Thunder on the River - by Daniel L Schafer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A captivating history of the Civil War in northeast Florida

"Captures in rich detail the competition between the Confederates and Unionists, blacks and whites, and civilians and soldiers in the region. A fascinating and illuminating story told through compelling and persuasive prose."--Aaron Sheehan-Dean, author of Why Confederates Fought

"A fast-paced social history of the Civil War in northeastern Florida."--John David Smith, editor of Black Soldiers in Blue

When the Civil War finally came to North Florida, it did so with an intermittent fury that destroyed much of Jacksonville and scattered its residents. The city was taken four separate times by Federal forces but abandoned after each of the first three occupations. During the fourth occupation, it was used as a staging ground for the ill-fated Union invasion of the Florida interior, which ended in the bloody Battle of Olustee in February 1864. This late Confederate victory, along with the deadly use of underwater mines against the U.S. Navy along the St. Johns, nearly succeeded in ending the fourth Union occupation of Jacksonville.

Writing in clear, engaging prose, Daniel Schafer sheds light on this oft-forgotten theatre of war and details the dynamic racial and cultural factors that led to Florida's engagement on behalf of the South. He investigates how fears about the black population increased and held sway over whites, seeking out the true motives behind both the state and federal initiatives that drove freed blacks from the cities back to the plantations even before the war's end.

From the Missouri Compromise to Reconstruction, Thunder on the River offers the history of a city and a region precariously situated as a major center of commerce on the brink of frontier Florida. Historians and Civil War aficionados alike will not want to miss this important addition to the literature.

Review Quotes

"[A] well written, fast-pasted narrative of the Civil War in Northeast Florida...[that] vividly portrays the life, death, and destruction as Union troops invaded and occupied Jacksonville."--Civil War Book Review


"A well-written history... [It] will be the book to read to learn about the Civil War in the St. John's River area."--Florida Historical Quarterly


"Carefully examines the activities, military, social, and commercial, in this somewhat neglected theatre of action. ...[This book] offers the history of a city and a region precariously situated as a major center of commerce on the brink of Frontier Florida. Historians and Civil War aficionados will not want to miss this important addition to the literature of Florida."--The Journal of America's Military Past


"Impressive...successfully captures Jacksonville and Northeast Florida's antebellum, wartime, and postwar experience. ...[Schafer] weaves first-person accounts and big picture events into each other. ...It will be a bulwark for the topic for years to come."--Southern Historian


"Offers detailed insights into a heretofore little-known Civil War story."--Western Pennsylvania History


"Solidly researched and thorough in its presentation of the region's wartime military, social, and political history, Thunder on the River is the most impressive book published about the Civil War in Florida in recent memory."--Civil War Books and Authors

About the Author

Daniel L. Schafer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of North Florida, is the author of six books, including Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner.