Jacksonville Plantation Mystery (Civil War) -- SOLVED

[SteveW]

I am writing a history of a Civil War regiment, (the 169th N.Y. from Troy, N.Y.), and am trying to determine where its camp was located in Jacksonville.  The regiment was posted at Jacksonville from late February to late April, 1864.  I think the camp was located either near McCoy's Creek or Hogans Creek, near the St. Johns River.

Can anyone help?  I've found these clues:

1. The location of the regiment's camp was within full and near view of the town of Jacksonville, about a quarter of a mile from the city (or ¾ mile from the business part of the city).

2. The camp was outside the defensive works of the city, a marsh separating the camp from the works.  The picket-line, distant less than two miles, was easily reached from the camp.

3. The camp was near a creek emptying into the St. John's River.  The location overlooked the St. John's River.  The men had to go over the creek and then walk about a half of a mile before they reached an orange grove.  In the creek were large quantities of fish, alligators, snakes, etc.

4. The camp of the 112th N.Y., which was nearby, was a short distance from the bank of the river; near it a steam saw mill built and owned by men from Maine.  There were several boats around the saw mill.

5. The camp was in a beautiful grove of oaks and towering pines.  Immediately beyond and westerly was a wide stretch of woodland covering several hundreds of acres, without the usual obstruction of tangled underbrush.

6. About 100 yards from the camp, between it and a village, was a deserted planter's mansion situated in the midst of beautiful grounds, with a setting of lawns, orange trees, rare flowers, cactus and century plants; everything needed to grace and beautify the private grounds of a Vanderbilt.  Across the whole front of the mansion extended a wide piazza from which the grounds could be viewed.  Beyond, separated by a picket fence, a large meadow of about ten acres, gently sloping toward the river, afforded a magnificent parade ground.

7. Headquarters was a large, two-and-a-half story frame house with several adjoining houses, just on the edge of Jacksonville.  The house stood in the center of a garden, surrounded by a picket fence and shaded by oaks and magnolias.

Citations

1. Troy Daily Times, April 26, 1864: The regiment is just now most fortunately situated in reference to locality, having the most convenient camp, and accessories to health and general comfort, ever known to its history.  The location is within full and near view of the town of Jacksonville.

2. Troy Daily Press, April 28, 1864: An eager throng soon surrounded the house occupied by Lieut.-Col. Alden and the staff officers, and lined the avenue by which the Colonel was obliged to make his approach to the building.  The band, not a whit behind this spontaneous eruption of our devoted soldiers, made a contemporaneous demonstration, with their instruments, in front of headquarters, and as soon as the Colonel's black charger, bestrode by his well known rider, appeared, the band first touched the inspiring notes of welcome, which were seconded by a storm of applause from the men.

3. Troy Daily Times, February 19, 1874: JACKSONVILLE, Feb. 12. – I thought that a few lines from our old "camping ground" would be of interest to you.  I have been here about two weeks, and the first thing that I did was to walk to the mansion that was the headquarters of the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Regiment in 1864.  The mansion has not changed much; the same lovely grove of live oak, with its fine drapery of moss, still surrounds it; the grounds around are not much changed – even the "company streets" can be fixed as we had them when we camped here.

4. The One Hundred and Sixty-Ninth N. Y. Vols., by Colonel James A. Colvin: The regiment formed line of battle on the verge of the town, and with other troops, constructed extensive earthworks.  Upon the completion of these the regiment was shifted across a creek emptying into the St. John's below the town, and went into camp in a grove of oaks, – a deserted planter's house making excellent regimental headquarters.  The location was delightful, overlooking the beautiful St. John's River.  These were the brief halcyon days of the regiment.  It had never had a better selection of ground for an encampment.  The picket-line, distant less than two miles, was easily reached, and the luxuriant vegetation and balmy weather of the Southern midwinter excited a feeling of contentment and repose quite novel to the soldiers.

