John Jackson Dickison
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John Jackson Dickison, known as J. J. Dickison (March 27, 1816 – August 20, 1902), was an officer in 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 ...
. Dickison is mostly remembered as being the person who led the attack which resulted in the capture of the Union warship in the "Battle of Horse Landing". This was one of the few instances in which a Union warship was captured by land-based Confederate forces during the Civil War and the only known incident in U.S. history where a cavalry unit sank an enemy gunboat. Dickison and his men were victorious in all of his raids against the Union troops in Florida, including his raid in Gainesville what is known as the
Battle of Gainesville The Battle of Gainesville was an American Civil War engagement fought on August 17, 1864, when a Confederate force defeated Union detachments from Jacksonville, Florida. The result of the battle was the Confederate occupation of Gainesville for ...
. Tragedy struck Dickison, when one of his sons, both of whom served under his command, was killed during a raid.


Early years

Dickison was born in
Monroe County, Virginia Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,376. Its county seat is Union. Monroe County was the home of Andrew Summers Rowan of Spanish–American War fame, who is immortalized i ...
(now part of
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
), and was raised in
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. There Dickison received his primary and secondary education. He lived in Georgetown, where he became a successful businessman as a cotton merchant. Dickison joined the South Carolina Militia where he received his military training and was commissioned an officer in the cavalry. In 1844, he married Mary Margaret Lester and had a son, Charles Bannister, she died in childbirth in 1846, he then married Mary Elizabeth Ling in 1848 and had two sons, Robert Ling, John Jackson, Jr, and a daughter Mary Lucile. In 1857, Dickison moved to
Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...
, where he purchased a plantation which he named "Sunnyside". His plantation was very successful and there he continued to flourish in his business.


American Civil War

On December 12, 1861, Dickison was asked by the Confederate southern commanders if he would join them in their quest upon the outbreak of the American Civil War and he accepted. He was commissioned a Lieutenant under Captain John M. Martin and served in the Marion Light Artillery in
Fort Clinch Fort Clinch is a 19th-century masonry Coastal defence and fortification, coastal fortification, built as part of the Seacoast Defense (US)#Third system, Third System of seacoast defense conceived by the United States. It is located on a peninsula n ...
. On July 2, 1862, he was promoted to captain and ordered to create and command a new cavalry unit, Company H of the Second Florida Cavalry. Dickison had returned from a successful raid and received the following recognition from Major General Sam Jones, his Commanding officer:
I directed Captain Dickison, of the Second Florida Cavalry, who had just returned from a most successful raid east of the Saint John's, to endeavor to get in the rear, and concentrated on a large a force as I could at Newnansville. The enemy meetings, perhaps, more opposition than they had anticipated, fell back and were followed by Captain Dickison, who attacked them on the mainland, near Cedar Keys; and though his force was outnumbered five to one, the enemy retreated to Cedar Keys, after a sharp skirmish, leaving a portion of their dead on the field. Captain Dickison reports that he killed and wounded between sixty and seventy, and captured a few, with very slight loss on his part. I have heretofore frequently had occasion to report the gallant and valuable services of Captain Dickison and his command, and to present the captain, as I do now, to the favorable notice of the Government.


The Battle of Horse Landing

Lola Sánchez was moved to become a Confederate spy after her father was imprisoned by Union soldiers on false accusations that he was a Confederate spy. His residence, on the banks of the
St. John's River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...
opposite
Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in northeastern Florida and it is the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Mi ...
, was occupied by the Union forces. On May 21, 1864, Lola Sánchez overheard three Union officers discuss the plans that their unit had for a raid against the Confederate forces. The plan was to go into effect the next morning and consisted of a surprise attack on the Confederates while they slept with the aim of proceeding towards St. Augustine to "liberate" supplies for the Union Army. She decided that it was of utmost importance to notify Captain Dickison at Camp Davis, just a mile and a half from her home. Her sisters agreed to help by covering up her absence. Sánchez left her house that night and traveled, through the forest, alone on horseback. She reached the ferry and the ferryman minded her horse while she crossed the river. She came upon a Confederate picket and told him what she heard, however the picket was unable to leave his post and lent her his horse. She then proceeded to the camp where she met with Capt. Dickison. After the meeting she returned home, the whole event took an hour and a half, and her absence went unnoticed by the Union soldiers in her residence.The Battle at Horse Landing; by Keith Kohl
. Floridareenactorsonline.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-08.
That night Dickison and his men crossed the St. Johns River and set a trap. They waited for the arrival of the Union transport and gunboat. On the morning of May 22, the Union forces plans were foiled when they were ambushed upon their arrival. At the exact moment necessary to succeed, Dickison raised his saber signaling his men to attack. The Confederate forces had placed artillery guns on the banks of the river and opened fire on the approaching Union gunboats. The skirmish which followed, officially known as the "Battle of Horse Landing", occurred south of St. Augustine. Union Colonel William H. Noble, commander of the 17th Connecticut Infantry, was wounded in the ambush and taken prisoner. The rest of the Union soldiers were either captured or killed. Dickison and his men captured the , a side-wheel steamer/gunboat under the command of Ensign Frank Sanborn. Sanborn made the following statement: After removing all the supplies and armament possible, they disabled and set the ship on fire. Of the 148 men aboard the Columbine, only 66 survived and the rest were killed. This was one of the few instances in which a Union warship was captured by land-based Confederate forces during the Civil War and the only known incident in US history where a cavalry unit sank an enemy gunboat. The Confederates also captured a Union pontoon boat and renamed it ''The Three Sisters'' in honor of Lola Sanchez and her sisters.


