Samuel Darwin McConnell was an attorney and military captain during the Civil War in Florida. Born on January 14, 1834 in Liberty County, Georgia, McConnell attended school in Walthourville, Georgia, studied law, and was admitted to the Ocala Bar in November of 1860. After passing the bar, McConnell also served as an instructor at the East Florida Seminary in Ocala. Prior to the start of the Civil War, McConnell wrote the petition from Marion County asking for the secession of Florida from the Union. On August 27, 1861, McConnell married Mary Eloise Brumby, daughter of R. T. Brumby.
On March 12, 1862, McConnell enlisted in the 7th Florida Infantry, and was appointed captain of Company G. His unit, formed at Gainesville, was sent with the regiment to Chattanooga and then to east Tennessee. There, the regiment saw action at the Battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga in 1863. In 1864, McConnell was seriously wounded and was forced to use crutches for the rest of his life. He later returned to practicing law and moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1871. In 1880, he returned to Ocala where he served as the first Mayor of Ocala until his death on June 6, 1885.
From the guide to the Samuel Darwin McConnell Papers, 1858-1916, 1859-1876, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)
