The secession of the southern states in the early 1860s led to the formation of the Confederacy. After South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860, seven states followed although it was thought that there would be double that initially. Secession was a delegate decision state by state and after the election and fall of Fort Sumter in April of 1861, some states decided against it. However, once the Confederate States were established, currency circulated heavily throughout the South during the American Civil War. But as we have come to learn throughout this blog series, that currency still was not enough in the South. This led to the enactment of individual states issuing their own currency.
Delaware
With Delaware’s closeness to the state of Maryland, it was considered to be a slave and border state. However, almost 20,000 slaves had been freed by the time the Civil War came around. When presented with the idea of secession on January 3rd, 1861, the state collectively agreed to reject the idea. Soldiers from Delaware ended up on both the North and South’s side but it was the Union that accumulated the most.
While not being involved in the secession, Delaware found itself being involved in the Civil War in a different capacity than other states. War prisons were everywhere in the North and the South. More than 150 to be more specific. In the North, Fort Delaware was among the most abhorrent to the Confederacy.
Florida
In an attempt to remain in the fold and not be outcast by the Southern states, Florida decided to secede with a 62 to 7 vote in early January of 1861. While the state drew up an ordinance describing their secession as “a sovereign and independent nation,” the Florida government at the time did not follow suit and instead aided in helping the Confederacy. This became even more so after the fall of Vicksburg as both Florida and Texas became the source for beef and other needed food resources.
Denominations for Florida were issued in the form of $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 notes in its first year of 1861. They continued on in 1862 with $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 notes. In 1863, they added fractional notes as they needed to meet the demand for low denominations. They continued issuing notes up until 1865. There were a few post-war notes created in the form of $1 and $20 denominations.
Source: Confederate States Paper Money: Civil War Currency From the South (12th Edition) by George S. Cuhaj & William Brandimore