Near Olustee in Baker County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Battle of Olustee Union Memorial
Front
the officers and
soldiers of the
United States Army
who fell in
the Battle of
Olustee
February 20, 1864
This memorial replaces
the original wooden one
erected in this site
May 1866
Right side
and
Peace
Participating Units
Col. W B Barton Bde.
47th, 48th, 115th. N.Y. Vol.
Col. J Montgomery Command
1st N.C. Vol U.S.C.T.
54th Mass. Vol.
Col. J R Hawley Bde.
7th Conn. Vol.
7th NH Vol.
8th U.S.C.T.
Profit by
the Example of
the Dead
Participating Units
Col. G.V. Henry Cmd.
40th Mass. Mtd. Inf.
Btry B. 1st U.S. Horse Arty.
Ind. Bn. Mass. Cav.
Cpt. J. Hamilton Cmd
Btry. E, 3rd U.S. Arty.
Btry. M, 1st U.S. Arty.
Btry. C, 3rd R.I. Arty.
Det. 1st NY Engs
Left side
Country
Erected 1991 by Union Army District of Fla.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant day of the year for for this entry is May 31.
Location. 30° 12.743′ N, 82° 23.432′ W. Marker is near Olustee, Florida, in Baker County. Marker can be reached from Michael Cason Road east of 17 Mile Camp Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Michael Cason Road, Olustee FL 32072, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Legacy Remembered (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Olustee Battlefield (about 800 feet away); Brig. Gen. Joseph Finegan (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battle of Ocean Pond (or The Battle of Olustee) (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Yankees are Coming (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Battle of Olustee (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cries and Cheers (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fight or Die (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Olustee.
Regarding Battle of Olustee Union Memorial. Following the end of the Civil War, the Olustee battlefield site was virtually forgotten. In 1866, a U.S. Army detachment under the command of Lieutenant Frederick E. Grossman visited the battlefield to collect the remains of the Union soldiers that had been hastily buried on the field in 1864. Grossman reported finding the remains of some 125 soldiers and placing them together in a mass grave. A twelve-foot high wooden monument was placed over the site, and the area was surrounded by a fence. Among the inscriptions added to the monument were the words: "To the memory of the officers and soldiers of the United States Army who fell in the Battle of Olustee, February 20, 1864."
Apparently the marker survived only a few years, as in 1873 an Olustee veteran visiting the area noted that a portion of the fencing was all that remained. In 1991, a replica of this monument was erected on the spot where the original monument is believed to have been placed. As no record exists to indicate their removal, it is thought by most students of the battle that the remains of the Union dead are still located in the mass grave in which they were buried in 1866. Source: Battle of Olustee website.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 675 times since then and 85 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 8, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.