CA 265
1993 Fact card by Atlas Editions on the Battle of Olustee. On February 20, 1864, the Battle of Olustee (also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond) was fought in Baker County, Florida. It was the largest battle of the Civil War fought in Florida and involved more than 10,000 soldiers, including three regiments of US Colored Troops. Anxious to avenge the Battery Wagner repulse, the Fifty-fourth was the best black regiment available to General Seymour, the Union commander of the Florida Expedition. However, only 13 officers and 497 enlisted men from companies B, C, D, F, G, H, I and K were present at Olustee, two other companies, A and E, having been detailed for guard duty at Barbers Plantation.
Along with the 35th United States Colored Troops, the Fifty-fourth entered the fighting late in the day at Olustee, and helped save the Union army from complete disaster. The Fifty-fourth marched into battle yelling, "Three cheers for Massachusetts and seven dollars a month." The latter referred to the difference in pay between white and colored Union infantry, long a sore point with colored troops. Congress had just passed a bill correcting this and giving colored troops equal pay. However, word of the bill would not reach these troops until after the battle of Olustee. The regiment lost eighty-six men in the battle, the lowest number of the three black regiments present. The 54th Massachustetts, as well as the 35th United States Colored Troops, served as the rearguard for the Union Army and possibly prevented its destruction. B
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