THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 1861-1865
&
THE UNION 2^nd FLORIDA CAVALRY

     You’re a Southern family, and therefore, each member should have fought for the Confederacy. Or did they? In the book Lincoln’s Loyalists there is estimated that over 100,000 white Southern males wore the Blue and not the Gray as regular soldiers or local militia. Every Confederate state, except South Carolina, raised at least one unit for the United States Federal Army. From the beginning of the war, division was prevalent even within the Confederate States. Where plantations ruled, slavery and the Confederacy were strong, but there was also a pro-Union feeling among many free men who farmed their own small farms.

     Members of my maternal families (Wilson, Whiddon, Johnson, and DeCausey) also took sides in this conflict. My great great grandfather, Samuel J. “Jim” Wilson, along with many uncles and cousins fought for the Confederacy while at least a few sided with the Union. No one could escape taking one side or the other. In part, this family division was over the sale of Florida cattle and who would bid the highest, the North or the South.

     After Union forces cut off the supply of beef from west of the Mississippi, the Confederacy turned to Florida for beef and salt. One of the most important reasons for the blockade of the West Coast of Florida by the US Navy was their attempt to stop this flow of cattle. The US Navy set up a squadron that would become known as the Union 2^nd Florida Cavalry. This cavalry’s main responsibility was to stop the flow of beef by first using guerrilla tactics and then moving up to more conventional warfare.

     Through a series of events, individuals including member of my family turned to the US Navy for protection after deserting from the Confederate Army. These men were pro-Unionists. Many of the Whiddons were cattlemen first - militiamen second. The cattle families made sure that they had someone on each side to protect their cattle interests. There were other reasons that the Whiddon families were divided but the problem over cattle was one of the most important ones.

     Members of the Whiddon family who joined the Union Army were not captured and forced to fight. Some of them had served earlier in the Confederate Army and some had avoided any kind of service until the Confederate Congress repealed the exemption for cattle owners. Now they were forced to take sides. Some of these men joined the Confederate Cow Cavalry and others went to Fort Myers or Cedar Keys and voluntarily joined the Union forces. It was a difficult time for the Whiddons as well as Florida.

     Eason Whiddon CSA (later US) left the Confederate Army and joined the Union. The cause of his "departure" was cattle. He died of typhoid fever at the Union Federal Garrison at Cedar Keys, Florida. His son James L. Whiddon CSA (later US) also left the Confederate Army and joined the Union 2^nd Florida Cavalry. Alfred Washington Whiddon CSA (later US) enlisted as a bugler in Company A of the 2^nd Florida Cavalry. Eason Whiddon US, enlisted into the Union Army but died of typhoid fever on December 3, 1864 in Post Hospital, Cedar Keys, and Florida. These are but a few of the Whiddons who fought for the Union.

     Then there was William W. Strickland, my great grandmother’s first husband. Mary Ann Johnson Strickland Wilson had married William when she was 19 in 1859. They set up their farm in Taylor County where he farmed and raised cattle. When the war broke out he enlisted in the Confederate Army as a member of the Aucilla Guards on November 28, 1861. He was on the roster of Company I of the 2^nd Florida Cavalry. He later deserted in 1862 after being refused leave to visit his ill wife, Mary Ann. To avoid being caught he moved deep into the swamps of the Ecofina River and formed what would later become the Independent Union Rangers of Taylor County or “Strickland’s Rangers.” He also enlisted the help of his brother-in-law, William P. Johnson, as well as some other Taylor County men. The Rangers became part of Company D, 2^nd Florida Cavalry, Union Forces. This group of men was regarded as one of the strongest Union units in the state who openly attacked Confederate forces. They also took part in cattle raids and the destruction of coastal salt works.

     In March 1865, the 2^nd Florida Calvary was involved in a plan to capture Florida’s capital, Tallahassee. It would be a joint venture with the Union Army, Navy, and the 2^nd Calvary. The Calvary would act as saboteurs to destroy the railroad trestle over the Aucilla River. This was to keep the Confederate reinforcements from arriving in time to help. William W. Strickland was placed in command. Trying to save the lives on board the train, William decided to burn the trestle instead of blowing it up. This was to give the train enough time to see the smoke and stop before crossing over the river. Instead of stopping, the train made it over safely, and a posse of Confederate soldiers was sent back to capture the members of the saboteur group. Using hounds to track them down, William and his men were surrounded. A fight broke out and three of William’s men were shot dead and the others escaped. William was captured and taken back to Tallahassee. He was said to be wearing a blue uniform.

     Confederate troops then went on to defeat the Union forces, trying to capture Tallahassee, at Natural Bridge. The capital was saved from falling into Union hands. In Tallahassee, William W. Strickland was found to be a deserter and was court-martialed. He was convicted and sentenced to death by firing squad on March 18, 1865. The execution took place on top of a hill just south of the capital.

     Mary Ann Strickland and her (Strickland) children later moved back into the house of her father, William N. Johnson. Mary Ann Johnson Strickland later went on to marry for a second time on September 14, 1873. She married my great grandfather, Samuel Caprus Wilson, a well-known Taylor County rancher and farmer.

     It’s interesting to note that so many members of my maternal southern families (Wilson, Whiddon, Johnson, DeCausey, and my step-family Strickland) not only fought in the Civil War but many were on opposite sides as well. It was truly a time when family fought family and brother fought brother. No one could escape taking one side or the other - not even some Southern families.

 FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE FAMILIES CONTACT

Eddy J. Schiavon, Jr.

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/c/h/Eddy-J-Schiavon