The Spirit of Crystal River

By Michael Petellat

On April 19, 1861, President Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of Southern states that had seceded from the Union. The stage was set for men to use stealth to get wares to Cuba and supplies to the sons of the South. Down in Crystal River, Florida, people do all they can to stay alive, and the businessmen do all they can to make money.

Two businessmen need to transport goods by ship, Captain Jim Blackworth is called. He has a new scow called The Spirit, and he knows his way around the dangerous Florida coast. He claims that, at night, no one will know where he is; the Indians call it the art of invisibility. But first, the captain needs a fourth crew member to succeed.

He finds what hes looking for in a young man named Red whos tough and self-sufficient. Soon, the captain and his crew set out on the dangerous adventures of the high sea while the Civil War rages back home. Can they avoid detection as they help Crystal Rivers good people survive, or will an ocean battle sink The Spirit and her dedicated crew?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: May 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781480831209

Michael Petellat

Michael Petellat was born in Sarasota, Florida. He loves to hunt, explore the swamps, and fish. He served in the Army and eventually retired from the Clearwater Fire Department. Over the course of his career, he was the first Citrus County Fire Administrator as well as a park ranger at the Crystal River Archaeological State Park.

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Copyright © 2016 Michael Petellat.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Cover photo by Christine Ford; artwork by Jeanne Ellis.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-3119-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-3120-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907160

Archway Publishing rev. date: 6/14/2016

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 Picking a Captain

Chapter 2 Finding a Deckhand

Chapter 3 School Is In

Chapter 4 Running Shallow

Chapter 5 The War Comes to Crystal River

Chapter 6 Courage and Survival

Chapter 7 The Storm

Chapter 8 Time to Pay Up

Chapter 9 One Nation

Acknowledgments

The cover of this book is a picture of the Spirit and a few of the people who built her. More than two years of effort took place so the public could witness living history being made.

Thanks to the Crystal River Boat Builders. Not only did they give of themselves for two years of dedicated work with tools of the 1800s to build the Spirit, they also trained many people in the skills of sawing, framing, and drilling. If you do not think sawing is a skill, just use a crosscut saw and cut a line completely straight lengthwise and up and down. These men and women are a true inspiration.

The story is historical fiction. The reason for writing in this way is to encourage people to learn about the history of the Nature Coast. This story is about the Civil War, our rich Native American history, and much more. We are fortunate to have many local resources, including:

Coastal Heritage Museum

Crystal River Archaeological State Park

Citrus County Historical Society

Hernando Heritage Museum

I would like to thank the following people. Steve asked if I would be interested in writing a story about the Spirit; the possibility was intriguing. Thanks also for his photograph of the Spirit.

Thanks to my wife, Marlene, for her encouragement and some editing. Buffy, with her endless enthusiasm, did the first full edit on the story and was very encouraging. I asked Jeanne if she would be interested in doing the artwork, and she agreed. She then made some suggestions about the language of the 1800s and of course did more editing. Thanks to Chris for her photograph of the Spirit.

Introduction

In October 1861 in Homosassa, Florida, a fishing village was nestled on the Homosassa Spring, which fed the river that surged into the Gulf of Mexico. Its forests of cypress, cedar, pine, and oak were waiting to be exploited. Animals such as mink, otter, bobcat, and bear were in the area to be harvested. Crops such as sugar, cotton, beans, and squash would thrive in the rich soil. Rain and spring water nourished them. Tiger Tail Island, including the five thousand acres of Margarita Plantation, was David Yulee's gift to his wife, Nancy.

Other small communities along the Gulf of Mexico were Chassahowitzka, Ozello, and Crystal River. These were small villages with the same resources as Homosassa that included, most importantly, the pristine spring-fed rivers, which would become the lifeblood of the Confederacy. Resources flowed out these rivers and returned as cash. Some drawbacks should be noted, such as mosquitoes, gnats, flies, ticks, and snakes such as rattlers, cottonmouths, and coral snakes. The aforementioned could be minor inconveniences; the problem was the war. While Florida had a population of 140,424, nearly 43.9 percent or 61,745 were slaves. The Crystal River population was slowly increasing from two houses and a fish house in 1850 to fifty to seventy-five people by 1860 and a hundred fifty people by 1866. One of the reasons for the growth was the 1842 Armed Occupation Act which divided a total of 200,000 acres south of Gainesville into grants of one hundred sixty acres. The grant stipulated that a structure would be built and at least five acres would be cleared in the first five years of occupation. The records show that 1,184 permits were issued for 189,440 acres. Families started to grow, and the products of their labor were showing profit. The Civil War erupted, and the men who went off to fight left behind a strange assortment of men. Some men did not believe in war and others were of low quality and not trustworthy. That is why the women became self-reliant and mostly able to fill the gap, with the help of the young and elderly.