5. Memoirs of Alonzo Alden (1834-1900), 1896, Williams College Library, Williamstown, Mass.: The Regimental Camp.  A beautiful grove of oaks and towering pines furnished an attractive and refreshing camp for the 169th.  Immediately beyond and westerly was a wide stretch of woodland covering several hundreds of acres, without the usual obstruction of tangled underbrush.  Through this it was the delight of the writer, as evidently of the whole regiment, to practice the skirmish drill by aid of the bugle.  In the use of their instrument, the writer himself, in that particular grove, acquired considerable practical knowledge.
  About a hundred yards from the camp, between it and the village, was a deserted planter's mansion situate in the midst of beautiful grounds, with a setting of lawns, orange trees, rare flowers, cactus and century plants; everything needed to grace and beautify the private grounds of a Vanderbilt.  Across the whole front of the mansion extended a wide piazza from which we could enjoy the view of the grounds which I have described.  Beyond, separated by a picket fence, a large meadow of about ten acres, gently sloping toward the river, afforded a magnificent parade ground.  From this piazza and grounds hundreds of spectators, including the elite of village society and the wives and sisters of many Federal officers then in Jacksonville, found pleasure in witnessing the regimental parades and different military manœuvres, and listening to the music of the regimental band, than which I believe there never was a better in the army... For example: at our beautiful camp in the grove and in the elegant planter's mansion nearby which we had appropriated for our headquarters, we extended hospitality to many friends and strangers among the fair sex and distinguished men and officers, civil and military, from Jacksonville and from visiting steamers.  I will relate one incident among many of a similar character that served to drive dull care away, and civilize and humanize wartime.  On the afternoon of April 11th, 1864, we were honored by a visit from a company of ladies from Fernandina, Florida, who came in the chartered steamer Delaware to witness our dress parade.
  Not only had our camp become renowned for its beauty, but our skirmish drills and the manœuvering of the regiment and the companies, and especially our dress parade, had become famous throughout the department.  In the evening, a delegation consisting of most of the commissioned officers of the regiment, with the regimental band, returned the visit of our friends in the grand saloons of the Delaware, where we enjoyed a reception and dance.

Correspondence of Colonel John McConihe, 169th N. Y. S. V. Infantry Regiment, 1863-1864, Special Collections, Albany Institute of History & Art, Albany, New York.

6. April 15, 1864: We are encamped in the edge of town and our quarters are a fine, two-story mansion, with garden in front planted with orange and magnolia trees and in the rear with live oak and magnolias.  The air is fragrant with perfume and the climate is delightful.

7. April 16, 1864: On my return, I found the regiment in good condition and received a very cordial and impressive greeting from all, both officers and men.  My horses were at the landing, and as I approached the camp, the band struck up a welcome, and the men shouted in lusty cheers.

8. April 18, 1864: My stay in Jacksonville has been short and pleasant, and I almost hate to leave Headquarters Mansion with its orange trees, magnolias, and grand old live oaks.  We are occupying a large, two-story house just in the edge of Jacksonville.  The house stands in the center of a garden, surrounded by a picket fence and beautifully shaded by magnificent oaks, with long, grey Southern moss drooping from their branches, and by symmetrical magnolias, perfumed by the ever-blooming, rich-looking orange blossoms.

Captain John McConihe Collection, Schaffer Library, Union College, Schenectady, New York.

9. April 14th, 1864: Monday morning we landed at Jacksonville, I got upon my horse and rode out to camp.  I trust you will not call me vain when I tell you I received a most cordial welcome, both from officers and men... Our camp is a very healthy one, just on the edge of town, with headquarters in a large, two-and-a-half story frame house, with several adjoining houses.  Myself and the Lieutenant-Colonel occupy the two front rooms, the Adjutant and Quartermaster the back rooms, the Doctor and Chaplain the second story.  The Major has an adjoining building, and we use one as a kitchen.

The Papers of Alfred C. Carmon, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

10. April the 4th, 1864: I like the place here first rate!  We are not camped in the city.  We are out about a quarter of a mile.  Then you think that we might stay in the houses.  The houses are most all of them occupied.  What there is are most all of them small.  The large ones are used by the generals as their headquarters... We can get plenty of oranges here, for the picking of them.  We have to go over the river and then walk about a half of a mile before we come to the grove.  I wish that you could see an orange grove.  It looks nice, I tell you.  The trees hang so full and they are in full bloom already before the old crop is picked off.

Correspondence Collection of Corp. Lyman Ostrom, Co. A, 169th N.Y., The History Center in Tompkins County, Ithaca, N.Y.

11. March 9th, 1864: In the stream about here are large quantities of fish, though not fish alone, but alligators, serpents, etc. ... Well, after all, Jacksonville itself has been a beautiful place.  We are not stationed in Jacksonville exactly, however... I forgot to mention among the not very pleasant things in this vicinity, that within a few miles are a plenty of panthers, catamounts and crocodiles.

