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Hispanics of Florida in the Civil War
Hispanics of Florida (1861-1865): Latinos and Civil War
With its long history as a Spanish colony, it is not surprising that Florida
maintained a vibrant Hispanic population at the time of the American Civil War. Centered primarily in Pensacola and St. Augustine,
with smaller numbers scattered throughout the peninsula, the Hispanic population of Civil War era Florida was descended from
the colonists who had remained there following the American acquisition of the territory. Most Southern Hispanics gave their
support to the Confederacy following secession. One roster for the entire Confederacy lists more than 6,000 soldiers, sailors,
and marines of Hispanic ancestry, along with civil officials, blockade runners, and even a few female spies. Of those listed
in this roster, the great majority came from Texas and Louisiana, but Florida appears to rank third, with more than 300 Hispanics
who served in Florida units or with some connection to the state. Every Florida Confederate military unit had at least one
member with a Hispanic name on its roll, but the two Florida units with the largest number of Hispanics appear to have been
the 3rd and the 8th Infantry Regiments. The Florida Independent Blues, later Company B of the 3rd Florida Infantry, was probably
the most ethnically diverse unit from the state. Many of St. Augustine’s established Hispanic families joined its ranks.
Maria Delores (Lola) Sánchez: Las Tres Hermanas
Lola Sánchez was one of three sisters who became spies for the Confederate
Army during the Civil War. Sánchez became upset when their father was falsely accused of being a Confederate spy by the members
of the Union Army and imprisoned. Officers of the Union Army then occupied the Sánchez residence in Palatka, Florida. On one
occasion Sánchez overheard various officers’ planning a raid and decided to alert the Confederates forces. She informed
Captain John Jackson Dickison (aka The Swamp Fox), commander of the local Confederates forces, of the plan. The result of
her actions was that the Confederate forces surprised the Union troops in an ambush and captured the USS Columbine, a Union
warship, on the day of the supposed raid 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.
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