Ask any historian what the most important Civil War battle in Florida was. They might say the Battle of Olustee. Three thousand casualties made this one of Florida's deadliest battles. Yet, the lesser-known Battle of Horse Landing is unique. The Confederates had no casualties in this battle. It was also the first battle in U.S. history in which a cavalry unit sank an enemy gunboat.
Confederate Forces on the shore of the St. Johns during the Battle of Horse Landing
Captain John Jackson Dickison and his men from the Second Florida Cavalry, along with a battery from the Milton Light Artillery, disabled and captured the Union gunboat Columbine. They then burned it while it sat grounded on the mud shore. Reports of survivors are conflicting. But, over 150 men were aboard during the attack, including 25 from the 35th United States Colored Troops.
Federal troops called Dickison "Dixie." His men knew him as the Swamp Fox, the Knight of the White Camellia, and War Eagle. He held the area west of the St. Johns so well that it became known as "Dixie's Land."
His guerrilla raids on federal troops to recapture African Americans made him a thorn in the side of Union forces. They stopped the Union from controlling the St. Johns. This component formed a vital link in Confederate supply networks.
Dickinson, who was born in Monroe County, Virginia, received his education in South Carolina. After joining the South Carolina militia, he became a cavalry officer.
In 1844, he married Mary Margaret Lester and had a son, Charles Bannister. When Mary died in childbirth, Dickison married Mary Elizabeth Ling. They had two more sons, Robert Ling and John Jackson Jr., and a daughter, Mary Lucile.
In 1857, Dickison moved his family to Ocala, Florida. There, he bought a plantation he named "Sunnyside." Using slave labor, he became a prominent planter in the area.
In 1861, Dickison became a lieutenant under Captain John M. Martin. He served in the Marion Light Artillery at Fort Clinch. The following year, he became a captain and formed Company H of the Second Florida Cavalry.
On the morning of May 23, 1864, under Dickison's command, Confederate troops placed artillery on the banks of St. Johns. They waited for the Columbine to cross the river, based on a tip from Lola Sánchez. Union forces occupied Sánchez's St. Augustine home and falsely accused her father of being a Confederate spy. Sánchez overheard a Union officer's plans. They were to attack the Confederates and then raid supplies in St. Augustine. Sánchez rode a horse all night to warn Dickison, while her sisters distracted Union soldiers.
The next morning, Dickison and his men ambushed the Columbine when it came within 100 feet of the shore. The first shots tore the vessel's wheel chains and destroyed its steam lines. Completely disabled, it floated downriver before running aground. The next morning, Dickison’s men ambushed the Columbine when it came within 100 feet of the shore. The first shots tore the vessel's wheel chains and destroyed its steam lines. Completely disabled, it coasted downriver until it ran aground. The crew fought for almost thirty minutes. Then, CO Frank Sandborn raised the white flag and surrendered the ship to Dickison. Only 66 of 148 men on board survived. Dickison later reported five wounded African Americans. But the Columbine's crew had high casualties, so that number seems unlikely. The authorities sent most prisoners to the notorious Andersonville prison camp.
In the following months, Dickison and his men skirmished with Union forces near Palatka. On August 2nd, Dickison forced a Union company into surrender. Unaware that some prisoners had hidden weapons, his own son, Charles, was shot and killed. His second son, Robert Ling Dickison, also joined his father’s company toward the end of the war at the age of 14.
Dickinson fell into captivity close to Waldo, then landed in prison. After his release, he was promoted to Colonel. He helped Confederate Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge flee to Cuba. He did this by giving him a lifeboat taken from the Columbine.
The Florida Confederation for the Preservation of Historic Sites, Inc. placed a marker on the site where Dickison and his men captured the Columbine.
Sources:
CivilWarTalk.com. 2020. The Swamp Fox of the Confederacy – John Jackson Dickison. [online] Available at: <https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-swamp-fox-of-the-confederacy-%E2%80%93-john-jackson-dickison.170566/> [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Museumsouthernhistory.com. n.d. Museum of Southern History_The Confederate Swamp Fox. [online] Available at: <https://www.museumsouthernhistory.com/The%20Confederate%20Swamp%20Fox.html> [Accessed 18 August 2022].
STIER, W., 2019. J. J. Dickison: Prologue to Gainesville | HistoryNet. [online] HistoryNet. Available at: <https://www.historynet.com/j-j-dickison-prologue-to-gainesville/> [Accessed 17 August 2022].
Vince Murray, V., 2002. Captain J.J. Dickison: Marion County's Civil War Hero. [online] Ocala.com. Available at: <https://www.ocala.com/story/news/2003/01/01/captain-jj-dickison-marion-countys-civil-war-hero/31271710007/> [Accessed 16 August 2022].
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