GHG Ghost Hunters

On February 20,1864, a full-scale battle took place in the pine woods and swamp lands near a railroad station named Olustee, which is about ten miles east of Lake City in north-central Florida. The battle raged for only four hours but when it ended, the Union Army had suffered a scathing defeat. Of the more than 5,000 Union forces that had entered the battle, 203 were killed, 1,152 were wounded, and 506 were missing for a total of 1,861 losses. The Confederate forces, which also numbered just over 5,000 had its share of losses with 93 killed, 847 wounded, and 6 missing for a total of 946. The casualties at Olustee were staggering compared to the numbers that fought there. The loss amounts to about 40% for the Union and 20% for the Confederates. In proportion to the number of troops involved, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.

In January of 1864, Confederate forces noted the movement of the Union troops and began to prepare for an offensive. The defense of Florida was placed in the hands of Brigadier General Joseph Finegan and Brigadier General Alfred Colquitt. Once it was apparent the Union forces were moving westward in Florida, Finegan began searching for the Confederate army's best defendable position.

Finegan found that position at Olustee. With a lake called Ocean Pond on his left, a nearly impassable swamp on his right and only a narrow passage between, he called for troops to help defend Florida. Colquitt answered that call, bringing veteran troops from Savannah, Georgia. The Confederates built strong earthworks and waited for the Union advance.

The Union campaign commanded by General Truman A. Seymour embarked at Hilton Head, S.C. Their immediate objective was a fourth occupation of Jacksonville, landing there on February 7, 1864. The force could then disrupt transportation links and deprive the Confederacy of food supplies from central Florida, capture cotton, turpentine and timber, gain black recruits for the Union army; and induce Unionists in east Florida to organize a loyal state government. Seymour's scouts and raiders moved west and met little opposition.

Early in the morning of February 20, 1864, General Seymour's army left Barbers' Station and moved westward towards Lake City. His army was divided into three brigades of infantry, one brigade of mounted troops, and supporting artillery. They advanced in three columns along the Lake City and Jacksonville Road, which ran roughly parallel to the Florida Atlantic and Gulf-Central Railroad. The Union cavalry was in the vanguard, followed by the infantry.

In the early afternoon of that same day the advance elements of the Union cavalry began skirmishing with a few Confederates that appeared to their front a few miles west of Sanderson and drove the Confederates westward towards the railroad station at Olustee.

Finegan's army formed the Confederate line at Olustee with the infantry in the center and the cavalry on each flank. As the skirmishing intensified, both Finegan and Seymour fed additional troops into the battle. The battle raged until dusk when General Seymour realized the Union had lost the battle. To prevent a rout and to cover his retreat, he sent forward his last reserves which consisted of the 35th United States Colored Troops and the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. The brigade stopped the Confederates for a brief time, enabling Seymour to begin withdrawing his other forces. Many were wounded and a large amount of equipment had to be abandoned in the Union retreat.

In 1899 Florida legislature created a commission to select a site and to raise funds for a suitable monument to commemorate the battle. The site was acquired by the state of Florida in 1909. The monument was built in 1912 and dedicated in 1913, just 49 years after the battle.

For more information about this battle, please visit these links:
http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/
http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/battles/fl005.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6732/files/rgs_olustee.html
http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/battle.html

Haunted History We have not heard of any hauntings in this area other than the two links below.

Shadowlands reports that orbs and figures can be seen late at night or when the re-enactment comes stating that sometimes voices can be heard.

Florida Reenactors Online has a story submitted by one of the Olustee re-enactment participants.

Our Report: Six members of GHG met up with Matt, Tim and Glenn, three members from our Jacksonville Ghost Tracker affiliate, North Florida Paranormal Research and their friend, Russ for the 139th anniversary of the Battle of Olustee. It was like stepping into a time warp. We were in the year 1864 and all around us were tents that sutlers (merchants who followed the regiments to the edges of battle during the war) had set up to hawk their wares. We browsed through the tents finding everything from bayonets to hoop skirts. Muskets could be purchased for about $300 and a ball gown might range from $100 to $500 not to mention the additional costs for all the undergarments that went along with the gown. We saw both confederate and union uniforms ranging in price from $100 to $1000. Boots could cost about $150, a short jacket $250 and a cap $90. The final price tag is actually reasonable when you consider the extraordinary attention to detail that is paid to the clothing and supplies. Most of the clothing is hand-sewn of regulation cloth from a regulation pattern and weigh an authentic 21 ounces per square yard.

Women were garbed in their hoop skirts, capes and lacy hats and men, some dressed as Confederate, some dressed as Union mill around the sutler village. They browse through the clothing, cooking utensils, knives and guns, books, candy, and bedding. They dress history, talk history and eat history. They give living history demonstrations of medical practices, cooking, period music concerts, period church services, and authentic camp sites. These men, women and children are dedicated beyond measure spending their own funds to present a physical and spiritual history from the 1860s.

