Battle of Olustee  "Purely Political Reasons"  February 20, 1864

"I wish the thing done in the most speedy way possible", wrote President Abraham Lincoln to Union Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore, commander of the Department of the South, in a letter delivered in person by Lincoln's 25 year old private secretary, John Hay. Lincoln believed that the state of Florida, sparsely populated, defended only by a state militia, and of little strategic value, could easily be taken by federal forces and reconstructed into the Union in accordance with the President's Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. Lincoln ordered this military move for purely political reasons: the state, reconstructed in the Republican party mold, would bolster Lincoln's support in Congress and add Republican votes in the upcoming presidential election.

Gillmore was delighted at the prospect of leaving the frustrating stalemate that had developed at Charleston Harbor and opening a new campaign that seemed assured of victory. On February 6, 1864, the Union force of about 8,000 men boarded transports at Hilton Head, SC. Arriving at Jacksonville, Fla., the next morning, they quickly secured that undefended town as a base of operations. With a plan to push east from Jacksonville along the Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad to the Suwannee River, 60 miles away, Gillmore set out on February 8 across the sandy barren country. Two-thirds of the way to the Suwannee, reports of Rebel massing up ahead and a severe supply problem caused Gillmore to turn his column around and march back to Jacksonville, where he promptly boarded a ship back to South Carolina to make arrangements to correct his logistical problems.

Gen. Truman Seymour was left in charge of the campaign with strict orders not to advance east but simply to consolidate the gains around Jacksonville.

Fascinating Fact:  John Hay traveled to Florida with the expedition, carrying thousands of certificates of loyalty to be signed by penitent Floridians. He purchased land in Jacksonville so that once 10 percent of the voters proclaimed their loyalty and the state was reformed, he would be a legal resident eligible for election to the U.S. Congress.


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