Florida's Lighthouse in the Civil War: Yankees, Rebels, Pirates and Patriots: a True Accounting of Events at Florida Lighthouses During the War of Yankee Aggression

Florida's premier lighthouse historian sets the record straight in this fascinating account of wartime activities at each of the State's 21 Civil War lighthouses. Both sides fought for possession of the towers and their valuable lenses and lamp oil. In the end, 14 Florida lights were damaged and it took more than six years after the war's end before all the lights were restored. Through meticulous research, Neil Hurley has uncovered little-known facts about each lighthouse, including the great care taken by Confederate authorities to protect the lighthouses, lenses and oil. This book is lavishly illustrated with over 200 color ad black & white drawings, photographs and maps.

Neil Hurley's interest in Florida lighthouses started in the mid 1980's while he was serving as a Staff Officer for the Seventh Coast Guard District's Aids to Navigation Branch. One of his jobs there included answering the public's questions about lighthouses in Florida. At that time, there wasn't much information available. Much of the information that did exist was inaccurate. Taking the matter to heart, Neil decided to make Florida lighthouse history his off-duty hobby. What followed was many hours of research in the National Archives, at local libraries and through correspondence with other historians. Neil is the author of numerous books and articles on the subject. They inlude: An Illustrated History of Cape Florida Lighthouse, Keepers of Florida Lighthouses, and Lighthouses of the Dry Tortugas. He co-wrote Lighthouses of Egmont Key, and contributed 10 chapters to Thomas Taylor's Florida Lighthouse Trail.