Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park preserves the ground on which Florida’s largest Civil War engagement, the Battle of Olustee or Ocean Pond, was fought on February 20, 1864. Set within the pine flatwoods of what is now Osceola National Forest, the site allows close study of how terrain, rail access, and supply concerns shaped a campaign aimed at disrupting Confederate logistics in the state. Though the State of Florida owns only a small core of the acreage, it manages hundreds of additional acres of original battlefield under agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, underscoring the cooperative effort required to protect dispersed combat landscapes. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, the park also reflects evolving memorial traditions: a monument first championed by the United Daughters of the Confederacy at the turn of the twentieth century became the nucleus for a broader, more inclusive interpretation of the battle and its aftermath. Trails and interpretive features trace the lines where Union and Confederate forces clashed, giving military history enthusiasts a focused setting to examine tactics, casualties, and the wider strategic context of the 1864 Florida campaign.