Richard Ferdinand Floyd

(1810 - 1870)
Home State: Florida
Command Billet: Regimental Commander
Branch of Service: Infantry
Unit: 8th Florida Infantry

Before the Antietam Campaign:
He was a writer, musician and painter - specializing in horse portraits - in Georgia. From 1836-1846 he was Captain of a local militia unit - The Camden Chasseurs of Horse, and was sheriff of Camden County (1844-46), after which time he moved to St Johns County, Florida.

He was appointed Brigadier General of Florida troops, and fought, unsuccessfully, in defence of Apalachicola in 1861. Most of his command became the 8th Florida Infantry, and he was made their Colonel on 15 July 1862. He saw action at 2nd Bull Run and Cedar Mountain.

In the Antietam Campaign:
He was absent, sick, as were a large number of his troops for most of the Maryland Campaign, being in camp at Winchester and Shepherdstown. He traveled to the Battlefield at Sharpsburg on 17 September, but did not join his Regiment in action due to continued illness.

The remainder of the War:
He resigned his commission because of his health on 22 September 1862.

References, Sources, and other notes:
Military service data from Studnicki 1 and biographical details from Mathews.2

Birth Date: 7/7/1810 Place of Birth: Fairfield Plantation, Camden, GA
Death Date: 5/27/1870 Death Place: Green Cove Springs, FL Burial Place: Hickory Grove Cemetery, Green Cove Springs, FL

Notes

1 Studnicki, Jim, Civil War Florida, Published c. 2001, first accessed 15 June 2005, <http://www.civilwarflorida.com/>, Source page: /site/soldiers/soldier_detail.php?soldierREF=299 [AotW citation 167]

2 Mathews, Marguerite Marreé, and Alice Collar Tonge, Floyd Family History and Lineage, Woodbine (Ga): Privately published, 1998, Chapter 9 [AotW citation 168]

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