Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[468] negro brigade was in the rear. The army numbered about five thousand men, and had eight days rations. Nothing of interest occurred until about two o'clock in the afternoon, when the head of the column, after a weary march of sixteen miles, reached a point on the railway, two or three miles east of Olustee Station, where that road passed through a broad cypress swamp, and the dirt road, turning at a right-angle, made a circuit to avoid it. There Finnegan had disposed his men in ambush, under cover of the swamp and a heavy pine forest, one flank resting on the latter, and the other on Ocean Pond. Into this net, Seymour's wearied van marched at the hour above named, and were at close quarters with the enemy before they had. any suspicions of his presence.

That critical situation demanded prompt and skillful action. Colonel Henry's cavalry, with Stevens's battalion and Hawley's Seventh Connecticut; were in the advance, and drew the first fire. It was an eccentric one, and very destructive. Finding his men falling rapidly, Hawley ordered up the Seventh New Hampshire, Colonel Abbott, to its support, and the batteries. of Hamilton, Elder, and Langdon moved into action. The Nationals had. sixteen guns; the Confederates had only four left. Unfortunately, the former were placed so close up to the concealed foe, that the sharp-shooters of. the latter easily shot the artillerists and artillery horses. Hamilton's battery went into the fight within one hundred and fifty yards of the Confederate front, and, in the space of twenty minutes, forty of its fifty horses were slain, and forty-five of its eighty-two men were disabled. Then the remainder fell back, leaving two of their four guns behind them.

The fight raged furiously, and Seymour was seen everywhere, at points of greatest peril, directing it on the part of the Nationals. The Seventh New Hampshire was soon losing so heavily, that Hawley ordered up the Eighth United States negro regiment, Colonel Fribley, to its support. That regiment had never been under fire. Its fortitude was remarkable. For nearly two hours it held its position in front, and lost three hundred and fifty men, with its commander mortally wounded. Then Colonel Barton led his brigade (Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth, and One Hundred and Fifteenth New York) into the hottest of the fight. It suffered dreadfully, but fought on gallantly. Finally, Colonel Montgomery went into the battle with his negro brigade (Fifty-fourth Massachusetts and First North Carolina), just in time to check a Confederate charge. But they were soon overpowered and driven back, the North Carolina regiment leaving its colonel, lieutenant-colonel, major, and adjutant, dead on the field. This interference with the Confederate charge, saved the Nationals from total rout, for Seymour took advantage of it, to readjust his forces. Then, giving his foe four volleys of grape-shot from his batteries, he ordered a retreat at about four o'clock. It was performed in good order, covered by the Seventh Connecticut. There was no effective pursuit. Seymour carried away about a thousand of his wounded, and left about two hundred and fifty on the field, besides many dead and dying. The estimated loss to the Nationals, in this expedition, was about two thousand men, and provisions and stores burnt, to prevent them falling into the hands of the Confederates, valued at one million dollars at least. The Confederate loss was about one thousand men, and several guns. The National troops retreated to Jacksonville, and then returned to