Company B, 6th Florida Infantry Regiment

Company B, 6thFlorida Infantry Regiment was a military company of the Confederate States of America during the U.S. Civil War. On February 2, 1862, the Confederate War Department issued a call for troops. Florida, under this newly imposed quota, would furnish two regiments and a battalion to fight for the duration of the war. The troops rendezvoused at preselected locations and there "be clothed, supplied, and armed at the expense of the Confederate States." Each enlistee received a $50bounty for volunteering.

Organization
Samuel Bryant Love represented Gadsden County in the Florida House of Representatives in 1860, and was elected by unanimous vote as Speaker of Florida's House of Representatives in 1861. He left the position early in 1862 to raise a company of infantry from his home county.

Love's recruiting efforts began the firstweek of March, 1862 at Quincy in Gadsden County, Florida, with the majority of enlistments being accomplished by the thirdweek of March.

Concurrently, the coastal artillery batteries located at Apalachicola were being moved farther inland in response to exchanges between Secretary of War Judah P. Benjamin, General Robert E. Lee, Governor John Milton, and Brigadier General J. H. Trapier, commanding the Department of East and Middle Florida. On March 19th, 1862, General Trapier reported that the original plan to establish a battery at Fort Gadsden had been overcome by events, and been landed further up the Apalachicola River at Rico’s Bluff, some 40 mi south of Chattahoochee on the east bank of the Apalachicola River.

By order of Brigadier General Trapier, Love's Company along with the company of Captain R. H. M. Davidson's (later Company A, 6thFlorida Infantry) arrived at Rico's Bluff about March 20 to reinforce and support the newly erected batteries; these twocompanies would remain at Rico's Bluff until the regiment left the state.

On April 10, 1862, Governor Milton informed Secretary of War George W. Randolph that the requisition for "tworegiments and a halfof infantry...would by the 15thinstant be fully organized and subject to your orders, and companies enough have volunteered for service for threeyears or the war to compose threefull regiments of infantry. ... to serve during the war and wherever their services may be necessary...the SixthRegiment, at the Mount Vernon Arsenal on the Chattahoochie, will be organized on the 14thinstant."

About April 15, elections of field and staff officers for the 6th Florida Regiment were held, with Captain Jesse J. Finley of Company D elected to Colonel, Captain Alexander D. McLean of Company H elected to Lieutenant Colonel, and 1st Sergeant Daniel Lafayette Kenan of Company A elected to Major. The commissions became official on April 18th; with the election of field officers concluded, the 8 companies at Mount Vernon Arsenal at Chattahoochee and the 2 companies at Rico's Bluff would be formally organized as the 6th Regiment of Florida Infantry. "Davidson's Company" was officially designated Company A; the men of Company A would bestow upon themselves the unofficial sobriquet of "Florida Guards".

On April 23, 1862, Florida Adjutant and Inspector General William H. Milton informed Governor Milton that: "The following companies compose the SixthRegiment, eightcompanies of which are at the Mount Vernon Arsenal and twoat Rico's Bluff; Magnolia State Guards, Capt. L. M. Attaway; Campbellton Greys, Capt. H. B. Grace; Jackson County Volunteers, Lieut. John B. Hayes; Jackson County Company, Capt. H. O. Bassset; Union Rebels, Capt. A. D. McLean; Choctawhatchie Volunteers, H. K. Hagan; Florida Guards, R. H. M. Davidson; Gadsden Greys, Capt. Samuel B. Love; Gulf State Infantry, Capt. James C. Evans; Washington County Company, Capt. A. McMillan, of which regiment J. J. Finley is colonel, A. D. McLean lieutenant-colonel, and D. L. Kenan major."

Colonel Finley was somewhat less enthusiastic concerning the organization of the 6thFlorida than were Governor Milton and his Inspector General; he noted in his Regimental Return for April that, “...the names of absent officers for that month, the no. and date of order, the reasons for and commencement of absence and period assigned for the same were not reported by the companies of the Regiment. It was not until about the 20thApril when or about that time the field officers were commissioned that any company report were made note. Captain Love's and Captain Davdison's Companies were stationed at Rico's Bluff on the Apalachicola River about the 20thof March last by order of General Napier the commanding the Military Department of East and Middle Florida with the consent of the Governor... I have been compelled to make up the monthly regimental report from the morning report of companies on the 30thday of April.”

His accountability issue with personnel would continue into May; he noted on his Regimental Return for that month, “Owing to the amt of sickness at this Post and the number of men on sick furlough the names of the absentees cannot be given in this Return. The Returns of Captains Evans, Love, and Davidson's companies have been erroneously included in the Monthly Return of the 6thFlorida Battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Chas. [Charles] F. Hopkins.”

Active Service
The 6thFlorida Infantry Regiment departed the Mount Vernon Arsenal at Chattahoochee, Florida on June 13, 1862. It would serve from June through August 1862 in the Army of East Tennessee commanded by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith. The Army of East Tennessee was redesignated as the Confederate Army of Kentucky on August 25, 1862, when General Smith led it into eastern Kentucky during the Confederate Heartland Offensive. On November 20, 1862, the Army of Mississippi, General Braxton Bragg commanding, and the Army of Kentucky, General E. Kirby Smith commanding, became the Army of Tennessee. General Bragg assumed command, and General Smith was reassigned to the Department of East Tennessee. The 6th Florida would remain assigned to the Army of Tennessee for the remainder of the war (under General Braxton Bragg through December 27, 1863; under General Joseph E. Johnston from December 27, 1863 to July 18, 1864; under General John B. Hood from July 18, 1864 through January 23, 1865; under Major General Richard Taylor from January 23 to February 23, 1865: and again under General Joseph E. Johnston from February 23 to April 26, 1865.

Surrender
From April 8 to the 10, General Johnston reorganized the army, consolidating dozens of shrunken regiments and brigades. Containing fewer soldiers than an understrength battalion, the remnants of the Florida Brigade were united to form the 1stFlorida Infantry Regiment, Consolidated - 1stFlorida Infantry & 3rdFlorida Infantry (consolidated) (Capt. A. B. McLeod); 1stFlorida Cavalry (dismounted) and 4thFlorida Infantry (consolidated) (Capt. George B. Langford); 6thFlorida Infantry (Lieut. Malcolm Nicholson); 7th Florida Infantry (Capt. Robert B. Smith). Company B of the original 6thFlorida Infantry, along with companies A, C, and D, would be consolidated to form Company D of the 1stConsolidated Regiment of Florida Infantry. On April 18, General Joseph E. Johnston signed an armistice with General William T. Sherman at Bennett's Place near Durham, and on April 26, formally surrendered his army. Of the 100-plusmen who mustered into Confederate service with "??? Company", only PUT NUMBER HER were present. On May 1, 1865, five days after General Johnston surrendered the force under his command, the troops of the 1stFlorida Infantry, Consolidated, were paroled.