When people think of Florida, what comes to mind are sandy beaches, alligators, and Mickey Mouse. Few realize that Florida was the third state to secede from the Union. It was also the smallest in population, being referred to as the "smallest tadpole in the dirty pool of secession."



This work does not concern itself with the politics, issues of slavery, economics, or military strategies of the Civil War. Instead, it focuses directly on the history and service of one Florida unit: The Marion Light Artillery. Raised in North Central Florida, this unit would be the only Florida artillery battery to see active combat outside the state, beginning from Richmond, Kentucky, through most of the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee, until their surrender in May of 1865 at Meridian, Mississippi.