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Today is Confederate Memorial Day in Florida. This is a Legal Holiday.

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Fred Griffin Real Estate Florida Broker BK436788

     Today is Confederate Memorial Day in Florida.  It is a statutory Legal Holiday.  On this day, we remember and honor our Confederate Ancestors and Confederate Heroes.

     At least nine other Southern States have a legal holiday called either Confederate Memorial Day or Confederate Heroes Day.

    

Confederate Flag at Museum of Florida History

Florida Statutes Legal Holidays

 

Our Heroes and Our Flags

 

Governors of Florida sign Order of Secession 1861

 

 

     Coming to Tallahassee?  As you drive into Florida from Georgia, you are on the Dixie Highway.  Just south of the state line is a bronze monument, featuring Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

 

Dixie Highway Marker on US 319 Tallahassee General Robert E. Lee

 

Confederate History of Florida

 

 

     Florida seceded from the United States of America in 1861, and joined the new sovereign nation, The Confederate States of America. 

     Many brave men from Florida went to Georgia, to the Carolinas, to Tennessee, and to Virginia to fight with General Lee, General Jackson, James Longstreet, Jeb Stuart, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Jubal Early.  The Florida teenagers and the older men stayed in Florida; they would be called upon in the waning days of the War to defend Florida itself.

     Early in the War, Lincoln set his sights on the Southern ports in Florida.  Invading Northern armies successfully captured Santa Rosa Island (Pensacola) in far west Florida.  The Yankee aggressors also established a bulkhead at St. John's Bluff near present day Jacksonville.  However, at Tampa, Northern gunboats were repulsed by Confederate fire; that city remained under Southern control.

 

     The most dramatic battles fought in Florida were at Natural Bridge (south of Tallahassee), and at Olustee (near present-day Lake City, about halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee).  The Southerners prevailed in both battles.

 

The Battle of Natural Bridge

 

Natural Bridge Monument to the Confederate Soldiers

    

     At Natural Bridge, the Southerners absolutely annihilated the Northern Invaders. As a result of that Confederate Victory, Tallahassee was the only Confederate Capital never captured by the North.

      My great-great grandfather Walthour Laing fought at Natural Bridge.  He was in the Light House at St. Marks; he ran up the plank road to Natural Bridge, to give warning that the Yankees were landing on the beaches.  He was joined by his friend John Weatherspoon, a Black Confederate. 

     Today, the Federal Government historic marker at Natural Bridge reads, "21 Northern troops Killed, 148 Missing".  That is glossed-over history.  Far more Yankees were killed than the Park Service wants to admit.  Virginia Weatherspoon (the granddaughter of Black Confederate John Weatherspoon) told me when I was a little boy, "Oh Freddie - they killed a thousand of them Yankees, and threw their bodies in the springs".  Newspaper articles from the period attest to this.

 

The Battle of Olustee

     The Battle of Olustee was also a victory for the Confederates.  Losing this battle was a personal defeat for Abraham Lincoln; the march from Jacksonville to Tallahassee had been planned in his office.  The Yankees were ambushed by Confederate soldiers at "Ocean Pond", better known as Olustee.  It was a complete rout; the surviving Northerners retreated to Jacksonville.

     My great-great grandfather Lanier was at The Battle of Olustee.  He was either 13 or 14 years old.  Granddaddy Lanier had driven a supply wagon pulled by a mule from Tallahassee to Olustee.  As the battle got underway, they handed him a rifle!

 

    

     In spite of the valiant efforts of the brave Southerners, the Confederate States of America was not able to maintain its freedom as a sovereign nation.  After four long years, General Robert E. Lee sat down with General Ulysses Grant at Appomattox Courthouse and proposed a surrender of his troops.  One condition of the surrender was that Southern soldiers could retain their personal firearms, and those men who had horses or mules would be allowed to keep them.

     On May 4, 1865 the government of The Confederate States of America was officially dissolved by President Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet, in the town of Washington, Georgia.  There is a granite marker in front of the Wilkes County (Georgia) Courthouse to commemorate that historic event.

 

The Southern Leaders, after the War

     General Robert E. Lee and CSA President Jefferson Davis lived on for many years.  They were model citizens.  Along with General Stonewall Jackson and other Confederate heroes, these men are icons in The South. 

