Little-known Battle Part of Florida's History
Olustte Battle Lasted Four Hours, Became Big Win for South
Jul 3, 2008
One of the lesser-known combat theaters of the American Civil War, the Battle of Olustee stands as the largest battle of the war that took place in Florida.
The battle took place over a single day in late February, 1864, and ended with a Confederate victory that served as a moral raiser for the troops.
Union Army troops, under the command of Gen. Truman A. Seymour, had been dispatched to Jacksonville, Florida with the intent of disrupting the Confederate Army’s supply line that ran through Central Florida. Seymour’s forces landed at Jacksonville on Feb. 7 and began making their way west, meeting almost no resistance and they pushed forward.
As they did, Confederate forces searched for the best area to meet the oncoming forces. Already alerted to the oncoming Union forces by the movement of Union naval ships, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered reinforcements to the aid of Brig. Gen. Joseph Finegan and his troops in Florida. Brig. Gen. Alfred H. Colquitt and detachment of troops from Savannah, GA began to make their way down to Florida to bolster Finegan’s troops.
Pitting Seymour’s 5,500 Union soldiers against Finegan’s 5,000 Confederate troops, the two armies met on Feb. 20, 1864 near Olustee Station, where Finegan had stationed his men. After some initial skirmishes drew the Union forces closer to Olustee, the two armies met around 2 p.m. that afternoon in the forest. The forest floor, where most of the battle took place, offered little cover to either of the armies, the tall thin trees and palm fronds providing little protection.
As the battle raged on, Union forces began to fall back under the Confederate barrage. After Finegan committed the last of his reserves for a final push, the Union line broke and began to retreat. Finegan did not exploit the retreat, although other confederate forces continued to harass the Union army as they headed back to Jacksonville.
Though short, the battle became a decisive victory for the Confederates. Union casualties, including wounded, killed or missing soldiers totaled 1,861 men. By contrast, Confederate forces totaled 946 casualties.
The loss marked the last time Union forces marched any further south in Florida beyond Jacksonville, where they remained stationed until the end of the war.
Today, the battlefield is contained within the Olustee Battlefield Historic Site, a part of the Florida State Park system. This park is located within the Osceola National Forest on U.S. 90. There is an annual historical reenactment that takes place on the site of the battle in north central Florida.
