The Battle of Olustee 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Florida History > Item 286
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The Battle of Olustee 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida
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by Robert P. Broadwater
Sales Rank: 1528700
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List Price: $35.00
$35.00
At Amazon
on 8-3-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 224 pages
Published by: McFarland & Company, Publisher July 12, 2006
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0786425415
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0786425419
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
Weighs: 9.6 ounces
Product Description
When the Civil War began in 1861, Florida—although the third state to secede from the Union—was of little strategic importance to North or South. By the end of 1863, this position had changed dramatically. For the struggling Confederacy, Florida had become a crucial source of supplies, most especially for the troops in Savannah and Charleston. President Lincoln, soon to be seeking re-election and facing immense dissatisfaction due to the course which the war had taken, was desperately seeking some method of remedying his political situation. Bringing a reconstructed Florida back into the Union, with delegates who he hoped would be friendly to the Republican cause, seemed to be an ideal solution. Thus the Union launched a last-minute endeavor to regain control of Florida, an effort that culminated in the Battle of Olustee. Compiled from primary sources such as diaries and journals, this work tells the story of the failed Union attempt to wrest control of eastern and central Florida away from the Confederacy. From the legislature to the battlefield, it details maneuvers military and political that went into the Florida campaign. The main focus of the work is the Battle of Olustee, or Ocean Pond, as it was known in the South. One of the bloodiest battles of the war with inordinately high casualties (171/2 percent for the Confederates, 35 percent for the Union), this conflict took place in February 1864 between troops commanded by Union General Truman Seymour and Confederate General Joseph Finegan. Little more than a bloody stalemate between generals who lacked significant military experience, the battle nevertheless decisively ended Union hopes of regaining Florida. Appendices provide details on the opposing armies, a list of casualties by unit and enlistment of black troops by state. Contemporary photographs and an index are also included.
About The Author
Robert P. Broadwater has written seventeeen books and more than 100 magazine articles dealing with the Civil War and the Revolution. He is the author of Chickamauga, Andersonville, Fort Sumter and Guard Duty at Home (2006), The Battle of Perryville, 1862 (2005) and and lives in Bellwood, Pennsylvania.
Reader Reviews
I purchased this book as part of my studies of Olustee, reading it after "Confederate Florida" by William H. Nulty. If I had not read the Nulty book, this book would have been incomprehensible. Even with the Nulty book and a visit to the battlefield, I had problems following the campaign. The author writes well and this is a readable book. There is no problem with the narration of the campaign or the presentation of his ideas. For that reason I gave this book two stars. The major problem is the book contains one contemporary map of the battlefield that is illegible, at the front of the book and no campaign map. Unless you can place Fernandina, Jacksonville, Lake City, Baldwin, Sanderson and Olustee with no problems, you are lost! It helps if you know how the railroads run in 1864 and the difference between the Florida RR and the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf RR too. If you do not, this will just add to your comprehension problem. As the Union army advances, the reader is clueless as to where the elements are and how they relate to the mission. Publishers refuse to understand that an illustration is not a substitute for a map. It is possible they do and simply do not care if the book is usable or not, since this is an obscure battle. A second problem is the acceptance of the idea that Lincoln ordered this campaign in hopes of having Florida's votes in November. Nulty discusses this idea and shows where it is wrong. Broadwater accepts the idea but contradicts himself several times in the lead up to the campaign. Florida was the major supplier of beef to the CSA's armies by 1864. The campaign was to stop the expansion of the railroad to Georgia and to cut off this supply of food. The last problem is this is not a $35 book. It is a paperback with about 190 pages of text, no usable maps and some illustrations. I knew the book was over priced but hoped for a usable history that would increase my knowledge of the campaign. It taught me not to waste my money on books published by McFarland & Company.
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The Battle of Olustee 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida
Available from Amazon
Price: $35.00
Updated on 8-3-2008.
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