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Page1 - Camp Scenes
Page2 - Saturday Battle
Page3 - Saturday Battle
Page4 - Dance
Page5 - Camp Scenes
Page6 - Sunday Battle
Page7 - Sunday Battle
Page8 - Sunday Battle
Page9 - Sunday Battle
Panorama's - Battle scenes

The Battle of Olustee
-wes mayhle-

  Feb. 17,, 9PM As temperatures approach freezing a few campfires are silhouetting the good sized canvas tent town that suddenly appeared here overnight. It shows up once a year - just east of Olustee - to mark the largest Civil War battle to be fought on Florida's soil. I walk down the road from the tents, a dark path that is only occasionally lit by the bobbing lanterns carried by couples and small groups going to and from the sutlers row. A few of the sutlers are still open - gathering in whatever late night shoppers they can. And here among the large sutler tents I can hear the noise, music and merriment that carries to my ears from the period Ball that is in full swing. Ladies adorned in their finest evening gowns allow men dressed in their finery to lead them through period dances. As the cool temperatures drop even further, the crowd of dancers slowly steal away to the camps to rest up for another day. Another day of reenacting will come tomorrow.

This is the 31st annual reenactment of the Battle of Olustee. In this very area, during the Civil War, the Union forces were repulsed while attempting to raid inland Florida. The reenactment here is one of Florida's largest and draws a great crowd of spectators. More than 1500 reenactors came. Many of the Confederates are from the 'Dept. of the Gulf' and 'Hardy's Brigade'. Union groups present include; the 107th Ohio, 47th New York, 7th Ohio, 25th Ohio, and the 3rd Maine. Some reenactors come from as far as Connecticut and Rhode Island. 10 Rebel and 10 Union artillery pieces fire each day during the battles. Nearly 100 cavalry and horsemen are present and most dress for Blue side on Sunday to make the reenactment more true. Additionally besides the troops, a sizable civilian camp was set up separately.

-The following history lesson is taken from literature made available by the park-

   The Union campaign that climaxed in the Battle of Olustee (or Ocean Pond) began in February 1864 when troops commanded by General Truman A. Seymour began an offensive in Florida. Their immediate objective was a fourth occupation of Jacksonville. The Union force could then disrupt transportation links and deprive the Confederacy of food supplies from Central Florida. It could also capture cotton, turpentine, and timber stores, gain black recruits for the Northern army, and induce Union sympathizers in east Florida to organize a loyal state government.

   Confederate forces noticed the movement of Federal troops and began preparations for an offensive. The defense of Florida was placed in the hands of General Joseph Finegan and Brigadier General Alfred Colquitt. Once it was apparent the Union forces were moving westward in Florida, General Finegan began searching for the Confederate army's best defensive position. Finegan found that position in Olustee, with a lake called Ocean Pond on his left, a nearly impassable swamp on his right, and only a narrow passage between. He called for troops to help defend Florida.

   On February 20, the Union force of nearly 5,500 men marched westward from near Macclenny. By this time, the Confederate forces almost equaled the opposing Army in number. Skirmishers were sent out early that day to drive the Union forces to Olustee. They made contact that afternoon. The battle ensued as troops engaged in a forest of virgin pines, free of underbrush, fortified with constructed earthworks. The battle raged until dark when the Union forces began a hasty retreat, having suffered a stinging defeat. Battle casualties amounted to 1,861 Union and 964 Confederate soldiers.

   Union forces remained in Jacksonville until the end of the war and occupied several coastal towns and various places along the St. Johns River. They carried out frequent operations against Confederate forces defending east Florida, but did not venture out in significant force again.

   In 1897 the Florida Division of the Union Daughters of the Confederacy began raising funds for a monument at the battle site, and in 1899 the Florida Legislature established a commission to oversee construction of the monument which was finally completed in 1912. The battle site was acquired by the State of Florida in 1909, becoming Florida's first State Park. The Olustee Battlefield Historic Site is cooperatively managed by the Florida Park Service and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.

The Movies listed below are posted in 4 sizes. If you find your computer waiting too long for a movie to load & play - try a smaller size.
SMALL - 160x120 for dial-up
MEDIUM - 240x160 for cable/dsl
LARGE - 320x240 for cable/dsl
JUMBO - 480x360 for cable/dsl

Battle Clips
3:40
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Camp Humor
1:42
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Final Salute
1:52
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Click the links above to watch the mpgs from this event.

Quicktime 7 is required - it can be easily downloaded and installed for both Mac + Windows.
Quicktime download page

My mpgs are usually 5 min or less and are shot with my older digital camera just for your enjoyment. They are usually, but not always, clips from the battle. To see all my mpgs and links to other reenactment movies go to my "mpgs" page.

Some of my mpgs use background music
from the 97th Regimental String Band.

For additional reenacting information go to
Florida Reenactors Online - a website that regularly features some of my photos and articles and where you can find many links, monthly newsletters and many other resources about the American Civil War and reenacting that conflict.