Description from Official Records

Olustee (Ocean Pond), Brig. Gen. Truman Seymour, USA vs. Brig. Gen. Joseph Finegan, CSA.

The two sides had around 5,000 men each with the Union casualties being around 1,900 and Confederate just under 1,000. In February 1864, the commander of the Department of the South, Maj. Gen. Quincy Gillmore, dispatched an expedition to Florida to expand Union enclaves, sever Rebel supply routes, and recruit black soldiers. However, his main objective, if an underlying one, was to secure Florida's electoral votes for Lincoln in the coming election. Gillmore expected little opposition, and thought a Unionist government could easily be organized in East Florida, or even that anti-Confederate sentiment would allow easy occupation of the populated part of the state.

Seymour was sent with about 5,000 men, a mix of veteran and green units that had been involved in the siege of Charleston. The troops occupied Jacksonville without opposition and moved quickly inland against negligible resistance. Afterwards, they paused to consolidate their gains and for the political agents to administer oaths of loyalty, but the delay allowed the Confederates to gather reinforcements of two veteran brigades. On February 20th, Seymour moved west in three columns, with the cavalry covering the advance; his route was along the railroad line to Lake City. Finegan had begun entrenchments, but the arrival of reinforcements had changed the odds, and he was more aggressive. The cavalry pickets quickly made contact with the advancing Union troops, and made sure Finegan knew the situation. As the Yankees approached the main line the cavalry fought harder, and Finegan sent infantry to support them rather than ordering a withdrawal to the entrenchments.

The two sides both fed reinforcements to the skirmish; Seymour fed in Hawley's Brigade as Finegan let Colquitt handle the engagement, which soon drew in his entire brigade. Hawley's men soon collapsed; the 7th New Hampshire deployed badly and were quickly routed in confusion. The 8th USCT, a very green unit, fought for a time but with the death of their colonel soon lost cohesion. Finegan reinforced success, and Harrison's Brigade came up to help Colquitt turn tactical success into victory. Seymour knew he had to stave off defeat, and advanced the experienced New Yorkers of Barton's Brigade. The two forces slugged it out; while the Confederates had a temporary numerical advantage they were also low on ammunition and several regiments could only stand still waiting for fresh supplies. Finegan arrived himself with the last reserves and the ammunition, and the combination tipped the balance. In the end, Barton's men, worn down, could not hold and Seymour had to commit his last brigade as a rearguard.

Photo above: Photo of the annual Battle of Olustee reenactment, 2014, Excel23. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons, C.C. 3.0.

Official Records Account, Continued. While fighting hard and losing heavily, the African-Americans of the 35th USCT and 54th Massachusetts checked the Confederate advance until daylight faded. Seymour was evacuating his most battered units back to Barbers' plantation under protection of the two regiments and his cavalry. In earnest, much had to be left behind and prisoners, both wounded and unwounded, numbered almost a thousand. The Confederate soldiers also captured supplies and several artillery pieces. The cost to the Union was about 40% of the troops in action, while the Confederates had lost around 20% in their victory. Overall, it could be one of the bloodiest battles in Florida, and in percentages one of the bloodier battles of the war.

Ultimately, Finegan did not follow up his victory, and most of the fleeing Union troops reached Jacksonville by the 22nd - only two days.

Image above: Photo of an exhibit of a Confederate soldier in the Visitor Center. Below: Diorama of the Battle of Olustee in the Visitor Center. Both photos courtesy America's Best History.

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Visitor Center Plans and Monuments

There are plans in the works to construct a larger visitor center to accommodate the crowds of visitors that come every February for the reenactment of the largest Civil War battle held in the state of Florida. There are only a few monuments on the field. One which honors the Confederate soldiers behind the current visitor center. And two, surrounded by cannon, that tell the story of the battle and one honoring Confederate General and future Governor Alfred Colquitt, known as the hero of Olustee, as well as one for his commanding officer, General Joseph Finegan.

Photo above: Sign of plans for the new Olustee Visitor Center. Below: One of two small monuments on the Olustee Battlefield. Both courtesy America's Best History

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