Battle of Olustee mini-documentary online for 150th anniversary

My new mini-documentary on the Battle of Olustee is now online as Florida commemorates the 150th anniversary of its largest Civil War battle.

Fought on February 20, 1864, the battle took place in the open pine woods between Lake City and Jacksonville and was a stunning defeat for the Union army of Brigadier General Truman Seymour. He had advanced west despite orders to the contrary from his superiors.

Expecting to meet only light resistance, Seymour instead ran into the 5,000 man army of Brigadier General Joseph Finegan. A fiery Irishman, Finegan and his second in command - Brig. Gen. Alfred Colquitt - demolished Seymour's force in a stand up fight.

To learn more, watch the video above and be sure to visit our main Battle of Olustee page at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.

Two Florida Civil War Battlefields facing Possible Closure

Olustee Battlefield

With the 150th anniversary observation of the Civil War now underway and tourists flocking to Civil War sites across the nation, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is considering locking the gates to the only two state-owned Civil War battlefields.

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park and Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park are among 53 parks and historic sites DEP is considering closing to save $6.5 million from the agency's $1.5 BILLION budget. The cut would represent the closing of one-third of Florida's state parks and historic sites while barely impacting DEP's massive budget.

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park (just east of Lake City) preserves the scene of the February 20, 1864 engagement that was the largest Civil War battle in Florida. The Battle of Olustee was a massive Confederate victory that preserved the supply lines providing beef and other food for Southern armies and stopped a Union plan to restore the allegiance of at least part of the state in time for its electoral votes to be counted in the 1864 Presidential Election. Olustee was the bloodiest battle of the war for the Union army in terms of the number of men involved (around 10,000). To read more about this highly significant park, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.

Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park (south of Tallahassee) preserves earthworks and other features from the last significant Confederate victory of the Civil War. The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought on March 6, 1865, and preserved Tallahassee's status as the only unconquered Southern capital east of the Mississippi River. The battle also prevented the destruction of much of the infrastructure and public and private property across a large area of North Florida and South Georgia. The cadets from West Florida Seminary (today's Florida State University) fought in the battle and to this day the FSU ROTC is one of only three in the nation authorized by the Pentagon to carry battle streamers.  To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nbindex.

Natural Bridge Battlefield

Both battlefields are also landmarks of black history. At Olustee, the famed 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a famed African American regiment, took part in heavy fighting and played a key role in the escape of the Union army from the battlefield. At Natural Bridge, virtually all of the Union soldiers engaged were from the 2nd and 99th U.S. Colored Troops. More than 150 men from the two African American regiments were killed, wounded or captured in the battle.

I encourage you to contact Governor Rick Scott of Florida to voice your opposition to these proposed closings. You can obtain his address or write him through an online form by clicking here.

Anniversary of the Battle of Olustee, Florida

Tomorrow (Saturday, February 20th) marks the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Olustee, the largest Civil War engagement fought in the state of Florida.

Part of a politically-inspired campaign to return at least part of Florida to the Union in time for President Abraham Lincoln to claim the the state's electoral votes in the hard fought 1864 election, Olustee was a major Confederate victory. Ignoring orders from his direct superior to consolidate his newly achieved position in and around Jacksonville, Brigadier General Truman A. Seymour instead headed inland with 5,500 men.

He did not realize it, but he was marching into the teeth of an army of similar size being assembled at Olustee, a railroad siding between Jacksonville and Lake City, by Confederate Brigadier General Joseph Finegan. The two armies collided in the pine woods just east of Olustee on February 20, 1864.

The Battle of Olustee was a stand-up fight in the open woods, with neither side using breastworks. By the time it was over, Finegan and his second-in-command, Brigadier General Alfred Colquitt, had handed Seymour a major defeat. Over 1,800 Union soldiers were dead, wounded and missing, while Confederate losses were just under 1,000.

The site of the battle is now preserved at Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park on U.S. 90 between Jacksonville and Lake City, Florida. To learn more, read original reports and see photographs of the battlefield, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.

Camp Milton Historic Preserve - Jacksonville, Florida

Once destined to become a sludge field for the booming city of Jacksonville, Florida's Camp Milton Historic Preserve now stands as a beautiful example of the value of local historic preservation.

