The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-04-17
VOX POPULI.
A MILITARY RETROSPECT OF
PENSACOLA AZ YEARS AGO

Editor Pensacola Journal.
Nine hundred armed and uniformed
Florida soldiers | do not think have
been in Pensacola since April, 1851.
We, the First Florida infantry. com
posed OF nine fully equipped and full
companies, arrived in Pensacola the
Sunday evening of the day of the
commandment of Fort Sumpter, April
., think. Colonel Patton Anderson
had us camped on the Plaza, one COM
pany from Quincy, one from Madison,
one from Mariana, one from Month
cello, two from Leon county, one from
Alphabetical. These l remember
were all armed with smooth bore mus
ketS and heavy cartridge boxes, each
with 40 rounds of ball cartridges, ball
and three bTck shot; to load we had
to bite end of cartridge to empty
| powder, then we put on big percus-
sion copper caps No company from
Pensacola Joined US till later on; then
DR.. Zrights's company, the Pensacola
Guards, fine body of young men.
Up till noon Monday we were Flor
| ida militia, the same as the young
men who are now engaged in your
city. Governor Milton, the grand
father of our senator. was command
er-in-chief. AT noon Monday we were
S'all mustered, and each sworn into the
/ service of the Confederate states for
| twelve months unless sooner diScharg-
| ed That evening We were transport
/ ed on boats to the navy yard and the
various companies CHARTERED in the
| sail lofts, carpenter shops, etc; the
| orderly sergeants were busy making
| details for immediate guard duty.
My first service TO the Confederacy
was as a sentry on the beach TO watch
for any boat landing from Fort Pick
| ems. That fort, even that early, had
been seized and held by Lieut.. Stem
mer and few men But for procras-
tination among some in authority Fort
Pickens would have been taken and
held as Barrancas and McRee were
Pensacola in April, 1861, did not
have nice paved sidewalks, nor a
| single store with a plate glass front
| Palafox street from side to side was
heavy black dirt and sand and the
| continuation of the street was then
| Knapp's wharf, running down and
| forming round bulkhead about where
Saunders's fish house is now. There
was the resort for the ladies of an
evening to come down and fish; fair
| ly deep water craft could be carried
up to the corner of Main street close
to the old market house. A thousand
| y
April, 1861, AZ years ago, gazed upon
! the same magnificent expanse of
| water and sand hills as the militia
| boys today are doing.
| How different now are the hopes
/ and prospects these young men will
| see and experience to what we of the
sixties passed through and have
! seen! Fancy what sights you will
shortly see of ships crossing your
| bar a possible thousand feet in length,
laden with freights from China, Japan
and the Philippines through tie Pana-
ma Canal, discharging at your
! wharves to be transported into the
! interior, events shortly to occur and
what l have hoped to see for many
years
! We old citizens are proud OF you
young soldiers of Florida, knowing
that you answer and respond to the
call of duty. only. We admire you
sOldierly bearing and your excellent
discipline.
Respectfully,
VIM. H TRIMMER.
| M01inN