12. History of the One Hundred and Twelfth Regiment N. Y. Volunteers, by William L. Hyde, Chaplain of the Regiment:  The Regiment marched into a vacant field within the city, and a hundred men were detailed to work all night, throwing up earthworks along the front occupied by our Brigade.  A like detail from other regiments was employed in the same way.  These works were afterwards enlarged and made formidable for any force likely to be hurled against them.
  On the afternoon of the 28th, the Brigade moved outside the works across a marsh, about three-fourths of a mile from the business part of the city, down the river.  The location was a pleasant one; the camp but a short distance from the bank of the river; near it a steam saw mill built and owned by men from the eastern part of the State of Maine.  Four vacant dwelling houses furnished ample quarters for the Colonel and Staff; and a pile of old boards at the mill, with the fences about the fields where our camp was located, enabled the men to fix up their quarters comfortably... There were several boats around the mill, and many pleasant excursions down the river and across to the opposite side, are remembered.

[Demosthenes]

Sounds like McCoys Creek Area. The Brooklyn area had some beautiful era houses and there were orange groves in Riverside.

[SteveW]

Thanks Demosthenes!

I will focus my attention on those places.

[Demosthenes]

To clarify, Mccoys goes through the Brooklyn neighborhood, which is just south of downtown and would have been just outside the earthworks, and Riverside is just south of Brooklyn.

Btw, awesome job on the research!

[SteveW]

Thanks again, Demosthenes!

It appears that I'm zeroing-in on the target.  I think a possible reason why the mansion, plantation, and nearby village were not identified by the men is because the place was deserted, per orders of the Confederate authorities.  Nobody was left behind to say who owned the property.

[thelakelander]

Yes, the camp was along McCoys Creek in the vicinity of present day Brooklyn.

[SunKing]

I had heard that the Confederate forces from Camp Milton, I believe, used to have a big mortar mounted on a flatbed car and used to back it up the rail (now CSX) at night and shell the Union troops.  then they would haul it back to the protection of their fort.

[BridgeTroll]

The info you posted was awesome Steve... Tell us more about the 169th NY!   

[SteveW]

Hi BridgeTroll,

Thanks for the kind remark!  From Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861 – 1865, (1889) by William F. Fox, we read the following:

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTY-NINTH  NEW  YORK  INFANTRY. - Organized at Troy, N. Y., and mustered in by companies during September and October, 1862, the men coming from Rensselaer and Washington counties.  The regiment was actively engaged in the defence of Suffolk, Va., April, 1863, where it served in Foster's Brigade, Corcoran's Division.  In the following summer it participated in the operations about Charleston Harbor, and in May, 1864, it moved with the Army of the James to Bermuda Hundred.  The regiment disembarked there with Butler's Army, and hard fighting, with its consequent heavy losses, immediately ensued.  At Cold Harbor it fought in Martindale's Division; Colonel McConihe was killed in that battle.  The One Hundred and Sixty-ninth held a perilous position in the trenches before Petersburg, losing men there, killed or wounded, almost every day.  While there, on the evening of June 30, 1864, the brigade (Barton's) was ordered to charge the enemy's lines, so that, under cover of their fire, Curtis's Brigade could throw up an advanced rifle-pit; but the regiment while going into position was prematurely discovered by the enemy, and thereby drew upon themselves a severe fire, which not only frustrated the plan, but cost the regiment many lives.  The regiment was one of those selected for the expedition against Fort Fisher; it was then in Bell's (3d) Brigade, Ames's Division, Tenth Corps, and took part in the desperate but victorious assault on that stronghold.  A large proportion of its losses there, however, occurred at the explosion of the magazine, after the fort had been captured.  After the fall of Fort Fisher, the regiment accompanied the Tenth Corps in its advance on Wilmington.  It was mustered out July 19, 1865.

I am writing and publishing a serial history of the regiment for the Civil War Sesquicentennial commemoration.  You'll find the 169th N.Y. Infantry newsletter on the New York State Military Museum's website, at the bottom of the page:

http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/169thInf/169thInfMain.htm

The chronological history begins with the October 2012 issue.  I plan to follow-up with an ebook in a few years.

