The Battle of Olustee

Links to the pages and photos from other years at this event:
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-taken from promotional Literature handouts at the event - attributed to David Coles

On February 20, 1864, two armies clashed in the pine barrens of north-central Florida, near a railroad station named Olustee about 15 miles east of Lake City. The battle raged for four hours. When it had ended, the Union army had suffered a stinging defeat. Of more than 5000 Federals that had entered the battle, nearly 2000 were killed, wounded or captured. The Confederate forces, which also numbered just over 5000, suffered less than 1000 casualties. The Battle of Olustee, known also as Ocean Pond, was the largest battle fought in Florida during the Civil War. Today , the area of the battlefield is preserved as a state historic site and it is the scene of one of the largest annual battle reenactments in the southeastern United States.

Major General Quincy Gilmore, commander of the Union Army's Department of the South, received approval for his plans to occupy Jacksonville, Florida with a large force and to extend Federal operations over much of northeast Florida. About 6000 troops from his department were selected for the operation. Most of these men were presently stationed along the South Carolina coast as part of the Union operations against Charleston. Gilmore placed Brigadier General Truman Seymour in actual command of the expedition.

The Union troops landed at Jacksonville on February 7 and quickly gained control of the town. On the evening of February 8 the Federals attacked and captured the Confederate positions at Camp Finegan and Ten Mile Run, located west of Jacksonville. Over the next several days, Union mounted forces advanced as far west as the outskirts of Lake City, some fifty miles from Jacksonville. Another smaller raid was made southward to Gainesville.

The Confederate troops in Florida had few resources with which to stop the Union invasion. After Union success in Tennessee in early 1862, the majority of the southern forces in Florida had been withdrawn from the state and sent to more vital theatres of the war. Only a few units, poorly equipped and with little combat experience remained in Florida by early 1864. The Confederate commander of the District of Florida was Brigadier General Joseph Finegan, a native of Ireland who had served in the prewar U. S. Army as an enlisted man.

When the Federal forces landed in Florida, Finegan only had about 1500 troops to defend his district, which included the portion of Florida east of the Suwannee river. He immediately called for reinforcements from General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, the flamboyant but competent commander of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. From his headquarters at Charleston, Beauregard directed the troops to Florida from both South Carolina and Georgia. The Confederate movements were hampered by the fact that no direct rail link existed between Florida and the other states of the Confederacy. Southern troops had to disembark from trains in south Georgia and then march overland until they reached Lake City, Madison or other collection points along the railroads of Florida.

While waiting for reinforcements Finegan did what he could to hinder the Federal advance. A Confederate rearguard fought several skirmishes in an attempt to delay the invaders and Finegan concentrated the few troops he had at Lake City. By February 11 Finegan had assembled about 600 troops at that location, enough to repel a minor Union cavalry raid that was made against the town. Over the next week larger numbers of the Confederate reinforcements arrived. Among them were Brigadier General Alfred H. Colquitt and his brigade of battle hardened Georgians, which had been serving in South Carolina. Colonel George Harrison also arrived with additional troops. By the time of the main Union advance on February 20, the Confederate force facing them numbered more than 5000.

You are at the FrontPage

Each page listed below has up to 50 thumbnail photos to click on, so click on a page to discover and relive the event.

Page1 - Colors, Camp Scenes

Page2 - Cavalry and Infantry Drill

Page3 - Woods, Camp Scenes, Kids, Sutlers, Monument, Musicians, Civilian Camp

Page4 - Ladies Tea and Fashion Show

Page5 - Marching to Battle, Battle

Page6 - Battle

Page7 - Battle

For more 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.