Tuesday, March 18th, I visited Olustee Battlefield. It's Florida's first state park. There were only a couple people that came and went so it was a very serene morning with the loveliest weather. The battle fought here was Florida's largest civil war. I 100% recommend visiting if you're passing through this way. It's only 3 miles off I-10, along US Highway 90. Definitely worth stopping to see and learn some history.
During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt approved a plan to recruit thousands of unemployed young men into a "Civilian Conservation Corps." From 1933-1942 the CCC employed over 3 million Americans. They built and repaired roads, planted trees, fought forest fires, constructed bridges, and worked on a variety of other projects throughout North Florida. The fire lookout is named Olustee Tower and was manned by CCC enrollees. Along with East Tower, West Tower, and a series of smaller lookout poles, they served as a network of observation stations for directional detection of forest fires throughout the history of the Osceola National Forest.
Here was fought on February 20, 1864 the battle of Ocean Pond under the immediate command of General Alfred Holt Colquitt, "Hero of Olustee." This decisive engagement prevented a Sherman-like invasion of Georgia from the south.
Monument dedicated to those who fought.
The Battle of Olustee was fought on this ground, Feb. 20, 1864. Between 5,000 confederate troops commanded by General Joseph E. Finegan, and 5,000 federal troops under General Truman Seymour. The federals were defeated with a loss of 2,000 men. The Confederate loss was less than 1,000.
If you like history, here's a bit about this battle I find super interesting, taken mostly from https://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.html.
This battle dashed the Union's dreams of conquering Fl. in time for its electoral votes to count in the 1864 presidential election. The battle developed in political strategy meetings in Lincoln's white house. Concerned about his chances for reelection, Lincoln and his advisers devised a plan to invade Fl. and return it to the Union in time for the 1864 elections. Fl. was lightly defended, so it was thought that military occupation might be relatively bloodless. The invasion launched from Hilton Head Island, SC. and came ashore at Jacksonville. Union troops drove away the Confederate forces and took over their camp.
Union General Truman Seymour, disobeying orders to remain on the defensive, marched west of the St. Johns River with an army of 5,500 men. His objectives were Lake City and the railroad bridge over the Suwannee River. As the Union army advanced, Confederate cavalry skirmished and fell back, drawing the federals toward the main southern army that was forming at Olustee.
Confederate General Joseph Finegan had ordered the construction of a line of earthworks at Olustee Station on the railroad. The unfinished defenses stretched from Ocean Pond on the north to a large swamp south of the railroad. It wasn't a strong line, as the nature of country offered few natural advantages for defense.
With P.G.T. Beauregard leading, Southern troops had flooded south from Savannah and Charleston to join Finegan's force. Beauregard disguised the fact that he was pulling men from his main lines to reinforce Fl. and by the time Seymour advanced on Feb. 20, 1864, the Confederates had an army of 5,000 men.
Finegan's plan was to draw the advancing Union army to his fortifications at Olustee Station, but his advance forces began to show signs of stopping the Federals sever miles to the east. He advanced additional troops to the scene, under the command of Brig. Gen. Alfred R. Colquitt, and the battle developed in the pine woods. Colquitt poured men into line in position that allowed him to overlap both flanks of the developing Union line. Seymour tried to push more of his own men forward, but the Confederates blocked. Finegan moved his army forward. Their lines stretched for over 1 mile. Seymour's army sustained 40% casualties. This was the greatest loss in percentage of total force experiences by the Union during the Civil War.
The Union army withdrew to Jacksonville, leaving the Confederates in complete command of the battlefield. More than 200 Union soldiers were killed and buried in a mass grave. Confederate losses were 93 killed, 847 wounded, and 6 missing. Injured soldiers were spread out to hospitals across Fl., GA., and AL.
There's a lot of reading along the trail, so I'm not writing it all out, but you can click on the photos to make them bigger.
Rifle balls
These signs mark the start of the trail.
This is a one-mile trail. It's sobering to walk through the forest where over 2,000 men died and try to image a raging battle amidst all the pine trees.
Every year in the second week of Feb. they host a battle reenactment here.
There's a cemetery on the property near the entrance. When you enter the park, it's to the left.
The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
I like this quote: Never doubt that the smallest act of empathy, encouragement, or connection can change the course of a child's life.
This cross marks the traditional mass grave site of the Union. It replaces an original wood one.
May the living profit by the example of the dead.
After this spot, I drove through several small towns with mostly undeveloped land. I saw a Chick-fil-a food truck and a drive-through convivence store.
I'll just mention this trail briefly. If you're in the area and like walking/biking, Jacksonville-Baldwin rail trail is amazing. I biked 11 miles (my goal is to do the full 29 miles) that day. The trail is wide enough for bikers/horseback riders/walkers, clean, has benches you can stop and rest, and has a restroom spot. Do let me know if you come through so I can meet you! :)
I hope you are having a fabulous week! See you next time.