Battle of Olustee Reenactment

Battle of Olustee Reenactment

Weekend in mid-February

The Battle of Olustee Reenactment commemorates the largest battle in Florida during the Civil War. A Confederate victory, the Battle of Olustee (also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond) was fought on February 20, 1864, and a reenactment has taken place on a February weekend each year since 1977.
Knowing that Union soldiers were on the way to secure strategic positions in northeast Florida, Confederate troops fortified a highly defensible position about 10 miles west of Lake City. They occupied a narrow, forested area of dry land with an impassable swamp on one side and a lake on the other. When Union soldiers attacked, the Confederates were able to repel them, though both armies suffered staggering casualties. Each side had about 5,000 men in the battle, but Union losses were heaviest, with 203 killed, 1,152 wounded, and 506 missing. Confederate casualties totaled 93 killed, 847 wounded, and 6 missing.
The Battle of Olustee is also known for the participation of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the most famous African-American fighting units in the war and the one represented in the film Glory. However, other black regiments also took part in the Battle of Olustee, including the 8th United States Colored Troops of Pennsylvania and the 35th United States Colored Troops of North Carolina. Noting the participation of black fighting units in the original battle and its reenactment, Blue/Grey Army, Inc., which sponsors the event, emphasizes that the reenactment and festival are not intended to glorify war or the Confederacy. Rather, through these events the organizers hope to honor the memory of the soldiers who participated on both sides during the Civil War, to encourage the study of local history, and to make known the horror of war. The sponsors state that war "is not something we celebrate, but it is something we should remember."
The reenactment has expanded over the years to include a weekend street festival in Lake City. Associated events include a beauty pageant, history displays and lectures, a music festival, an arts and crafts fair, Blue-Grey 5-K and 1 Mile Fun Runs, and a Blue/Grey Square Dance. Saturday morning features the Olustee Civil War Parade, with hundreds of participants in period costumes representing all facets of life during the Civil War. Descendants of the battle also participate. The Battle Reenactment, with about 2,000 reenactors, is the largest annual Civil War reenactment in the Southeast. It takes place at Olustee Battlefield State Park on Sunday afternoon before an audience of as many as 50,000 spectators.

CONTACTS:
Blue-Grey Army, Inc.
P.O. Box 2224
Lake City, FL 32056-2224
386-755-1097
www.olusteefestival.com
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park
P.O. Box 40
Olustee, FL 32072
386-758-0400
www.floridastateparks.org/olustee
Olustee Battlefield Citizens Support Organization
P. O. Box 382
Glen St. Mary, FL 32040
battleofolustee.org

SOURCES:
AAH-2007, p. 45