Synopses & Reviews
A captivating history of the Civil War in northeast Florida
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andquot;Captures in rich detail the competition between the Confederates and Unionists, blacks and whites, and civilians and soldiers in the region. A fascinating and illuminating story told through compelling and persuasive prose.andquot;--Aaron Sheehan-Dean, author ofand#160;Why Confederates Fought
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andquot;A fast-paced social history of the Civil War in northeastern Florida.andquot;--John David Smith, editor ofand#160;Black Soldiers in Blue
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When the Civil War finally came to North Florida, it did so with an intermittent fury that destroyed much of Jacksonville and scattered its residents. The city was taken four separate times by Federal forces but abandoned after each of the first three occupations. During the fourth occupation, it was used as a staging ground for the ill-fated Union invasion of the Florida interior, which ended in the bloody Battle of Olustee in February 1864. This late Confederate victory, along with the deadly use of underwater mines against the U.S. Navy along the St. Johns, nearly succeeded in ending the fourth Union occupation of Jacksonville.
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Writing in clear, engaging prose, Daniel Schafer sheds light on this oft-forgotten theatre of war and details the dynamic racial and cultural factors that led to Floridaandrsquo;s engagement on behalf of the South. He investigates how fears about the black population increased and held sway over whites, seeking out the true motives behind both the state and federal initiatives that drove freed blacks from the cities back to the plantations even before the warand#39;s end.
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From the Missouri Compromise to Reconstruction,and#160;Thunder on the Riverand#160;offers the history of a city and a region precariously situated as a major center of commerce on the brink of frontier Florida. Historians and Civil War aficionados alike will not want to miss this important addition to the literature.
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Review
andldquo;[A] well written, fast-pasted narrative of the Civil War in Northeast Floridaandhellip;[that] vividly portrays the life, death, and destruction as Union troops invaded and occupied Jacksonville.andrdquo;andmdash;
Civil War Book ReviewReview
andldquo;Solidly researched and thorough in its presentation of the regionandrsquo;s wartime military, social, and political history,
Thunder on the River is the most impressive book published about the Civil War in Florida in recent memory.andrdquo;andmdash;
Civil War Books and AuthorsReview
andldquo;Impressive...successfully captures Jacksonville and Northeast Floridaandrsquo;s antebellum, wartime, and postwar experience. andhellip;[Schafer] weaves first-person accounts and big picture events into each other. andhellip;It will be a bulwark for the topic for years to come.andrdquo;andmdash;
Southern HistorianReview
andldquo;Carefully examines the activities, military, social, and commercial, in this somewhat neglected theatre of action. andhellip;[This book] offers the history of a city and a region precariously situated as a major center of commerce on the brink of Frontier Florida. Historians and Civil War aficionados will not want to miss this important addition to the literature of Florida.andrdquo;andmdash;
The Journal of Americaandrsquo;s Military PastReview
andldquo;Offers detailed insights into a heretofore little-known Civil War story.andrdquo;andmdash;
Western Pennsylvania HistoryReview
andldquo;A well-written historyandhellip; [It] will be the book to read to learn about the Civil War in the St. Johnand#39;s River area.andrdquo;andmdash;
Florida Historical QuarterlyAbout the Author
Daniel L. Schafer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Florida, is the author of six books, including Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner.