John Jackson Dickison
| John Jackson Dickison | |
|---|---|
Then-Capt. John Jackson Dickison (1864)
|
|
| Nickname(s) | "The Swamp Fox" |
| Born |
March 27, 1816 Monroe County, Virginia (now part of West Virginia) |
| Died | August 20, 1902 (aged 86) Okahumpka, Florida |
| Place of burial | Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1862–1865 |
| Rank |
 Colonel (CSA) |
| Commands held |
 Company H of the Second Florida Cavalry |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War * The Battle of Horse Landing * The Battle of Gainesville |
| Other work | 1. In the late 1870s, he served as Florida's Adjutant General 2. Dickison wrote the Florida section of the 12 volume book: Confederate Military History. |
John Jackson Dickison (March 27, 1816 – August 20, 1902) was an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Dickison is mostly remembered as being the person who led the attack which resulted in the capture of the Union warship USS Columbine in the "Battle of Horse Landing". This was one of the few instances in which a Union warship was captured by land-based Confederate forces during the Civil War and the only known incident in U.S. history where a cavalry unit sank an enemy gunboat. Dickison and his men were victorious in all of his raids against the Union troops in Florida, including his raid in Gainesville what is known as the Battle of Gainesville. Tragedy struck Dickison, when one of his sons, both of whom served under his command, was killed during a raid.
Dickison was born in Monroe County, Virginia (now part of West Virginia), and was raised in South Carolina. There Dickison received his primary and secondary education. He lived in Georgetown, where he became a successful businessman as a cotton merchant. Dickison joined the South Carolina Militia where he received his military training and was commissioned an officer in the cavalry. In 1845, he married Mary Elizabeth Ling and had two sons, Charles and R. L. Dickison. In 1857, Dickison moved to Ocala, Florida, where he purchased a plantation which he named "Sunnyside". His plantation was very successful and there he continued to flourish in his business.
On December 12, 1861, Dickison was asked by the Confederate southern commanders if he would join them in their quest upon the outbreak of the American Civil War and he accepted. He was commissioned a Lieutenant under Captain John M. Martin and served in the Marion Light Artillery in Fort Clinch. On July 2, 1862, he was promoted to Captain and ordered to create and command a new cavalry unit. The unit which Dickison commanded was Company H of the Second Florida Cavalry. Dickison had returned from a successful raid and received the following recognition from Major General Sam Jones, his Commanding officer:
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