Olustee Battle Re-Enactment, February 1995. Photo: Steve Knight

Olustee Battle Festival & Re-enactment

The only major Civil War battle fought in Florida, Olustee resulted in a Confederate victory on February 20, 1864. The three-day commemoration includes a memorial service in Lake City, followed by one of the state's largest parades featuring hundreds of re-enactors. Educational displays and living history demonstrations help tell the story. On the third day, the battle is re-enacted at Olustee Battlefield State Historic Site by more than 2,000 participants. Begun in 1977 and sponsored in part by the Blue-Grey Army, Olustee is now the largest annual Civil War re-enactment in the southeastern United States. The project includes fifteen pages of historical text, 46 photographs, a battle documentary videotape, a cassette tape of regimental band music, posters, festival programs, and other promotional materials.

Originally submitted by: Karen L. Thurman, Representative (5th District).

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