On April 19, 1861, President Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of Southern states that had seceded from the Union. The stage was set for men to use stealth to get wares to Cuba and supplies to the sons of the South.

Although this story is fiction, any similarity to the actual layout of historical properties, persons, and conversations is totally coincidental.

Chapter 1

Picking a Captain

It was October 10, 1861, and David Yulee was now fifty-one years old and an accomplished statesman. He had become a lawyer at age twenty-six, a delegate of the Florida Constitutional Committee. When Florida became a state in 1845, David Yulee was one of the state's first senators. During his second nonconsecutive term, Senator Yulee called for secession of the state of Florida from the Union. He built the Florida Railroad in March of 1861, which spanned 155 miles from Fernandina to Cedar Key, Florida. The railroad and telegraph were the first to link the Atlantic to the Gulf. In 1863, Yulee would have an iron ore company in Levy County to support the needs of the railroad.

Even though he had accomplished a great deal, the nuisance of the federal blockade and the Confederate shipping tax were problems he needed to address, and that was what he intended to do. Deep in thought, he stood by the window overlooking the road leading into his plantation, Margarita. It was seven o'clock in the evening as he drew slowly on his cigar, looking toward the outbuildings that were stoically facing the side of the road. Soft candlelight glowed from the windows, and ghostly shadows danced through the houses.

David, echoed the deep voice of John Chambers, a timber baron from the mouth of the Withlacoochee River. His tall frame sat in a red-velvet chair in the large den.

Sorry, John. I was looking for someone I want you to meet; he should be here soon.

Look, David, it is too hard to get goods out of Crystal River; we get a good captain for a scow, and the blockade swallows not only him but my shipment. I don't care so much what happens to the crew, but no profit and the thought of those Yanks using my timber is an insult I can't live with!

John, without a real good crew, your timber and turpentine won't reach the mouth of the river, so the crew is important to us. I think I heard a horse. Maybe my guest has arrived.

The butler, a short black man, knocked on the door of the den. Mr. Yulee, a Mister Blackworth says you wanted to see him.

Yes, Charles, let him come in. I've been expecting him. Oh, Charles, bring some of our best rum.

John always cherished the rum made by David from the sugar mill tucked safely away in Homosassa, although John did not raise sugarcane himself. Those who raised sugarcane in Hernando County used Yulee's mill and did not seem to mind the price they paid for having the sugar processed and shipped to market. Molasses was the byproduct used for making many products, and his rum, John thought, was the best.

James Blackworth entered, cap in hand. His piercing blue eyes glanced about the room, and nodding to David, he fixed his gaze on John. His black hair looked matted from his cap, while his tanned skin was slightly wrinkled from the sun. The blue denim shirt and black trousers he wore betrayed his occupation as a man of the sea. He was not as tall as John; however, he stood tall as a man.

Looking over at David, he inquired, Mister Yulee, you wanted to see me?

Yes, James, this is John Chambers. He is a timber man from a little north of Crystal River. Neither of us is having much luck with the blockade set up by the Yankees. I have heard a little about you, but I would like to know more from you.

James surveyed the room. There were paintings of a sugar mill and an orange blossom on one wall, a model train and a ledger on his desk, silk curtains blowing in the breeze, and John staring intently at the side of his face.

James smiled. Yes, sir.

Charles knocked on the door. After David acknowledged his presence, Charles entered with a tray and a crystal decanter of golden-brown rum. Do you want me to serve, Master Yulee?

"No, Charles, please put it on the desk, and you may leave.

Now let's have some rum and talk about you, James."

James looked at the small glasses and thought to himself, It must be a glass for a greenhorn. But he filled his glass and watched John finger his as if it were a thimble.

James started again carefully. "I was born in Ozello, and my dad was a trapper---mink, otter, bobcat; just about anything that had fur and that someone would buy. When I was young, I rowed the boat, and we fished the waters from Homosassa to Cedar Key. Later I crewed a sloop out of Bayport and learned the business. Now I captain my own vessel. I don't like paying tariffs to the Confederacy or anyone.