Florida: Difference between revisions

American settlers began to establish cotton [[plantations in the American South|plantations]] in north Florida, which required numerous laborers, which they supplied by buying slaves in the domestic market. By 1860, Florida had only 140,424 people, of whom 44% were enslaved. There were fewer than 1,000 free [[free black|African Americans]] before the American Civil War.<ref>[http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php Historical Census Browser, Retrieved October 31, 2007] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823030234/http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/php/state.php |date=August 23, 2007 }}</ref>

The Confederacy received little military help from Florida; the 15,000 troops it offered were generally sent elsewhere. Instead of troops and manufactured goods, Florida did provide salt and, more importantly, beef to feed the Confederate armies. This was particularly important after 1864, when the Confederacy lost control of the Mississippi River, thereby losing access to Texas beef.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.floridamemory.com/onlineclassroom/floridacivilwar/|title=Florida in the Civil War|first=State Library and Archives of|last=Florida|website=Florida Memory|access-date=May 19, 2019|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402212938/https://www.floridamemory.com/onlineclassroom/floridacivilwar/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Taylor, R. (1988). Rebel Beef: Florida Cattle and the Confederate Army, 1862-1864. The Florida Historical Quarterly, 67(1), 15–31. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30147921 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430043831/https://www.jstor.org/stable/30147921 |date=April 30, 2019 }}</ref> The largest engagements in the state were the [[Battle of Olustee]], on February 20, 1864, and the [[Battle of Natural Bridge]], on March 6, 1865. Both were Confederate victories.<ref>Taylor, Paul. (2012) ''Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide'' (2nd edition). pp. 3–4, 59, 127. Sarasota, Fl.: Pineapple Press.</ref> The war ended in 1865.