"The Battle of Gainesville"

During the months of June and July in 1864, Dickison and his men, which included his son Sergeant Charles Dickison, participated in several skirmishes with a Union force which was headed towards Palatka. On August 2, 1864, Dickison intercepted the contingent and forced them to surrender. He was not aware that some of the prisoners had concealed weapons. Without warning the prisoners exposed their weapons and opened fire. Dickison's son Charles was shot through the heart and fell from his horse mortally wounded. On August 17, 1864, Dickison was told that members of the Union Army had arrived at the town of Starke and that they had burned Confederate train cars. Dickison and his men then proceeded to head towards Gainesville to fight against the invading enemy in what would be known as
Battle of Gainesville The Battle of Gainesville was an American Civil War engagement fought on August 17, 1864, when a Confederate force defeated Union detachments from Jacksonville, Florida. The result of the battle was the Confederate occupation of Gainesville for ...
(not to be confused with the First Skirmish of Gainesville of February 14, 1864). Gainesville was held by the 75th Ohio Volunteer Mounted Infantry and members of the Company B of the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry. They were caught totally unprepared by Cpt. Dickison and his men. The Union force was dispersed, but before they scattered into the woods they suffered 28 killed, 5 wounded and more than 200 captured.Battle of Gainesville
Battleofolustee.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-08.
The remaining Union forces in the north central Florida area withdrew to the garrisons at
Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
and St. Augustine. Gainesville would remain in Confederate control for the duration of the war. This however, did not keep some units from participating in minor raids. On October 24, 1864, a detachment of the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry returned to Gainesville to plunder. Dickison was alerted and made a swift attack which resulted in a 40 minute gunfight. Ten Union soldiers were killed and 23 were taken prisoners (this included eight men that were wounded).


Final years and legacy

Dickison was captured near the town of
Waldo Waldo may refer to: People * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer) (1934-2019), full name Waldo Machado da Silva, Brazilian footballer Places Canada * Waldo, ...
and imprisoned. He was promoted to Colonel in May 1865, just a few days after the surrender of all CSA troops and paroled on May 20, 1865. Dickison helped Confederate Secretary of War
John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...
flee to Cuba. He provided Breckinridge with a boat; a lifeboat taken from the USS ''Columbine''. He continued to be active in CSA activities and was elected six times Commander of the Florida Division of United Confederate Veterans. In the late 1870s, he served as Florida's Adjutant General. Dickison wrote the Florida section of the 12 volume ''Confederate Military History''. Dickison and his wife Mary Elizabeth Dickison lived at
Bugg Spring Bugg Spring is a second magnitude spring near Okahumpka in Lake County, Florida. The spring has a 400 feet wide pool with little vegetation which goes down to 170 to 175 feet. Its outflow runs north as Bugg Spring Run into the Helena Run from L ...
, in the town of
Okahumpka, Florida Okahumpka is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 267 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the loc ...
, during the decades after the war. It was there that in 1889, Mrs. Dickison completed her book, "Dickison and His Men: Reminiscences of the War in Florida".Explore Southern History
Explore Southern History. Retrieved on 2011-06-08.
In 1902, Dickison died in his home in Bugg Spring and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery,
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
. A marker was placed on the site where Dickison and his men captured the USS ''Columbine'' by the Florida Confederation For The Preservation Of Historic Sites, Inc. Another marker was placed at 1st St. NE & 3rd St. in the town of Gainesville in the location where the "Battle of Gainesville" took place. There is also a marker in
Waldo, Florida Waldo is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the population was 1,015, up from 821 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. History The first major U.S. federal highway in early t ...
, where Camp Baker was located and where Dickison and his men bivouacked during the closing weeks of the conflict.Dickison and His Men / Jefferson Davis' Baggage
Hmdb.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-08.
The Dickison cottage in Bugg Spring still stands and is now a private guest house.


See also

*
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 ...
* Lola Sánchez


References


Further reading

*"JJ Dickison: Swamp Fox of the Confederacy"; by John Koblas; Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.; ; *"Dickison and His Men: Reminiscences of the War in Florida" By: Mary Elizabeth Dickison (wife of J. J. Dickison) ; Publisher: San Marco Bookstore, Jacksonville, FL; 1st edition; ASIN: B0006EJRL8 *"Discovering the Civil War in Florida: A Reader and Guide"; by: Paul Taylor; Publisher: Pineapple Press; ; ; ASIN: 1561642355 *"Way Down Upon the Suwannee River: Sketches of Florida During the Civil War"; by: Gary Loderhose; Publisher: iUniverse; ; *"Touched by the Sun (Florida Chronicles)"; by: Stuart B McIver; Publisher: Pineapple Press; 1st edition; ; ; ASIN: 1561642061 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickison, James Jackson 1816 births 1902 deaths Confederate States Army officers People from Monroe County, West Virginia People of Florida in the American Civil War People from Ocala, Florida People of South Carolina in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war