Col. J. J. Dickison, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 11.2, Florida
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

‘On the night of the 8th,’ General Finegan reported,

the enemy advanced from Jacksonville with great rapidity in three columns, cavalry in the advance, artillery and infantry following, under command of Brigadier-General Seymour. They approached Camp Finegan as the command there were in the act of retiring. Their largely superior numbers deterred Lieutenant-Colonel Mc-Cormick from attacking them, and in the darkness of the night he withdrew his command with caution and address and joined me at Camp Beauregard, near Ocean pond on the Olustee, on the 13th inst. The enemy with celerity pressed on to Baldwin, capturing on the way five guns of Companies A and B, Milton light artillery, which had been ordered to Baldwin. They remained at Baldwin a short time, continuing their march on to Barber's the same night. At this point they were met by two companies of cavalry under Maj. Robert Harrison, Second Florida cavalry, whom I had ordered to join me, and who with much gallantry checked their progress for several hours at St. Mary's crossing with but small loss to us and a considerable loss to the enemy. On the 9th I removed all the government stores from Sanderson except 1,500 bushels of corn, which was burned under my orders.

On the 10th the enemy reached Sanderson. On the 11th they were within 3 miles of Lake City. Here I had hastily collected, principally from the district of middle Florida, a small force of 490 infantry, 110 cavalry and two pieces of artillery. On the night of the 10th I placed this force in a favorable position two and a half miles from Lake City, in the direction of the enemy. At 9:30 the enemy advanced upon us with a force estimated to be 1,400 mounted infantry and five pieces of artillery. Here they opened upon us, fighting as infantry, and skirmished heavily with my advance line. Discovering my position and its strength and probably presuming my force larger than it was, they retreated to Sanderson,