[SteveW]

I've found some interesting information about the plantations of the area:

1. "The area was first settled in 1801, when Phillip Dell started a large 800-acre plantation there known as Dell's Bluff. Dell's Bluff changed hands several times before the American Civil War. After the war it was acquired by Miles Price, who sold the southern half of the property to be developed as the suburb of Riverside. The northern section he retained and developed himself as Brooklyn."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_%28Jacksonville%29

2. "Riverside and Avondale were developed out of former plantation land. Most of this area was part of two plantations: Dell's Bluff, granted by the Spanish Florida government in 1801, and a tract eventually known as Magnolia Plantation, granted in 1815. Both changed hands several times before the American Civil War. In 1868, Dell's Bluff's then owner, Miles Price, sold off the southern part of the plantation to Florida Union editor Edward M. Cheney and Boston developer John Murray Forbes, who platted the original Riverside development. The northern part Price developed himself as Jacksonville's Brooklyn neighborhood."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverside_and_Avondale

3. "Dell received his 800-acre grant in 1801.  It included all of the land along the river between McCoys Creek and a point midway between Barrs and King Streets.  Known as 'Dell's Bluff,' this property changed hands several times until 1847, when it was purchased by James Winter, who operated an extensive plantation there.  In 1868 Edward  M. Cheney, editor of the Jacksonville newspaper, The Florida Union, purchased the southern 500 acres of Dell's Bluff for $10,000 in gold.  He bought the land as an agent for John Murray Forbes, a Boston millionaire, who had the land platted and named it 'Riverside.'

"Southwest of Dell's Bluff was a 150-acre tract granted in 1815 to Robert Hutcheson, who established a successful plantation there.  Three years later he obtained another 350 acres, extending his holdings to the south.  This entire tract of land  came into the ownership of William McKay in 1836, who named it 'Magnolia Plantation.'  Producing sea island cotton, the plantation worked fifty slaves.

"When Elias Jaudon bought Magnolia Plantation in 1850, it included 550 acres extending from what is now Powell Place all  the way to Fishweir Creek.  Expanding the plantation to over one thousand acres, Jaudon produced cotton, corn, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, cattle, and sheep.  After his death in 1871, Magnolia Plantation was sold and divided into several truck farms.   In fact, all of today's Riverside and Avondale remained rural in character until 1887 when the first surge of residential development occurred."

http://jaxhistory.com/riverside.html

4. History of Jacksonville, Florida, and Vicinity, 1513 to 1924 (1925) by T. Frederick Davis:

Philip Dell, 1801. (Brooklyn and Riverside) and John Jones, 1801 - Isaac Hendricks, 1804. (LaVilla)

http://ufdc.ufl.edu/NF00000013/00001/52j
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/NF00000013/00001/53j
http://ufdc.ufl.edu/NF00000013/00001/54j

Robert Hutcheson, 1818 (Avondale, Ribault Place, Ingleside Heights)

http://ufdc.ufl.edu/NF00000013/00001/58j

5. From a local expert on Jacksonville history:

Two possibilities:

a. Could be Fort Foster, immediately south of McCoy's Creek, on top of hill near the present intersection of Magnolia and Jackson Streets in Brooklyn.  The hill had, until recently, a beautiful canopy.  It is possible that Miles Price, who purchased the surrounding property in the late 18[6]0s and who platted Brooklyn in 1869, may have had a residence in the area, but not sure.  He also had a plantation called Gravelly Hill in west Jacksonville around the intersection of Normandy Boulevard and Riverside Park Memorial Cemetery.

b. The best possibility is the Rural Home Plantation of Colonel Lucius Hardee.  I believe his plantation house was located immediately north of McCoy's Creek around the Swan Street, Cantee Street, Harper Street area, south of Dennis Street and east of Stockton Street.  Even today this area has a beautiful live oak canopy on a slight hill that slopes down to McCoy's Creek.  Before the war and after, Lucius Hardee had a reputation for having beautiful and extensive gardens and groves.  After the war, he rebuilt as the Honeymoon Plantation and became known for his work in developing a more cold resistive citrus stock that he marketed across the country.  Because of his reputation in gardening and citrus, Honeymoon was visited by Harriet Beecher Stowe, who mentioned her visit in Palmetto Leaves.  Related to noted General William J. Hardee, Lucius was a die-hard Confederate to the end.


~


Many thanks to all who are helping me solve this mystery!  Every time I discover another collection of correspondence from soldiers of the 169th N.Y., the first thing I do is look for letters from Jacksonville to see what I can find out about the camp's location.

Re-examining the clues, I now suspect that the camp was just south of McCoy's Creek, because of the following statement: "Upon the completion of these the regiment was shifted across a creek emptying into the St. John's below the town, and went into camp in a grove of oaks, – a deserted planter's house making excellent regimental headquarters."

