Page 33 - history-of-military-units-in-columbia-county-fl-(1970)-robert-gary-shields

History of Military Units in Columbia County, FL (1970) Robert Gary Shields
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Dixie Stars
Columbia & Suwannee Guards
3rd Florida Infantry

The 3rd Florida Regiment was organized in July, 1861, and mustered

into the Confederate service August 10, 1861, on Amelia Island and was
composed of the following companies:

Company County Name ■ ’ Captain
A Duval Jacksonville Light Inf. Holmes Steele
B St. Johns St. Augustine Blues John Lott Philips
C Hernando Hernando Guards
(Wild Cats) Walter Terry Saxon
D Wakulla Wakulla Guards Daniel L. Frierson
E Jefferson Jefferson Beauregards Daniel E. Bird
F Duval Cow Boys Lucius A. Hardee
G Madison Madison Grey Eagles Thomas Langford
H Jefferson Jefferson Rifles William 0. Girardeau
I Columbia Dixie Stars Jesse B. Wood
K Columbia & Columbia and
Suwannee Suwannee Guards William Parker replaced
A. J. T. Wright

An election of officers was held July 25, 1861. William S. Dilworth
was elected Colonel and Arthur J. T. Wright, Lieutenant-Colonel.
The Blues; Capt. Philips, and the Jefferson Beauregards, Capt. Bird,

were stationed at St. Augustine; the Jacksonville Light Infantry, Capt.
Steele, and the Cow Boys, Capt. Hardee, were stationed at the Bluff, near

the mouth of the St. Johns; the other six companies of the Regiment saw
but little active service during the first year of its organization, but
did a great deal of hard work throwing up sand batteries on Amelia and

Tolbert Islands and the defences in the eastern part of the State.

Coinpines E and H, under Capt. Bird, were sent during the winter to

New Smyrna to protect Government stores brought in from Nassau. In March,
1862, a detachment under Capt. M. H. Strain, who had succeeded Girardeau,

engaged a number of launches from ,the Federal Blockading vessels, which
were attempting to land and destroy the stores; nearly all the occupants
of the launches were killed, wounded or captured.

Early in 1862, the Confederate Government determined to shorten its
lines of defense and abandon its works at the mouth of the St. Johns River

and Amelia Island, and these last were occupied by the Federals about March!

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