Battle of Olustee Reenactment

jackt62

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I attended the 152nd reenactment of the Battle of Olustee in northern Florida last weekend. Hope these pictures are interesting.

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Very nice! I had the opportunity to attend Olustee in Feb., 1989 when I was in Savannah working on Glory, but since we had only just begun filming and I wasn't specifically needed, I chose to instead do a little sight-seeing around Savannah. The production company sent a film crew there to take some general master shots and even attempted to make one of the Union reenactment units "resemble" the 54th Mass. (by placing a mere handful of black extras in the foreground of shots), but evidently that didn't work out, so the footage was scrapped though snippets of it survive in a later documentary about the 54th. A late long-time associate of mine on various film projects, Ray "Doc" Giron, was one of the original organizers of the Olustee event; it's nice to see it continues.
 
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Here are some photos of the monuments to the battle. The first one is located in Lake City, Florida about 15 miles west of Olustee State Park and battlefield. The other two show the monument dedicated in 1912 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The battlefield is today on parkland administered by the State of Florida.

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Very nice! I had the opportunity to attend Olustee in Feb., 1989 when I was in Savannah working on Glory, but since we had only just begun filming and I wasn't specifically needed, I chose to instead do a little sight-seeing around Savannah. The production company sent a film crew there to take some general master shots and even attempted to make one of the Union reenactment units "resemble" the 54th Mass. (by placing a mere handful of black extras in the foreground of shots), but evidently that didn't work out, so the footage was scrapped though snippets of it survive in a later documentary about the 54th. A late long-time associate of mine on various film projects, Ray "Doc" Giron, was one of the original organizers of the Olustee event; it's nice to see it continues.

I believe the Olustee event is the largest one of its kind in the southeast US.
 
Excellent pictures! Those blue uniforms are immaculate!

Unfortunately, I know the Battle of Olustee mainly for being a massacre of Union POWs after the combat was over.
 
Excellent pictures! Those blue uniforms are immaculate!

Unfortunately, I know the Battle of Olustee mainly for being a massacre of Union POWs after the combat was over.

This is how it is described in the website of the Battle of Olustee:

"A regrettable episode in the aftermath of the battle was the apparent mistreatment of Union black soldiers by the Confederates. Contemporary sources, many from the Confederate side, indicate that a number of black soldiers were killed on the battlefield by roaming bands of southern troops following the close of the fighting."
 
I was at Olustee a few years ago. Coldest night I ever spent outdoors when the temps dropped into the 20s. I slept right up next to the fire- half of me cooked while half froze. Miserable. I think thats why Im so happy on this break from a long march the next day-finally warm.
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I was at Olustee a few years ago. Coldest night I ever spent outdoors when the temps dropped into the 20s. I slept right up next to the fire- half of me cooked while half froze. Miserable. I think thats why Im so happy on this break from a long march the next day-finally warm.
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Yep!

That's a happy soldier alright!

(Or one so far around the bend, he's about to bayonet the next sergeant, officer, etc., that yells at him to get back into line.)

:wink:

Sincerely,
Unionblue
 
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