Florida in the Civil War- 1864

In February of 1864, the Battle of Olustee, the largest battle of the war in Florida was fought. It resulted from President Lincoln’s desire to establish a loyal state government in advance of the 1864 election. The Federals also hoped to recruit black troops and disrupt Confederate supply lines. Despite orders to not proceed too far inland from Jacksonville Union Brigadier General Truman Seymour decided to attempt to capture Lake City (60 miles west) and the railroad bridge across the Suwannee River (95 miles west), and control the eastern approaches to Tallahassee. Seymour, with a force of about 5,500 men, including several regiments of US Colored Troops, would fight a battle with an equal number of Rebels under Confederate Brigadier General Joseph Finegan near Olustee Station east of Lake City on February 20, 1864.

The ensuing battle was a clear Confederate victory and was one of the bloodiest of the war in terms of the percentage of casualties for the Union. The Federals retreated back to Jacksonville. In western Florida at the Battle of Marianna on September 27, 1864, a Union cavalry force under the command of Brigadier General Alexander Asboth fought a Confederate force including old men and young boys. The Union burned part of the town before withdrawing. Topics covered for this year of the Florida Series are shown below.

The Suwannee River Bridge Crossing and Fort (link)