Instead of being used to dispose of waste, the site now attracts visitors with interests in history, wildlife, bird watching, nature and more. It serves as a vital link on a popular local "rails to trails" project and provides paved trails and boardwalks at are popular for afternoon walks with residents from throughout the vicinity.

One of these boardwalks leads to what remains of a remarkable system of siege fortifications designed by famed Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard in March of 1864. The Confederate army of General Joseph Finegan had just handed a major defeat to a Union invasion force at the Battle of Olustee, the largest Civil War engagement in Florida. As the Federal troops fell back rapidly to Jacksonville, the Confederate army moved slowly in pursuit.

General Beauregard arrived on the scene from Charleston to find that the Federal army had Jacksonville had been given time to reorganize and take up positions in fortifications around the city. Disappointed that the opportunity for an even greater victory had slipped away, he established siege lines along McGirt's Creek west of the city to block any further attempts by the Federals to advance into the interior of Florida.

The lines he designed ran for three miles along the west side of the creek and were among the most remarkable field fortifications built during the Civil War. Some of them were so well finished that they looked almost like masonry.

Time and modern development destroyed all but a few hundred yards of this magnificent line, but what remains today can be seen along an interpretive boardwalk at Camp Milton. Other interpretive panels explain the significance of the massive Confederate camp and the fighting around Jacksonville in 1864. There is also a preserved 19th century Florida house, reconstruction of a Civil War era bridge over McGirt's Greek and much more.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/campmilton.

Annual Battle of Olustee Reenactment is this weekend

If you are looking for something of historical interest to do this Valentine's weekend, the annual festival and reenactment commemorating Florida's largest Civil War battle will take place in Lake City and at the nearby Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park.

The Battle of Olustee was fought on February 20, 1864, and was the worst Union defeat in a major battle of the war (in terms of percentage of force lost). Two armies of almost equal size battled without benefit of fortifications or other defenses until the Federal troops finally were forced to withdraw. It was a remarkable event, more than 10,000 men blazing away at each other in the open pine woods of North Florida.

Activities begin tomorrow in Lake City with the annual festival and craft show. There will be a parade at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The main battle reenactment will take place on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the battlefield, which is located 13 miles east of Lake City on U.S. 90. You can park and ride from either the Lake City Airport or the Lake County Prison Center (on U.S. 90 just east of the battlefield). For more information on events, please click here.

To learn more about the Battle of Olustee, visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.

The Battle of Olustee, Florida

February marks the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Olustee. The largest Civil War battle in Florida, this engagement was a dramatic Confederate victory that ended Union hopes splitting the state in two.

The battle took place when Union General Truman Seymour, contrary to his orders, advanced west from the line of the St. Mary's River hoping to capture and destroy a vital railroad bridge over the Suwannee River. The bridge was the only rail link connecting East and West Florida and its capture would allow Seymour to divide the state in two.

The Confederates, however, had flooded reinforcements to the Lake City area after Union forces first came ashore at Jacksonville. Seymour did not know it, but he was marching directly into the teeth of a Southern army commanded by General Joseph Finegan. The two forces collided just east of Olustee, a small railroad siding near a large body of water called Ocean Pond, on February 20, 1864.

General Finegan had prepared a line of entrenchments at Olustee. Hoping to draw the Federals into attacking him there, he sent forward troops under General Alfred H. Colquitt to skirmish with the oncoming Union army and draw it into the trap. Colquitt, however, quickly realized that the Federals were advancing in column formation and clearly were not anticipating a major action. He and Finegan began to rush troops forward so fast that the Confederate line of battle successfully overlapped both flanks of Seymour's army.

Despite hard fighting by such units as the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a famed African American regiment, the battle was a disaster for the Union forces. By the time the smoke cleared, Gilmour had sustained losses of 200 killed, 1,152 wounded and 506 missing. The Confederates, by comparison, reported losses of 93 killed, 847 wounded and 6 missing.

The 40% casualties sustained by the Federal forces at the Battle of Olustee marked the single greatest loss (by percentage of force) for a Union army during the entire Civil War.

The site of the battle is now preserved at the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park in Olustee, Florida. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.