1st Special Cavalry Battalion | |
---|---|
Active | 1864–1865 |
Country | Confederate States of America |
Allegiance | Florida |
Branch | Confederate States Army |
Type | Battalion |
Role | Cavalry |
Nickname(s) | Cow Cavalry |
Engagements | American Civil War
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | C. J. Munnerlyn
|
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. [1] [2] The hides and meat from Florida cattle were a critical supply item for the Confederacy.
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. [1]
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. [3] Some of the companies were based out of Brooksville, Tampa, [4] Plant City, [5] [6] and Fort Meade [7]
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. [8]
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. [1]
Francis Asbury "Berry" Hendry was an American cattle rancher, politician in Florida, and served during the Third Seminole War, and the American Civil War in the Confederate States Army. Hendry was also a state senator for parts of Lee County, and Monroe County, as well as serving as a state representative for Lee County for six terms from 1893 to 1904. He was known by the nickname "Berry" and in later life as "Captain Hendry."
Florida participated in the American Civil War as a member of the Confederate States of America. It had been admitted to the United States as a slave state in 1845. In January 1861, Florida became the third Southern state to secede from the Union after the November 1860 presidential election victory of Abraham Lincoln. It was one of the initial seven slave states which formed the Confederacy on February 8, 1861, in advance of the American Civil War.
The Battle of Fort Myers was fought on February 20, 1865, in Lee County, Florida during the last months of the American Civil War. This small engagement is known as the "southernmost land battle of the Civil War."
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Charles James Munnerlyn was an American politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States of America. He served in the Confederate congress and commanded the First Battalion, Florida Special Cavalry.
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The 23rd Arkansas Infantry (1862–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. In the summer of 1864, the unit was reorganized as a mounted infantry regiment in preparation for Price's Missouri Expedition and officially redesignated as the 42nd Arkansas Infantry (Mounted). The unit was often referred to as Lyle's Arkansas Cavalry in report from Price's Missouri Expedition. Due to its mounted status, the unit is also occasionally referred to as the 23rd Arkansas Cavalry Regiment.
James McKay Sr. was a cattleman, ship captain, and the sixth mayor of Tampa, Florida. McKay is memorialized with a bronze bust on the Tampa Riverwalk, along with other historical figures prominent in the History of Tampa.
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Not to be confused with William B. Henderson of North Carolina
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