After browsing through the sutler village, we walked through the woods to the battlefield for the much anticipated battle. Again, we felt as though we had traveled thru time as we watched the Union troops pushing the Confederates through the woods toward the battlefield. We watched as the Union mounted its attack, the cannon and rifle fire so realistic that we wanted to duck for cover. The sounds from the cannons and their smoke rings wafting into the air like halos, the smell of gunpowder, the sound of the
drums, the horses rearing up in battle and the screams of the men 'dying' as they fought were so real that you could feel their pain.

After the battle ended and the spectators had left, we walked through the authentic camp area with circa 1864 army regulation tents. We watched as the re-enactors cooked their evening meals, sewed their clothing, played checkers, and cleaned their guns. All the re-enactors we spoke with were very friendly, always willing to share with us a bit of history and their personal experiences.

Later that night, we visited the cemetery adjacent to the battlefield where the fallen union soldiers had been buried in a mass grave.

Before going to Olustee, we thought it would be our mission to find spirit activity but once we got there we were so caught up in the history and the day that we did not set up any equipment. We did speak with a few re-enactors about spirits and spirit activity at the battlefield and took a few pictures, both 35mm and digital which can be seen above.

We walked away from Olustee with a sadness in our hearts for all the pain and suffering those soldiers and their families had to experience on that bloody February day in 1864. It gave us a greater appreciation for life and liberty. We encourage anyone who has never attended a re-enactment to please do so. It will be an experience you won't forget.

Investigator's Note: Matt and Tim went back to the battlefield early Sunday morning. They were sitting on the bleachers enjoying the peace and quiet, watching as the re-enactors were setting the charges for the battle that day (which was canceled due to rain). Matt took some photos and did capture an orb in one. Matt stated that "the flash wasn't on/in use so that rules out the flash having just bounced off particles in the air... Had to be something out there giving off its own source of light... nice capture."

We were told by several people that the location of the cemetery and Union camp reenactment is believed to be where the heat of the battle occurred. Swine dug up the shallow union graves and consumed the bodies. In later years, people would find bones of the union troops and keep them for souvenirs. They would also dig bullets out of the near by oaks.

We must take into consideration when viewing these photos that not all of them may be actual anomaly. Given the fact that there were more than 8,000 re-enactors and spectators present during the day, there had to be a lot of dust particles. There was also smoke from campfires.

Present: 6 GHG members, 3 North Florida Paranormal Research members and 1 guest

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2003

Temperature: 76° average day temp, mid 50's at night

Solar X-Ray: Active

Geomagnetic Field: Unsettled

Moon: 1 night before full moon

Photos taken by Marlene

Union soldiers preparing cannons, orb above cannon	Orbs or dust? Each camera used resulting in pictures like this	A massive pan of green beans! Orbs are easily seen in with the campfire smoke	This photo demonstrates women sewing at their camp with visiting orbs

Orbs seemed to follow the marching band...or was it dust?	Checkers anyone? Are spirits looking on?	View of camp area as soldiers and families settled in for the evening	Soldiers resting at their camp...dust or orbs?

What appears to be ecto seems to be coming from between the woods and the camp	A confederate and his date on their wall to the ball, spectators had been gone about an hour when this was taken and the camp was quiet, could these be orbs be spirits?	April was showing the couple the picture she had just taken, maybe the spirits were trying to see also...	Ghost Tracker Matt and orb
Photos taken by Angie

Lady cooking her evening meal	Same photo enhanced to show orbs	Lora in the cemetery	Same photo enhanced to show orbs

This was taken in the same location as Marlene's second photo above	Same photo enhanced to show orbs	Cross in cemetery commemorating the fallen union soldiers (photo taken by Glenn)	Same cross, photo taken at night with bright orb
Photos taken by Glenn

Union soldiers retreating and caring for their wounded	Union troops marching into battle	Spectators watching the ensuing battle, notice the large orb in the top left corner	Union soldiers firing upon the Confederates

Confederate soldiers after they had won the battle	Glenn checked Sunday to see if there was anything reflective near the ground that would have caused this to look like an orb and found nothing	Lora watching as Angie and Angie takes pictures at the cemetery	This was taken in the same area as Marlene's second photo and Angie's fifth
Photos taken by Matt

Smoke ring from cannon fire	Union troops	Orbs in cemetery	Beth with an orb friend

In the cemetery, April is on the right with a bright orb, Glenn is on the left with a strange light near his feet		Angie taking a picture with an orb friend, also pictured are Lora, April & Marlene
Photos taken by Beth

This is where everyone was standing when we each got the orbs in the same area, refer to Glenn's last photo	Pictured left to right: Orbs, Lora, Angie, Marlene, April, Leona, Glenn and Russ	Although the photo is a little out of focus, the orb between April and Tim is very much in focus, there are several faint orbs above it	Leona with several orbs
Photos taken by April

Union troops falling in combat	Confederate troops after the Union troops retreated	Glenn taking photo of the area where we captured all the orbs (refer to his last photo shown above)	Same photo as Marlene's (shown above) just seconds after she took her photo

Confederate soldiers resting after the battle, large orb top right	In the cemetery, Tim, Marlene and orb and Beth	Multiple orbs in the cemetery	The bright circle is the moon, what's odd is that Both Angie and April could see an orb to the right of the moon thru their cameras viewers. The ecto, we believe may smoke