Early in 1864, Major General Quincy Gillmore, commander of the Federal Department of the South, invaded northern Florida. His primary aim was to gain access to the region's cotton and lumber supplies while denying those same resources to the Confederacy. He also hoped to get recruits for his black regiments and provide a rallying point for local Unionists. These were limited goals and were easily achieved, given the dearth of Confederate troops in the region. After making an unopposed landing at Jacksonville on February 7, Gillmore's men quickly established a lodgement around the Jacksonville, Baldwin, and Saint Mary's River area. Satisfied with this accomplishment, Gillmore returned to his headquarters at Hilton Head, South Carolina, leaving Brigadier General Truman Seymour to consolidate and fortify Federal gains.

General Seymour was not content with the passive nature of his assignment. Disregarding his orders, he launched a deep raid into the interior. His aim was to capture Lake City, a key junction in north-central Florida, and to destroy an important railroad bridge over the Suwannee River, located approximately 100 miles from Jacksonville. He had traveled about half the distance to Lake City when, on 20 February, he ran into a Confederate blocking force near Ocean Pond (Olustee Station) led by Brigadier General Joseph Finegan.

The Confederates had been seriously outnumbered when the Federals first arrived at Jacksonville. However, thanks to sharp-eyed lookouts who spotted the invasion fleet leaving Hilton Head, telegraphic communication, and railroad transportation, General G. T. Beauregard, overall commander of rebel forces in the region, had been able to significantly reinforce Finegan with troops from Georgia and South Carolina by the time the opposing armies met on 20 February.

Position at Olustee

Finegan's position at Olustee was well chosen. The northern end of his line rested on a lake, Ocean Pond, while his southern flank was protected by a large cypress swamp. A marshy stream protected his front. The road and railroad lines between Jacksonville and Lake City ran straight through the Confederate position, so that it was impossible for the Federals to reach Lake City without a fight. Finegan had a week in which to fortify his position, but a shortage of tools hindered this effort, and only light works and rifle pits were ready by the day of the battle.

As Seymour's column approached Olustee on the 20th, Finegan deployed his cavalry and the 64th Georgia about three miles in front of his trenches. The skirmishers were ordered to withdraw in the face of the Union advance in the hope of luring the Federals onto the works. The skirmishing began about mid-day, with the Federals employing a skirmish screen of their own to slowly push the Rebel covering force back. Noting the caution with which Seymour advanced, Finegan despaired of pulling the Union forces into his trap, and boldly decided to march out and meet the invaders in open battle. Because the area was entirely covered by pine forest, visibility was greatly limited, and the opposing forces came within 300 yards of each other before deploying and opening fire. The Battle of Ocean Pond (or Olustee) was joined.

Battle Joined

Now that you've played the game, let's see what really happened! Fortune did not smile on the Union on the 20th of February, 1864. It was Seymour's intention to deploy his artillery in the center, flanked on the right by the 7th New Hampshire and on the left by the 8th U.S. Colored Troops. Montgomery's brigade would reinforce. Once the Confederate line had been fixed, he intended to swing Barton's brigade around to the north to outflank the rebels.

Things started going wrong from the start. Hindered by the limited visibility in the forest, Hawley did not begin to deploy his brigade out of column and into line until it was already under fire from Colquitt's battle line, 300 yards away. The 7th New Hampshire, an old unit recently filled up with conscripts and substitute men, cracked almost instantly. Hawley and the commander of the 7th New Hampshire, Colonel Joseph Abbott, issued conflicting orders about exactly how the regiment should deploy into line, and the unit fell into confusion.

The situation worsened when elements of the 7th Connecticut, which had run out of ammunition during the pre-battle skirmishing, fell back through the ranks of the 7th New Hampshire, further disordering it and shaking its morale. In a matter of minutes the 7th New Hampshire disintegrated and fled the field.

Hawley's other unit, the 8th U.S. Colored Troops, had never before seen combat. It did not have enough space to deploy without interpenetrating Hamilton's Battery, with the result that portions of the regiment took up positions in between the battery's guns. Both units came under a heavy fire as the rebels advanced to within 250 yards. Hamilton's battery suffered 50 percent casualties in just 20 minutes, but he refused to withdraw lest that action unnerve the 8th U.S. Colored Troops' green soldiers. The 8th stood for a while, but once the regiment's colonel was killed and the second in command incapacitated, the 8th U.S. Colored Troops lost its nerve and retreated, losing its colors in the process. Heavy losses among the battery's horses forced Hamilton to abandon two of his pieces, as he too pulled out of the battle.

The disintegration of Hawley's command led Seymour to plug Montgomery's brigade into the front. The 1st North Carolina took the place of the 7th New Hampshire, while the 54th Massachusetts replaced the 8th U.S. Colored Troops. Langdon's battery took up a position on the Union left to try to deflect Confederate flanking movements in that quarter. Meanwhile, Barton endeavored to swing round the north end of the Confederate line, a move that bogged down in marshy ground.

For their part, the Confederates gradually reinforced and lengthened their line, pressing relentlessly against the Union position. The firing was heavy, as both sides blasted each other at close range, the gun smoke enveloping the trees in a thick, acrid fog. On the southern end of the line, Langdon's battery struggled to maintain the integrity of the Union left flank. Its ability to do so was hindered when the driver of one of the battery's caissons inexplicably drove the caisson in front of the battery, where it promptly got hung up on a tree and had to be abandoned, obscuring the battery's line of fire.

Outflanked

Langdon valiantly held his ground until the Confederates outflanked his position and forced him to retire, leaving behind three cannon that could not be moved due to heavy casualties among the battery's horses.

Langdon's demise unhinged the entire Union line. Finegan brought up fresh troops from Harrison's brigade to replace those who had run out of ammunition before once again pressing forward with the assault. The Federals fell back through the woods, leap-frogging their battalions while the cavalry kept Confederate flanking efforts at both ends of the line in check.

Confederate cavalry showed very little initiative during the battle, and nightfall permitted the Federals to completely disengage. Seymour retreated back to Jacksonville. The price of the battle was 1,861 Union and 946 Confederate casualties. The rebels captured five cannon, significant amounts of ammunition, and a Federal standard.

Ocean Pond Order of Battle and Game Information

Related

The Battle of Olustee (Ocean Pond)

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