Battle of Olustee Site

[bergie]

Went to the Battle of Olustee Civil War site today just before dark...Looking forward to going back when I can get in and check it out, but not to detect of course (Historic State Park)...Was checking to see if any adjacent property is possible to detect, still to be determined. I included interesting history below, and see photo I took below...detectorists always welcome! :-)

Battle of Olustee - Capsule History

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park commemorates the largest Civil War battle in Florida.
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 embarked at Hilton Head, S.C. Their immediate objective was a fourth occupation of Jacksonville. The force could then disrupt transportation links and deprive the Confederacy of food supplies from central Florida; capture cotton, turpentine and timber; gain black recruits for the Union army; and induce Unionists in east Florida to organize a loyal state government.
Seymour's expeditionary force landed at Jacksonville on February 7, 1864. Scouts and raiders moved west and met little opposition.
Meanwhile, during the month of January, movement of the Federal fleet had been noted by the Confederate forces, and they began to prepare for an offensive. The defense of Florida was placed in the hands of Brigadier General Joseph Finegan and Brigadier General Alfred Colquitt. Once it was apparent the Union forces were moving westward in Florida, Finegan began searching for the Confederate army's best defendable position.
Finegan found that position at 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. Colquitt answered that call, bringing veteran troops from Savannah, Georgia.
On February 20, 1864 the Union force of 5,500 men and 16 cannon marched westward from Macclenny. By this time, the Confederate forces almost equaled the Union opposing army in number. Finegan sent skirmishers to draw the Union forces to Olustee, and they made contact that afternoon. The Confederate line was formed. The infantry in the center was supported by cavalry on each flank.
The battle was joined on the floor of a forest of virgin pines, free of underbrush. Men fought in the open forest with neither force constructing earthworks. The battle raged until dark, when the Union forces began a hasty retreat.

Battle casualties amounted to 1,861 Union and 946 Confederate soldiers. In proportion to the number of troops involved, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
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.
The 1899 Florida legislature created a commission to select a site and to raise funds for a suitable monument to commemorate the battle. The site was acquired by the state of Florida in 1909. The monument was built in 1912 and dedicated in 1913, just 49 years after the battle.
The interpretive center offers exhibits that interpret this Confederate victory. It is open Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., free of charge. The battlefield is marked by a trail and signs along the battle lines.
The battle itself is reenacted each February.
For more information, contact Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, P.O. Box 40, Olustee, FL 32072; (386) 758-0400.

 

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[pepperj]

Thanks for the read, seems like the sign says it all.

 

[Knightwalker]

Thanks for the history lesson. Reenactments are great to watch.
Now all we need to do is invent a nonmetal detector. Then we can be legal to hunt there. Dig all the rocks and stuff nonmetal and find the metal stuff with it.
HH in 2010

 

[civil war hunter]

I will blow up that sign!

 

[lastleg]

I don't believe it's inflatable.

 

[bergie]

Civill war hunter - all in good fun I'm sure, but don't make a 'threat' against a state historic site!!!!

 

[civil war hunter]

Oh i didn't read the story. Kind of long with no action, here sometimes.

Civill war hunter - all in good fun I'm sure, but don't make a 'threat' against a state historic site!!!!

 

[Sundancer]

I live here in Fort White and have been to Olustee.. On the south side of the 90 there is a LOT of farmland that could be possible to hunt. The lines extended on both sides of the RR tracks into those fields. Also, the Yanks followed the tracks all the way back to Jax so possible stuff along that route.

~Mike

 

[Jon Phillips]

My, how times have changed!

Back in the 70's they actually used to rent metal detectors to relic hunt on the field.

I never did it, but have heard, and read it from multiple sources. My first thought when someone told me that was, it must have been private land, before the state purchased it, but I was told, "No, it was the visitors center that rented them.".

It looks like the world didn't implode on itself, and the history of the battle disappear from all the history books, so I guess relic hunting isn't as evil as the state and federal government (fueled by publicly funded archaeologist) would want everyone to believe!

 

[Discrimination Dave]

Cool post, interesting read on the battle.
Jon`s information is really enlightening too.
SWR, did you guys find anything when you hunted the paper mill property?

 

[tymcmurray]

Good luck on getting permission nearby.

Ty

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[Fester]

Hey all, new here, but I think there might be some relics to be found near olustee, outside the state park. If you read the accounts from the period, Fenigan I believe his name was... Said he positioned his men with Ocean Pond to the left and a nearly impassable swamp to the right with a narrow pass between. Now if you look at satellite images of the area, that puts the actual area of the battle to the west of the actual battlefield reenactment site. I believe the actual battle took place between ocean pond and the smaller pond to it's southeast that looks to be a very swampy area when it's rainy and wet. So Heres to me going and doing some exploring soon.

 

[LM]

So Heres to me going and doing some exploring soon.

Explore till you turn blue but don't bring a MD.

