, at least 25 militiamen from the town of Fernandina came to capture Fort Marion, a coquina fort built by the Spanish between 1672 and 1695. The lone United States army sergeant guarding the fort gave the Southerners the keys without complaint. Many of the fort's cannons was sent to Fernandina.

When news reached St. Augustine on January 12, 1861 that Florida had seceded, the city celebrated with ceremonial flag raisings, church bells, and musket volleys, followed that night by torchlight parade and bonfires. The following Lent saw greater passion in following the restrictions than previous years. Meanwhile, the Examiner led an effort to proclaim anything that spoke against secession as treasonous. Initial support for the war waned when taxes were increased for the war effort and revenues derived from the new tourist trade came to a standstill.

Although situated 150 miles away, the residents of St. Augustine heard of the Battle of Port Royal on November 7, 1861. Troops on a Union ship just upwind from the battle saw flashes of light, but often heard nothing.

The majority of Confederate forces from St. Augustine consisted of a company called the St. Augustine Blues. When they left the city in March 1862 their number ranged between eighty to a hundred men. As part of the Third Florida Regiment, they lost many of their men at the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky in October 1862. By the time of the Battle of Murfreesboro, only ten of the original Blues remained. At the war's end in 1865, only eight were officially captured. However, only seventeen were confirmed killed during the war.

Fort Marion and St. Augustine were seized by Union Marines and sailors landing unopposed on March 11, 1862. The USS Wabash and USS Mohican were spotted entering the bay on March 9 by the occupying Confederate forces. Knowing they could not adequately defend the city, the Confederate forces withdrew on March 10 at 10 pm.