Gadsden County presentation this weekend

I want to let you know about a presentation in Gadsden County this weekend that might be of interest to you.

I will be speaking on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. central) to the West Gadsden Historical Society. The topic will be the Native American history of the Gadsden County and the Apalachicola River Valley.Due to illness, I severely limit my public appearances these days, but I am doing this one because I wanted to show my support for this outstanding organization and its wonderful members. They have an active, vibrant organization developing at a time when so many historical societies have all but faded away.

I am donating my time for the presentation, so all proceeds will go directly to the society. Admission is $10 for the general public and $8 for current WGHS members. Lifetime members of the society and children under 12 will be admitted for free.The presentation will take place at Old Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church on U.S. 90, five miles east of Chattahoochee. The time will be 3 p.m. (2 p.m. central) and there will be a question and answer time after the presentation.

Last Days of Special Book Sale

Just a quick reminder that if you would like copies of any of my 2007 books, now is a great time to purchase them at special prices, but time is running out!

To celebrate the upcoming release of my new The History of Jackson County, Florida: Volume One, my publisher is having a special online sale on the three books published last year.
The sale includes Two Egg, Florida, The Battle of Marianna, Florida and The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida and all are available at the lowest prices you will find this year.

The special offer ends ends this coming week, so if you would like to take advantage of it, please do before April 30th. Normal prices remain in effect in bookstores and other online sellers.

For more information and to order, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/booksale.

New Book Released: The Battle of Massard Prairie, Arkansas

I'm please to announce the publication of my latest book, The Battle of Massard Prairie: The 1864 Confederate Attacks on Fort Smith, Arkansas.

While this book does not deal with Two Egg or Florida, I'm just passing along the news.

I became interested in the Battle of Massard Prairie when I accepted a position in Fort Smith, Arkansas, a little over four years ago. It was a fascinating cavalry encounter fought on the open prairie not far from my house. If you are interested in learning more, you can visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/massardprairie.

I will have news on the release of Volume One of my new The History of Jackson County, Florida tomorrow.

Our new website is now Online

Our newly redesigned website is now online at www.twoeggfla.com.

Please drop by and take a look!

You will find a detailed history of Two Egg, the background of the story of the Ghost of BellamyBridge, information on points of interest in the area and more.

Special Sale on Books by Dale Cox

To celebrate the upcoming April 30th release of my looooooooooong awaited multi-volume book, The History of Jackson County, Florida, www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ is having a special sale this month on my 2007 releases.

Included in the sale are:

• The Battle of Marianna, Florida - Regularly $19.95; On Sale for $15.


• The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida: The Confederate Defense of Tallahassee - Regularly $19.95; On Sale for $15.


• Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts - Regularly $16.95; On Sale for $12.

For the first time, a package deal on all three is also available for $40.


This sale is for a limited time only and will end with the release of the new book on April 30th.

It is available only through www.exploresouthernhistory.com/booksale. Prices through stores and other outlets remain as normal.


If you would like a copy of any or all of these books, this likely the best price you will find this year.

A Union Soldier with a Confederate Flag

I spent some time last night walking through Cowpen Pond Cemetery, where many of my ancestors are buried, and found this to be of interest.

The grave is the final resting place of "H.W." Neel (also given as "W.H. Neel"), a Civil War soldier, and someone placed a Confederate flag by his headstone. This is commonly done to honor Confederate soldiers at cemeteries across the South.

Neel, however, was not a Confederate at the end of the war. In fact, he was fighting for the other side.

According to his service record, Neel enlisted in Company D of the 1st Florida U.S. Cavalry, a Union regiment, near the end of the war. Born in 1847, he was 18 years old when he joined the Union army at Pensacola in March of 1865.

Formerly a soldier in Company E of the 5th Florida Cavalry (Confederate), Neel deserted near the end of the war and made his way to Pensacola where he enlisted in the Union Army. He left the Union regiment in August of 1865, after the end of the war.

His story was actually more common than many realize today. By the end of the war, many Confederate soldiers realized that the "Cause" had been lost. They were also irate over the fact that Confederate commissary agents were roaming through the country taking livestock and other food supplies, often at gunpoint, from families that were near starvation themselves. Hundreds of men from Florida deserted during the last year of the war and joined the Union side because they believed the Confederate agents were mistreating Southern civilians.

Governor John Milton, also from Jackson County, wrote numerous protests to Richmond about the treatment of civilians in his state, but they largely fell on deaf ears. He stated on several occasions that many loyal Floridians felt their families were being treated worse by Confederate commissary agents than by the Union army.