At first I thought the following statement, mentioning going over "the river," was referring to McCoy's Creek, but I now believe it is a reference to the St. Johns River, and that the orange grove was in Southbank or San Marco:

"We can get plenty of oranges here, for the picking of them.  We have to go over the river and then walk about a half of a mile before we come to the grove."

[BridgeTroll]

Hi BridgeTroll,

Thanks for the kind remark!  From Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861 – 1865, (1889) by William F. Fox, we read the following:

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  SIXTY-NINTH  NEW  YORK  INFANTRY. - Organized at Troy, N. Y., and mustered in by companies during September and October, 1862, the men coming from Rensselaer and Washington counties.  The regiment was actively engaged in the defence of Suffolk, Va., April, 1863, where it served in Foster's Brigade, Corcoran's Division.  In the following summer it participated in the operations about Charleston Harbor, and in May, 1864, it moved with the Army of the James to Bermuda Hundred.  The regiment disembarked there with Butler's Army, and hard fighting, with its consequent heavy losses, immediately ensued.  At Cold Harbor it fought in Martindale's Division; Colonel McConihe was killed in that battle.  The One Hundred and Sixty-ninth held a perilous position in the trenches before Petersburg, losing men there, killed or wounded, almost every day.  While there, on the evening of June 30, 1864, the brigade (Barton's) was ordered to charge the enemy's lines, so that, under cover of their fire, Curtis's Brigade could throw up an advanced rifle-pit; but the regiment while going into position was prematurely discovered by the enemy, and thereby drew upon themselves a severe fire, which not only frustrated the plan, but cost the regiment many lives.  The regiment was one of those selected for the expedition against Fort Fisher; it was then in Bell's (3d) Brigade, Ames's Division, Tenth Corps, and took part in the desperate but victorious assault on that stronghold.  A large proportion of its losses there, however, occurred at the explosion of the magazine, after the fort had been captured.  After the fall of Fort Fisher, the regiment accompanied the Tenth Corps in its advance on Wilmington.  It was mustered out July 19, 1865.

I am writing and publishing a serial history of the regiment for the Civil War Sesquicentennial commemoration.  You'll find the 169th N.Y. Infantry newsletter on the New York State Military Museum's website, at the bottom of the page:

http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/169thInf/169thInfMain.htm

The chronological history begins with the October 2012 issue.  I plan to follow-up with an ebook in a few years.

No wonder they were so happy being stationed in Jacksonville!

[SteveW]

That's right!  Jacksonville was a respite for the men, before being sent to the meat grinder in Virginia in late April, 1864.

[SteveW]

From a local expert on Jacksonville history:

After further thought and investigation I believe the location was probably the plantation of Philip Dell who later sold it to James Winter.  Winter died in 1857 but the property was owned by his children at the time of the start of the war and was later all acquired by his son-in-law Miles Price.

[SteveW]

  I think I've found the plantation and mansion on two maps of Jacksonville.

The first map, a "bird's-eye view," shows a 2 or 2-1/2 story house at the intersection of McCoy Street and Winter Street.  The Winter family owned the property during the Civil War, so it makes sense that the street leading to the house would be named after them.  Everything else seems to check out, including the Bradbury Saw Mill near the St. Johns River (Item No. 12 on the map) where the 112th N.Y., in the same brigade as the 169th N.Y., was encamped:

1.) Jacksonville, Florida, Drawn by Augustus Koch, Published by Hudson-Kimberly Pub. Co., Kansas City, Mo. (1893)

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?gmd:4:./temp/~ammem_PbjX::@@@mdb=gmd,klpmap,ww2map


The second map doesn't show the street names, but everything else is there:

2.) Bird's-eye view of Jacksonville, Drawn by Augustus Koch, Published by Alvord, Kellogg & Campbell, Jacksonville (1876)

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?gmd:1:./temp/~ammem_PbjX::@@@mdb=gmd,klpmap,ww2map


McCoy Street no longer appears to exist, and Winter Street has been renamed as May Street.  The former grounds of the mansion are bounded by present-day May, Leila, and Magnolia Streets, and appear to be occupied, at least in part, by a transformer station.

I think I'm good to go.  Thanks again for everyone's help!

[MEGATRON]

Pretty cool thread.  Thanks for the great information. Steve.  Hopefully, the south will win the next one.