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	Record Group Number:	900000
	Series/Collection Number:	M76- 134
	Creator:	Frier, Joshua Hoyet, 1847-1903
	Title, Dates:	Joshua Hoyet Frier memoirs, 1895-1903.
	Amount:	0.25 cubic ft.
	Medium Included:
	Organization/Arrangement:	Chronological.
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	Biographical/Historical:	Joshua Hoyet Frier was born in Lowndes County, Georgia on May 20, 1847. He lived with his family near the Florida border. On his seventeenth birthday, Joshua Frier enrolled in a Florida militia company that eventually became the First Florida Reserves, Company B. The unit remained in north Florida throughout its service.
	Summary:	The collection contains a photocopy of a journal of reminiscences written by Joshua Hoyet Frier from 1895 to 1903. It is titled "Reminiscences of the War Between the States by a Boy in the Far South at Home and in the Rank of the Confederate Militia." Frier's memoirs describe the period immediately before and during the Civil War and document his service in the First Florida Reserves from 1864 to 1865. The journal describes the prewar debate over secession; the early enthusiasm of some volunteers and the reluctance of others; and the shortages of food, salt, and other materials as the war progressed. One chapter is devoted to "The Negro as a Slave" and includes a description of a hunt for an enslaved man, Dick, for alleged theft. In another portion of his manuscript, Frier describes his acquaintance with Lewis Thornton Powell (Lewis Payne) of Hamilton County, who later gained notoriety as one of the John Wilkes Booth conspirators. Frier's memoirs highlight the daily life of a Confederate soldier. Foremost on his mind was the continual search for food to supplement his meager rations. Also described are his decisions to twice be away without leave from his unit and his eventual return; his participation in the Battle of Natural Bridge and an expedition to capture deserters; his work taking up rails; a duel fought between two officers; and his relationship with the other men in his unit. His narrative closes shortly before the Confederate surrender in May 1865. Among the locations mentioned in the narrative are Lake City (Columbia County), Baldwin (Duval County), Callahan (Nassau County), Bronson (Levy County), Station No 4 (near Cedar Key, Levy County), Sanderson (Baker County), Darbyville (Baker County), and Madison (Madison County).
	Finding Aids:	Draft handwritten index (name and subject) prepared by donor. Folder listing available. 0
	Additional Physical Form:
	Reproduction Note:	Photocopies.
	Location of Originals/Duplicates:	In possession of donor.
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	Subject Access Fields:	Payne, Lewis, 1845-1865 Confederate States of America. Army. --Florida Reserve. Natural Bridge (Fla.), Battle of, 1865. Secession. Slavery Florida African Americans History To 1863. Florida Reminiscences. aat Baldwin (Fla.) Cedar Key (Fla.) Darbyville (Fla.) Florida History Civil War, 1861-1865 Lake City (Fla.) Madison (Fla.) Sanderson (Fla.) Tallahassee (Fla.) Bronson (Fla.) Callahan (Fla.)
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