     Florida has a legal holiday for General Robert E. Lee, and another legal holiday for President Jefferson Davis.

 

 

 

Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia

 Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia

 

From the Sons of Confederate Veterans website:

     "The citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy personified the best qualities of America. The preservation of liberty and freedom was the motivating factor in the South's decision to fight the Second American Revolution. The tenacity with which Confederate soldiers fought underscored their belief in the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. These attributes are the underpinning of our democratic society and represent the foundation on which this nation was built."

 

     Today is Confederate Memorial Day in Florida.  It is a statutory Legal Holiday.  At least nine other Southern States have legal holidays to honor our Confederate ancestors.

 

Confederate Goodbye

Posted by

Frederick Griffin, Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker    

 

 

  

 

 

 

Tallahassee Florida Metropolitan Area    

 

Disclaimer:  Nothing in the above blog article is to be construed as legal advice, tax advice, or financial advice.  For legal advice see an attorney.   For tax advice or financial advice see a tax attorney, certified public accountant, or other qualified professional.

 

Comments (14)

Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Fred - I remember my grandfather telling me when he moved to Florida in the early 50s he went to the bank which was closed for a legal holiday.  He asked someone and they responded you're one of them damm Yankees.  He said, yes sir, I'm on my way.

Apr 26, 2016 04:59 AM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Grant Schneider  

    When I was growing up (in Florida), most of the businesses closed for Confederate Memorial Day.  

Apr 26, 2016 05:24 AM
Lisa Von Domek
Lisa Von Domek Team - Dallas, TX
....Experience Isn't Expensive.... It's Priceless!

Fred Griffin I had never heard of this and I am surprised in the politically correct world today that the holiday still stands.  Nice to know that not all of our Nation's history doesn't get re-written for PC approval.

Apr 26, 2016 10:22 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Fred, thanks for the history lesson, and glad to see Florida still celebrates Confederate Memorial Day. Excelent overview!

Apr 26, 2016 11:13 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Fred- I did not know of this holiday but I'm glad that it still stands. Being Politically Correct is in a word...dumb.  Why not honor men and women who fought for what they believed in.  

Apr 26, 2016 11:32 AM
Mimi Foster
Falcon Property Company - Colorado Springs, CO
Voted Colorado Springs Best Realtor

Being a fifth generation Floridian, I grew up with this as my heritage. Thank you for sharing this rich history. Robert E. Lee was a hero in our home, and my mother had a beautiful portrait of him that was present all of my growing up (and adult) years. 

Apr 26, 2016 01:34 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

 

               Thank you Fred Griffin for my ah-ha moment. 

Apr 30, 2016 10:41 AM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Kathy Streib 

   Thank you, Kathy. 

    This is a day - and a time - when we must remember the heroic efforts of our Confederate ancestors!

Apr 30, 2016 12:14 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Very interesting post, lots of great information I never knew Fred.

Apr 30, 2016 09:32 PM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Fred, thank you for sharing, nowadays, this is not a day that is being publicized. History forgotten. 

Apr 30, 2016 09:56 PM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Interesting information. I had no idea there was such a holiday and I grew up  here (born not far from Olustee (Lake City)).  In a PC world I am surprised his has not been stricken from the books! Well done!

Apr 30, 2016 10:02 PM
Kristin Johnston - REALTOR®
RE/MAX Platinum - Waukesha, WI
Giving Back With Each Home Sold!

Thanks to Kathy I was able to see your post this week..congrats on being included in her wrap up!

May 01, 2016 12:09 AM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Three years ago we still that it as a legal holiday in Georgia.  And the fact is state employees still get the day off, but no one is allowed to say what the day is anymore.  (see me rolling my eyes)

May 01, 2016 12:52 PM
Kimo Stowell
HI Pro Realty LLC RB-21531 - Honolulu, HI
REALTOR Associate® RS-76763 - Honolulu Hawai'i

Aloha Fred, the 19th century was a fascinating time of transitions. The Civil War certainly changed the country and established a division that many evolving nations experience. Thanks for sharing your personal History while sharing the Confederate History of Florida. In Hawaii we celebrate Restoration Day, which ironically celebrates our independence from Great Briton, after a brief 6 month occupation.

May 03, 2016 06:21 AM