The 8th Florida Infantry Regiment was a unit of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Serving in the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

throughout the war; it fought in most battles of the Eastern Theater. In the summer of 1862, the 8th Florida was assigned to Edward A. Perry's newly formed Florida Brigade alongside the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...

and 5th Florida regiments. Perry's Brigade served in Anderson’s Division of the

First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia The First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (or Longstreet's Corps) was a military unit fighting for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. It was formed in early 1861 and served until the spring of 1865, mostly in the Easte ...

under Lt. Gen.

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...

. They fought in the Battles of Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, and Antietam from August–September 1862. Colonel David Lang took over command of the Florida Brigade and led them at Fredericksburg in December 1862 and Chancellorsville in May 1863. Under Col. Lang's command the Florida Brigade fought at Gettysburg in July 1863. They were attached to Pickett's Division, and took part in the famous attack on the Union center on the third day. After the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania in 1864, the brigade was joined by the victors of the

Battle of Olustee The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on February 20, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war. Union General Truman Seymour had landed troops a ...

, the 9th, 10th, and 11th Infantry regiments. General Joseph Finegan, the famous commander of Florida forces at Olustee, took command of the Florida Brigade, hence also known as “Finegan’s Brigade”. In the last year of war the Florida Brigade fought at Cold Harbor in June 1864 and Petersburg during the winter. The brigade retreated with the Army of Northern Virginia and surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. By the time of surrender, the regiments were the size of modern-day platoons or companies. The 2nd, 5th, and 8th surrendered 68, 53, and 32 men respectively. The 9th, 10th, and 11th surrendered 124, 162, and 23. Most of the 11th had been cut off in the army’s retreat and had previously surrendered.Hawk, Robert. Florida's Army: Militia/State Troops/National Guard 1565-1985. Englewood, FL: Pineapple Press Inc. 1986. Pg 100.

Engagements and Battles

1862 *

Battle of 2nd Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, August 28—30, 1862. *

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, September 17, 1862. *

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, December 13, 1862. 1863 *

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

, May 1—4, 1863. *

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, July 1—3, 1863. * Bristoe Campaign, October 1863. *

Mine Run Campaign The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union A ...

, November—December. 1863. 1864-1865 *

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

, May 5–6, 1864. *

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

, May 8—21, 1864. *

Battle of North Anna The Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North ...

, May 22—26, 1864. *

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, June 1—3, 1864. * Petersburg Siege, June 1864—April 1865. *

Weldon Railroad Weldon may refer to: Places In Canada: * Weldon, Saskatchewan In England: * Weldon, Northamptonshire * Weldon, Northumberland In the United States: * Weldon, Arkansas * Weldon, California * Weldon, Illinois * Weldon, Iowa * Weldon, North Caroli ...

, June 23, 1864. * Ream's Station, June 30, 1864. *

Battle of Globe Tavern The Battle of Globe Tavern, also known as the Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad, fought August 18–21, 1864, south of Petersburg, Virginia, was the second attempt of the Union Army to sever the Weldon Railroad during the siege of Petersburg ...

, August 21, 1864. *

Battle of Hatcher's Run The Battle of Hatcher's Run, also known as Dabney's Mill, Armstrong's Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughn Road, fought February 5–7, 1865, was one in a series of Union offensives during the siege of Petersburg, aimed at cutting off Confederate ...

, February 5–7, 1865. Farmville, April 7, 1865. *

Battle of Appomattox Court House The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...

, April 9, 1865.

References

{{Reflist Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Florida 1861 establishments in Florida

Engagements and Battles

See also

References