February 20, 1864---The Battle of Olustee, Florida

FEBRUARY 20, 1864:        

The Battle of Olustee, Florida (The Battle of Ocean Pond). The largest Civil War battle in Florida was fought in the north central region of the State between a Confederate force of 5,000 and a Union force of 5,500. The capture of Olustee was planned by the Union to be prefatory to the capture of Tallahassee, the State capital. However, the Union commanders misjudged the situation badly, throwing units piecemeal at the Confederates who were not, as presumed, local militia but seasoned Confederate regulars. In the end, Olustee was a severe Union defeat.

For its size, the Battle of Olustee had one of the highest casualty rates of any Civil War battle. The 47th New York Volunteers suffered over 300 casualties, the greatest number of any Union regiment during the battle. Total Union casualties were 2,500. It is speculated that one reason that Olustee was so bloody was that the Confederates faced large numbers of U.S.C.T., who when captured were not treated according to the rules of war but were tortured and murdered as runaway slaves. Confederate losses numbered 1,000. 

 

After the loss at Olustee, the Union determined that the capture of Tallahassee was not a crucial strategic or tactical priority, and did not attempt to operate in inland Florida for the remainder of the war.

February 19, 1864---An Abolitionist Haven

FEBRUARY 19, 1864:         

Of all the States of the Union, Massachusetts was well-known to be the center of gravity of the Abolitionist Movement. President Lincoln, seeking a safe haven for the millions of slaves ultimately to be emancipated, wrote to the Governor of Massachusetts asking if the Bay State could set aside land --- in effect an African-American Reservation --- for the freed people. This plan, like Lincoln’s earlier suggestions for the colonization of Panama and a mass emigration to Liberia, went nowhere.  

February 18, 1864---The loss of the C.S.S. H. L. HUNLEY

FEBRUARY 18, 1864:         

The submarine C.S.S. H.L. HUNLEY sinks the U.S.S. HOUSATONIC in Charleston Harbor. Although the H.L. HUNLEY is the first combat submarine to ever successfully sink an enemy craft, the H.L. HUNLEY is caught in the detonation of its own torpedo, and itself sinks with all hands for the third and final time. This time the ship is unrecoverable.

When the H.L. HUNLEY is finally discovered and raised in 1995, the remains of her crew are found at their stations.

February 17, 1864---"Bluebacks"

FEBRUARY 17, 1864:         

The seventh, and last, issue of Confederate currency is released.

The $5 bill is also known as the “Lincoln assassination note” as one was found in his pocket after his death.

Most of the denominations had no reverse engraving, just a blue back with a simple number for denomination, since the engraver’s plates, made in London, had been captured aboard an interdicted blockade runner.

The Confederacy’s “Partisan Ranger Act” is repealed due to the fact that most of the “Partisan Rangers” have degenerated into outlaws. Only John S. Mosby’s troop in eastern Virginia and J. H. McNeill’s troop in western Virginia retain their legal status as Partisan Rangers.