Background

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, South Carolina. The objective of this campaign was to occupy Jacksonville, Florida and move to cut off the Confederacy from the resources of central Florida. After a successful campaign, the Federals hoped to establish a loya- list government based in east Florida.

Seymour's expeditionary force landed at Jacksonville on February 7. Scouts and raiders moved west and met little opposition until February 11, when Union cavalry clashed with a hastily entrenched Confederate force three miles east of Lake City. After a sharp skirmish, the Union cavalry withdrew to Sanderson.

On February 20, the Union expeditionary force, made up of 5,500 men and sixteen cannon, marched westward from MacClenny. Part of the Union force included the 54th Massachusetts of Fort Wagner fame. Advanced Union elements made contact with Confederate cavalry at about 12:30 pm. The Confederate line (made up of 4,600 men, 600 cavalry, and twelve guns) was formed two and a half miles east of the hamlet of Olustee, after advancing out of their line of entrenchments earlier that morning to meet the oncoming Federals. The Confederate infantry, in the center, was supported by cavalry on each flank. The 64th Georgia, a new regiment, formed into a square in fear of a possible enemy cavalry charge. Luckily, Confederate General A. Colquitt arrived just in time to quickly reform the 64th Georgia back into line of battle, saving it from being ripped to shreds by the enemy's artillery.

The battle was joined on the floor of a forest of virgin pines, free of underbrush. Men fought in the open forest, as neither side constructed earthworks. The battle raged for five hours, then Union forces began a hasty retreat.

Confederate cavalry pursued the fleeing enemy until dark, then returned with 150 priso- ners. Battle casualties amounted to 1,861 Union and 946 Confederate soldiers. Union forces remained in Jacksonville until the end of the war and occupied St. Augustine and various places along the St. John's River, but did not venture out in significant force again.

Bibliography

Florida Department of Natural Resources, Olustee Battlefield: State Historic Site, pamphlet, 1984.
Johnson and Buell (editors), Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Volume 4, Pages 76-80, 1889.
Nutty, Confederate Florida: The Road to Olustee, pages 122-123, 1990.
Schmidt, The Civil War in Florida: A Military History, Volume 2, pages 140-141, 1989.

The Wargame The scenario starts at 3:00 pm, when both sides were generally engaged in the fight, and continues until 6:00 pm (twelve turns). The Confederate infantry may begin to run low on ammunition after turn 6. To reflect this, Confederate infantry units run low on ammunition on a dice roll of 2, 3, 4, or 5 after turn 6. However, there was a supply of ammunition located behind the Confederate line of battle, so any unit that runs out of ammunition on a roll of 3, 4, or 5 will only be affected for one full turn. Units that run out on a roll of 2 are affec- ted normally as per the rules.

Deployment Both sides deploy as indicated on the map. Seymour and Finegan may be placed anywhere on the map with their respective forces. Brigade commanders are placed with their units, with the exception of General Colquitt, who is initially placed with the 64th Georgia.

Terrain The terrain comprises flat ground covered with open pine forest. As there is no undergrowth and the trees are widely spaced, treat this as open ground. The small pond and adjoining marshy ground are treated as rough terrain. The railroad acts as a trail for movement purposes.

Victory Conditions The Rebels must drive the Union forces from the battlefield to achieve victory. Likewise, the Federals must also drive the Confederate forces from the battlefield to win the day. If both sides are still in possession of the field by the end of turn 12, the battle is considered a draw.

Union Order of Battle

1st Brigade: Colonel J. R. Hawley, benefit 1, orders 2 7th Conn., 300 men, BLRR, elite 7th N.H., 700 men, RM , average 8th U.S. Colored, 600 men, RM, green

2nd Brigade: Colonel W. B. Barnett, benefit 1, orders 2 47th N.Y., 750 men, RM , average 48th N.Y., 750 men, RM , average 115th N.Y., 750 men, RM , average

3rd Brigade: Colonel Montgomery, benefit 1, orders 2 54th Mass., 500 men, RM , average 1st N.C. Volunteers, 500 men, RM , average

Artillery: Bty. E, 3rd U.S., 6 x 12 lb. Napoleons, average Bty. M, 1st U.S., 4 x 12 lb. Howitzers, average 3rd R.I. Artillery, 2 x 3" Rifles, average

Mounted Brigade: Colonel C. V. Henry, benefit 1, orders 2 Ind. Mass. Cavalry, 300 men, BLC, average 40th Mass. Volunteers, 300 men, BLC, average Horse Battery B, 1st U.S., 4 x 3" Rifles, elite

Confederate Order of Battle

1st Brigade: Brig. General A. Colquitt, benefit 2, orders 3 6th Ga., 600 men, RM, average 19th Ga., 600 men, RM, elite 23rd Ga., 600 men, RM, average 27th Ga., 600 men, RM, average 28th Ga., 500 men, RM, elite 6th Florida Batt., 400 man, RM, average

2nd Brigade: Brig. General G. P. Harrison, benefit 1, orders 2 32nd Ga., 1,000 men, RM, average 64th Ga., 750 men, RM, green 1st Ga. Regulars, 800 men, RM, average 1st Florida Batt., 750 men, RM, average

Artillery: Chatham Art., 4 x 12 lb. Napoleons, average Gamble's Bty., 4 x 12 lb. Howitzers, average Guerard's Bty., 4 x 10 lb. Parrotts, average

Cavalry Brigade: Colonel C. Smith, benefit 1, orders 2 2nd Florida Cav., 200 men, MLC, average 4th Ga. Cav., 200 man, BLC, elite 5th Florida Cav., 200 men, MLC, average

Large Map (slow: 87K)
Jumbo Map (extremely slow: 321K)

Related

The Battle of OceanPond (Olustee)

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com