PHYLLIS BATOR

Robert Macomber, noted maritime and Civil War historian, lectures at Mackle Park as guest speaker for the Marco Island Historical Society.

Courtesy of the Marco Island Historical Society

The Mackle brothers were the founders of the Deltona Corporation. Left to right, Robert, Frank Jr., and Elliott.

Courtesy of the Marco Island Historical Society

Tommie Barfield, called “Queen of Marco Island,” worked tirelessly for the development of Marco Island. She was the first female lobbyist; even before women had the right to vote. She lobbied for schools, teachers and amenities for the island. She is pictured here, back row, left, with a group of students on the front porch of a Marco Island school in the early 1920s.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

More Latest Stories

• You Review Food: Reg Valentinuzzi
• You Review Movie: John Augustine
• Rod Mackenzie, taking music by storm

Share and Enjoy [?]

Civil War enthusiasts know that Florida played a major role in the war. But how many people know the part Marco Island had in it? Robert Macomber, a well-known maritime historian and author lectured on just that subject held at the Mackle Park Civic Auditorium.

He spoke about sailors 145 years ago that were in a war right here on Marco Island. A synopsis of his speech follows:

Florida was definitely a major area of contention during the Civil War. There were 17 naval actions on the southwest coast. The southernmost land battle of the Civil War was fought at Fort Myers. Pennsylvania, New York, Louisiana and Virginia fought on Florida.

Florida was the third state to secede because it was part and parcel an intricate part of the cotton economy. There were 72 plantations in Florida of over 1000 acres. In a population census, only 38,000 white males from infants to ancients were living in the state. Of those 38,000, over 15,000 served in the Confederate Army, and one-third of the 15,000 were injured, died, or missing. Confederate war graves are all over Florida and there is one here on Marco Island.

Florida troops fought every major battle everywhere on both the eastern and western theaters from the spring of 1862 on. They fought under Robert E. Lee and others. The highest casualty ratio of any state at Gettysburg was Florida. In fact, 65 percent of the Florida brigade was killed, wounded, missing or captured. Gettysburg was the battle that pretty much annihilated the Florida brigade. At the end of the war, the Floridians walked over 1,000 miles to get home.

Macomber said he doesn’t take sides between the Union and Confederate sides. “I think it’s important that we recognize and respect people who fought on both sides.”

He continued with a lecture on Southwest Florida. For the first two years of the war, Southwest Florida was a blockade money haven. The ships were making tons of money mainly running out of the East River where Punta Gorda is to Fort Myers, which was actually a fort. Cattle became a very important deal.

Florida was the breadbasket of the south. We shipped 1000 head of cattle a week that kept the Confederate army alive. There were hundreds of ships running the blockade. Seven shipwrecks from the Civil War are on this coast and one of them is a Union ship off Marco Island.

Macomber expanded on other areas of Florida, such as Key West which was called ‘the hellhole where nobody wanted to go.’ The Union forces invaded Florida three different times and tried to capture our state capital. It was the only state capital east of Texas that was never captured during the Civil War.

“I could see that you are all beginning to feel more proud of Florida now,” he joked.

Marco Island was used occasionally as a weigh station or as a hiding point for getting away from Union war ships. It was used as a blockade haven. In May 1862, the U.S.S. Tahoma stopped a fishing sloop that was acting suspicious, searched it thoroughly and let it go through. That was the first time that we see Marco in the war. It happened right off shore. In 1864 at Marco Pass, a sloop named Rosalee actually captured a steamer running in 15,000 pounds of blacksmith coal.

Macomber told a true mystery of a ship named the U.S.S. Annie, known as the luckiest ship in the Navy that disappeared on its way from Key West to Sanibel Island. It was the richest ship because the Navy allowed the sailors to share in what they called ‘prize money,’ dividing up the captured ship’s goods. It was found six weeks later in February 1865 along the gulf shore completely obliterated with no signs of life.

They had Army patrols searching the beaches and behind the beaches, including Marco Island, looking for survivors. Until today, no one knows what happened to the ship or the crew.

Macomber told a compelling history of the part Florida played in the Civil War. He grew up among the islands of the unspoiled coasts of Florida before they were discovered and developed. Learning to sail at a very young age, Macomber uses his sea experience to aid him in writing and lecturing on maritime history. He’s earned over 25 trophies and awards for his offshore sailing throughout the years in Florida, Mexico and the Bahamas.

An avid writer for magazines and other historical and maritime publications, Macomber has written six books that he calls the “Honor Series.” They can be purchased at www.amazon.com or by visiting his Web site at www.robertmacomber.com.