1st Florida Special Cavalry Battalion

1st Special Cavalry Battalion 1st Florida Special Battalion flag.jpg 1864–1865 Confederate States of America 1864 Flag of Florida (1861).svg Florida CSA Battalion Cavalry Cow Cavalry American Civil War Battle of Fort Myers Battle of Levyville C. J. Munnerlyn ; Major William Footman Shoulder sleeve insignia The 1st Florida Battalion Special Cavalry, nicknamed the "Cow Cavalry", was a Confederate States Army cavalry unit from Florida during the American Civil War. Commanded by Charles James Munnerlyn; it was organized to protect herds of cattle from Union raiders.Taylor Robert Cow Cavalry: Munnerlyn's Battalion in Florida, 1864-1865 Florida Historical Quarterly 1986 65 2 196–214 https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol65/iss2/6/ 30146741 Jacob Summerlin: The cowman who was king of crackers https://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/article_7c5bbe73-4029-57b6-a427-0ab5758c30ca.html TBNweekly 21 August 2007 The hides and meat from Florida cattle were a critical supply item for the Confederacy. Organization and Operation In March 1864, Captain James McKay Sr., petitioned the Confederate government to create the unit. Confederate President Jefferson Davis, selected Munnerlyn who was commissioned as a Major to lead the Special Cavalry. Eventually a total of nine companies, largely made up of Florida crackers, was organized. They would drive cattle to Baldwin, Florida a railhead near Jacksonville, Florida.Whats New at the Bell Research Center http://www.bellresearchcenter.com/WhatsNewattheBellResearchCenter.html www.bellresearchcenter.com 2019-01-09 2020-09-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20200901100802/http://www.bellresearchcenter.com/WhatsNewattheBellResearchCenter.html dead Some of the companies were based out of Brooksville, Tampa,Ellis Thomas Benton Sr. Landers Roger Rice The Last Wildcat 1998 The Genealogy Society of Hernando County Brooksville, FL 33 Plant City,Taylor 1986 201Cow Cavalry Historical Marker https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=46292 www.hmdb.org and Fort Meadehttps://www.explorenaples.com/raid-on-gopher-ridge.php Raid on Gopher Ridge www.explorenaples.com Captains William B. Hooker, Leroy G. Lesley, John T. Lesley, Francis A. Hendry, and W. B. Henderson were leaders of the Cow Cavalry. Capt. McKay's son, James McKay Jr., was appointed as Captain of one of the companies and eventually rose to the rank of Major in the unit.Ellis 1998 33 In February 1865 several companies of the battalion operating in the Cedar Key and Gulf Hammock region engaged Federal troops at the Battle of Levyville. Also, in February 1865, Major William Footman led the companies of Francis A. Hendry, John T. Lesley, and Leroy G. Lesley in the Battle of Fort Myers. On June 5, 1865, the last remnants of the Cow Cavalry formally surrendered to the Second Florida Cavalry of the Union army at Bayport, Florida. See also List of Florida Confederate Civil War units References External links 1st Battalion Florida Special Cavalry Williams Amy Bennett The Civil War battle of Fort Myers, 150 years later https://www.news-press.com/story/news/local/amy-williams/2014/06/15/field-notes-amy-williams/10521403/ The News-Press 15 June 2014 Kambic Randy Fort Myers in the Civil War, more than a brief battle https://www.news-press.com/story/life/outdoors/2015/01/17/fort-myers-civil-war-brief-battle/21919231/ The News-Press 17 January 2015 Category:Florida in the American Civil War Category:Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Florida