Richard Ferdinand Floyd was born in

Camden County, Georgia Camden County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2020 census, its population was 54,768. Its county seat is Woodbine, and the largest city is Kingsland. It is one of the original ...

, on July 7, 1810, to John and Isabella Floyd. His father,

John Floyd (Georgia politician) Brigadier-General John Floyd (October 3, 1769 – June 24, 1839) was an American politician, planter and military officer who served in the 1st Brigade of the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812. One of the largest landowners and wealthies ...

, served in the American army in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

as a major general and was later elected to the United States House of Representatives. Floyd's childhood was spent on the family plantation, Fairfield, in Camden County. As he matured, he followed in his father's footsteps, serving as a captain of Georgia troops in the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

and entering public service as sheriff of the county. After the Second Seminole War, Floyd moved to

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

and was employed as a draftsman before moving on to manage a plantation in St. John's County, Florida. When the Civil War erupted, Florida Governor

John Milton (Florida politician) John Milton (April 20, 1807 – April 1, 1865) was governor of Florida through most of the American Civil War. A lawyer who served in the Florida Legislature, he supported the secession of Florida from the Union and became governor in October 186 ...

appointed Floyd as a colonel in the Florida state troops and employed his as an aide-de-camp. Floyd was characterized as "a skillful officer, and a brave and honorable man, with a reputation as a gentleman and an officer above reproach."''Journal of the Proceedings of the Convention of the People of Florida (Tallahassee, 1861), 22-23.'' Floyd was dispatched to

Apalachicola, Florida Apalachicola ( ) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,341 at the 2020 census. History The Apalachicola Province, a ...

in the fall of 1861 to command the garrison. Floyd was promoted to brigadier general and commander-in-chief of Florida's state troops on November 29, 1861, by Governor Milton. He remained in Apalachicola, preparing the defenses of the city and making it the crux of western Florida's defenses. His troops policed illegal trade between locals and the Union blockade fleet, eventually finding it necessary to stop all outbound traffic on the Apalachicola River. In March 1862, his brigade disbanded and Floyd went to eastern Florida to raise guerrillas. Governor Milton lobbied Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

to appoint Floyd as a Confederate general, but failed to persuade Davis. Instead, Floyd was made colonel of the volunteers of the 8th Florida Infantry regiment on July 15, 1862. Poor health forced Floyd to resign his commission less than three months later on October 2, 1862, ending his military career. His estate and fortune devastated by the war, Floyd became an insurance agent in

Clay County, Florida Clay County is a County (United States), county located in the First Coast, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida along the west bank of the St. Johns River. As of 2020, the population was 218,245 and in 2023, that number increased to ...

where he resided until his death on June 27, 1870. He is interred in Hickory Grove Cemetery in

Green Cove Springs, Florida Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. Green Cove Springs is a part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,786 at the 2020 census, up from 6,908 at ...

References

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