That's 100% Federal lands between the pond and the battlefield, as is the park site on the north of the lake. Save for a tiny handful of cabin lot leases on the water (which themselves are Federal), the entirety of the lake perimeter is Federally managed.

Pretty much everything in that area is Federal, excluding the developments north of 90, right south of the lake. Even some of that is smattering of Federally owned ground. If you go into the timberlands south of 90 west of the prison, they're going to notice, you're going to get put in cuffs and issued a no trespass.

Your best bet is to get permission from some of the people who own acreage in the development area south of the lake. There are a few sizable (10+ ac) privately owed parcels in there, but be warned that you wouldn't be the first person with this idea in the last few years and as far as I've heard (first hand accounts), they aren't very productive.

A lot of MD'ers get an overly romanticized view of what the areas around CW battlesites will yield, as if it's just a bonanza of minie balls, buckles and bayonets. It's rarely true. I hit some private farmland in Okolona that by all accounts should've been hugely productive but was a deadzone. I was either too late, or there just wasn't any stuff getting dropped in that location when the **** hit the fan.

 

[newnan76]

My great great great grandfather John D Proctor was in that battle! He was shot and captured and months later after swearing an oath to the union he was released and walked back to Ocala, Fl !

 

[Thommy]

In 1971, my Dad and I completed building a Heathkit metal detector. After trying it out in local schoolyards, Dad drove me to Olustee Battlefield. The Ranger was polite, but said "No Way" to metal detecting -and I remember there was a wooden sign that said "No Metal Detecting". But Dad sweet-talked the Ranger, and the ranger let me metal detect for 15 minutes. I dug a few minie balls, and then the ranger shooed us off. I have never heard anything about renting metal detectors, or allowing metal detecting on the battlefield. I have re-enacted the battle for 30 years in a row now, as well.
On the other side of the road, is paper company land. A few years ago, I contacted the paper company manager, and he very nicely gave me written permission, and I found a lot of minies, including Confederate Gardners and Enfields, and Spencer .56 solid-base minies. But, best of all, a Confederate Mullane Shell, complete with copper fuse and copper sabot! I didn't even need a detector... the shell had been pushed out of the mucky soil when they pulled logs out as they cleared the timber. Most of that land has been picked over many, many times, as well as many of the camps along the railroad between Olustee and Jacksonville. But, there are still a few artifacts to be found, if you look long and hard enough.

My, how times have changed!

Back in the 70's they actually used to rent metal detectors to relic hunt on the field.

I never did it, but have heard, and read it from multiple sources. My first thought when someone told me that was, it must have been private land, before the state purchased it, but I was told, "No, it was the visitors center that rented them.".

It looks like the world didn't implode on itself, and the history of the battle disappear from all the history books, so I guess relic hunting isn't as evil as the state and federal government (fueled by publicly funded archaeologist) would want everyone to believe!

 

[ivan salis]

ah one need only to look at the actual "battle map" to see where the battle occurred * --the old rail road bed that the train carrying union troops on was simply reused after the war --so it still exist as a "reference point" and us 90 runs along side it today -- some confederate elements of the battle did occur "outside" of the now unhuntible "battle field park" area -- the right hand wing with its cannons (as viewed from the confederate point of view) was across the road -- the line was slanted at an angle not straight across --originally the confederates wanted to make a very narrow front from ocean pond to the rail road bed area the "battle field" and tried to use calvary to "pull union troops into their "prepared positions" but the fighting developed a good bit ahead of their "prepared lines" --and as both sides poured more and more men into the fight --the confederates had to move forward out of their lines to meet the union troops "in the field"-- there are areas on the "right hand wing" that are not federal property (yet) but I understand that the battle field park folks want to obtain it soon * --that's where the confederate cannon batteries were at --across the road ( on the left hand side if your on 90 going towards lake city * ) from what I understand all of the land around the battle field area on the right hand side( again facing towards lake city on us 90) is "federal property" and as such is off limits to detecting * but father down along the rail road track sides union troops "fell back" towards sanderson dropping equiptment and items as they did so *

 

[Thommy]

 

[wkrp43]

Went there with the scouts once . We camped and had a great time. Saw the battle reenactment. It was awesome....

 

[jewelerguy]

one word for that sign........ Boo!

 

[ivan salis]

yep thommy that is exactly the map I was speaking of --the black line is the old rail road track bed --which reused later on as the modern rail line * --it shows the confederate line's right wing was clearly in the wooded area "outside" of the modern battlefield park area (which is on the "top' or right hand side of the rail road tracks / modern us 90 )-- it also shows a old building down the road a bit that was used as a confederate hospital *--- the commonly used wagon road from sanderson to lake city ) at that time went thru the battle field park area and crossed across the rail road tracks where the modern park "entering point" is currently at and went thru what is now the wooded area across the road and down thru that area towards lake city aka "alligator"