Florida's Civil War: Terrible Sacrifices

by Tracy J. Revels

Though far from the major theaters of battle, Floridians experienced every facet of the Civil War. While most Florida soldiers fought for the Confederacy, many Floridians, including former slaves, enlisted with the Union. Families were divided and partisanship tore communities apart. Some Floridians produced salt, beef, and supplies for the Confederacy; others profited during Union occupations. The one notable battle fought in Florida, the Battle of Olustee, was disproportionately bloody.

Genres: American Civil War, History, Civil War

197 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[Josh Liller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrible Sacrifices is a short (under 200 pages) overview of Florida in the American Civil War. It serves as a synthesis of published literature on the subject, both books and lots of articles in Florida Historical Quarterly. Footnotes direct readers where to go to learn more about a specific subject. It is less than 200 pages so it is definitely an introduction rather than comprehensive.

This book hits pretty much all the main topics: secession, blockades, saltworks, cattle, women, slaves, Florida soldiers serving in the two main Confederate armies, Unionists, efforts to establish a loyal state government, Pensacola, Olustee. No lighthouses though.

The writing is decent. There are only a few photos and no maps, but it is otherwise better in almost every way than the main modern alternative, Florida in the Civil War.

If you only ever read one book about Florida in the Civil War this should be it.

[Joe Spoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a 4th generation Floridian, I enjoyed reading this non-fiction book about the impact of the civil war on the people living in Florida at the time. Some of it does deal with military actions and skirmishes but that is not the main topic of the book. It is well researched and written.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent portrayal of how the citizenry of Florida fared during the Civil War. We heard Tracy Revels speak at the January 2019 History Presentation at Florida Southern College.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting overview of Florida's role in the Civil War; unfortunately, at times it seemed too brief. There is only a single map for the entire map, a reproduction of a 1859 map at the beginning of the book. The state sent a brigade to each of the main Confederate armies, Northern Virginia and Tennessee, but the history of each brigade was covered in only four pages total. There is only sporadic mention of other military units; the author mentions the formation of a Union 2nd Florida Cavalry but there is no mention of any Union 1st Florida Cavalry. Also, military actions tended to be discussed while covering other topics (such as Florida's saltworks), rather than in chronological order.