"St. Andrews Bay Salt Works Raids 1863 " Topic

"…we highlighted the importance of salt to the Confederacy, Florida's role as a main producer of salt, and the Union Navy's efforts to destroy salt works along the Florida gulf coast. In his book "Blockaders, Refugees and Contrabands. Civil War on Florida's Gulf Coast", George Buker notes that the initial salt works raids were harassing efforts, conducted incidental to other blockade activities. The strategic importance of salt to the Confederacy was not apparent to the East Gulf Squadron command until they noted that nearly every blockade runner captured contained salt as at least a portion of its cargo. It was then that the squadron command realized that a concentrated effort to find and destroy these works would be a major strategic blow to the Confederate war effort. In December 1863 these focused raids began, concentrating on the epicenter of Florida salt production, St. Andrews Bay.

On 2 December 1863 the bark USS Restless, Acting Master William R. Browne commanding, sent a landing party in to Lake Ocala in St. Andrews Bay. They found three separate works with a total capacity of 130 bushels per day. The landing party destroyed carts and flat boats, disposed of the salt, and took 17 prisoners, whom they released because they didn't have room to bring them back to the gunboat. They made the southerners swear an oath of allegiance to not take up arms against the Union.

Hearing of Browne's exploits, Acting Ensign Edwin Crissey, commanding the steam gunboat USS Bloomer, sought out the Restless and offered to assist Browne and his ship. Crissey and his ships were actually with the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, but his proximity to the East Gulf Squadron's operations area enabled him to help there. On 10 December 1863, the USN flotilla entered St. Andrews Bay and split up into two enterprises. Browne fired two shells into the town of St. Andrew (present-day Panama City) to warn the Confederate soldiers and salt workers garrisoned there. He then commenced shelling the town, which shortly was burning. The entire town was destroyed by the fire…"

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Full article here
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Please, allow me some questions:

Why salt was so important? For cook?
Where the Union got their salt?. They imported it?
If salt were so important, why the Confederation has not an strong garrison to defended it there?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand

Well, we need salt to live. Also to preserve food. I imagine the Union had their own salt works which were not threatened. Confederate man power resources were already stretched to the limit and they couldn't be everywhere.

Armand,

Salt was used extensively to preserve food, especially meat ("salt pork"). These operations were scattered around the Gulf Coast and, as Gelngarry5 said, couldn't all be well protected. These sort of affrays are excellent for skirmish games featuring a Union naval landing party versus Confederate state militia defenders.

We have done several of them and one of our members even developed a variant of "The Sword and the Flame" rules.

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Jim

Many thanks for your guidance boys!.

Amicalement
Armand

From the Historical Society of Bay County: link

Explore Southern History site: link

Ron

Many thanks my friend.

Amicalement
Armand