TAMPA TRIVIA: Did you know...The Tampa area was important to the Confederacy for its port and in providing supplies during the Civil War, it saw economic decline afterwards. On January 10, 1861, the state of Florida seceded from the United States along with the rest of the American South to form the Confederate States of America, touching off the American Civil War. Fort Brooke was soon manned by Confederate troops and martial law was declared in Tampa in January 1862. Tampas city government ceased to operate for the duration of the war. During the Civil War in late 1861, the Union navy set up a blockade near the mouth of Tampa Bay as part of the overall Anaconda Plan, which sought to squeeze the Confederacy off from outside sources of money and supplies. However, several local blockade-runners like James McKay consistently slipped out undetected to the Gulf of Mexico. Trying to put a stop to this, Union gunboats sailed up Tampa Bay to bombard Fort Brooke under the command of Captain John William Pearson and the surrounding city of Tampa. This began The Battle of Tampa from June 30 - July 1, 1862. The Oklawaha Rangers were ordered in to protect the town. On June 30 the USS Sagamore, commanded by Union Captain A. J. Drake, was seen closing in on the fort. The Federal gunboat maneuvered broadside and began opening fire on Fort Brooke initiating the Battle of Tampa. The gunboat launched 20 men bearing a flag of truce to shore. Captain Pearson sent 18 men to meet Drakes men in a brief conference. Drakes ultimatum was for Captain Pearson to surrender Fort Brooke and Tampa unconditionally. However, Pearson only responded with we do not understand the meaning of the word surrender; there is no such letter in our book; we dont surrender. Drake told them that Tampa would be shelled as a consequence and Pearson responded with pitch in. The conference ended with both parties returning to their positions and resumed firing on each other at 6:00 PM. One hour later the USS Sagamore lowered its flag and anchored two miles offshore for the night. The next day on July 1 Captain Drake resumed firing on Fort Brooke. The Sagamore was now out of range of Fort Brookes artillery. By noon the guns of the Sagamore became quiet. Pearson decided to order the Confederate flag hoisted above the fort causing the Federal ship to respond with gunfire. Captain Drake decided to leave Tampa Bay conceding a victory to Captain Pearson. This battle was inconclusive, as the shells fell ineffectually and there were no casualties on either side. On March 27, 1863 a Union gunboat called the Pursuit appeared in Tampa Bay. It was an opportunity for Captain Pearson to have his revenge from the attack by Captain Drake and an incident involving a Union ramming of a blockade-runner. Captain Pearson devised a plan to disguise his men as blacks and paddle out to the Federal gunboat as fugitive slaves. The captain of the Pursuit believed they were fugitive slaves and ordered his men to rescue them at Gadsden Point. When the Federal forces met Pearsons disguised fugitive slaves they were met with a hail of bullets. Four Federals were wounded and they managed to escape back to the Pursuit. One week later on April 3, 1863 the Tahoma and Beauregard were sent to Tampa to bombard the town in response to the daring attack off Gadsden Point. Much more damaging to the Confederate cause was the Battle of Fort Brooke on October 16–18, 1863. The Union gunboats U.S.S. Adela and U.S.S. Tahoma came up the bay and, after firing at the fort, landed troops near the town. The Union forces headed a few miles up the Hillsborough River until they found the hidden blockade-runners Scottish Chief and Kate Dale near present-day Lowry Park Zoo and burned them at their moorings. The local militia was mustered to intercept the Union troops, but the raiders were able to return to their ships after a short skirmish and headed back out to sea. In May 1864, the Adela returned, bringing Union forces to occupy Fort Brooke and Tampa itself. Not finding enough justification to stay, they threw most of the forts armaments into the Hillsborough River, took much of the citys remaining food and supplies, and left after three days. Darwin Branch Givens (1858 - 1942) was a young boy when Union forces arrived. As a young child, he alerted Tampa of the invading Yankee soldiers with the cry the devils are coming. For his bravery, he was actually granted a Confederate soldier’s pension long after the war. The war ended in Confederate defeat the following spring of 1865. In May 1865, federal troops of the 2nd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment arrived in Tampa to occupy the fort and the town as part of Reconstruction. They would remain until August 1869. The only civilian casualty in Tampa during the Civil War was a blacksmith by the name of Addison Mansell. An unexpected eight-inch shell landed in Oaklawn Cemetery where he retrieved it. While emptying out the powder from the shell, he poked a red-hot wire into it. This caused a flareup that burned his face and nearly cause him to lose sight in one eye. #donation #giving #tampa #tampahistory #cityoftampa #florida #floridahistory #tampabay #tampamayor #rotaryclub #rotarycluboftampa #tampapix #tampanatives #tampanativesshow #gift #documentary #film #westtampa #ybor #seminoleheights #northtampa #southtampa #sulphursprings #easttampa #newtampa #porttampa #macdillafb #buschgardens #adventureisland #davisislands #tampageneralhospital #hydepark #soho #harbourisland #gasparilla #yborcity #thattampaguy #civilwar
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 15:32:17 +0000
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