So, here we have a flag in the Fort Clinch visitor center. It does not say, but from its condition, I am guessing it is a reproduction that has been flown over the fort in modern times.
Here is the current flag, a reproduction of the US flag in use in 1864. This is actually the most popular design of the 36 star flag, and several other variations existed.
This is my wife's version of the flag-in-the-window shot.
The Union campaign that climaxed in the Battle of Olustee (or Ocean Pond) began in February 1864, when troops commanded by General Truman A. Seymour embarked at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Their immediate objective was a fourth occupation of Jacksonville. The force could then disrupt transportation links and deprive the Confederacy of food supplies from central Florida; capture cotton, turpentine and timber; gain black recruits for the Union army; and induce Unionists in east Florida to organize a loyal state government.
Seymour's expeditionary force landed at Jacksonville on Feb 7. Scouts and raiders moved west and met little opposition.Meanwhile, during the month of January, movement of the Federal fleet had been noted by the Confederate forces, and they began to prepare for an offensive. The defense of Florida was placed in the hands of Brig. General Joseph Finegan and Brig. General Alfred Colquitt. Once it was apparent the Union forces were moving westward in Florida, Finegan began searching for the Confederate army's best defendable position.Finegan found that position at Olustee. With a lake called Ocean Pond on his left, a nearly impassable swamp on his right and only a narrow passage between, he called for troops to help defend Florida. Colquitt answered that call, bringing veteran troops from Savannah, Georgia.
On Feb 20, the Union force of 5,500 men and 16 cannon marched westward from Barber's Plantation, near modern day Macclenny. Their plan was to defeat the Confederates 32 miles away, near Lake City, and then cut off the railroad there. But by this time, the Confederate forces almost equaled the Union opposing army in number, and Finegan sent skirmishers to draw the Union forces to Olustee. The Union army drove the Confederate cavalry back several miles, but resistance kept growing stronger. H.W.B. Athens wrote "At 8 o' clock in the morning on the 20th instant we were informed that the Yankees were advancing. A part of the brigade was immediately ordered to some rifle pits hastily constrcuted near at hand, the remainder forming line of battle in open field. In this position we patiently waited the coming of the foe for an hour, when our General, who is a fair man, concluded to meet halfway." The opposing armies made contact that afternoon and the Confederate line was formed, infantry in the center with cavalry on each flank.
The battle was joined on the floor of a forest of virgin pines, free of underbrush. Men fought in the open forest; neither force constructed earthworks. The Union army was cauhgt between two swamps, one preventing their advance, and one hindering a retreat. Initially, neither side expected the battle here to amount to much.
Around 2 PM, the battle intensified as the 7th Connecticut opened up heavy fire with their Spencer repeating rifles. This caught the 64th Georgia off guard and killed all of their field officers. Colonel Barrow of the 64th had told his men "I am sure that we are in the right, and that God is on our side. Follow me today, my men, and I will lead you to the enemy. Remember, that the honor of Georgia rests with you." Soon after saying these words, Col Barrow was shot through the heart by a Union bullet and killed instantly. The 7th Connecticut advanced quickly, and soon found themselves ahead of the rest of the army, and in a deadly crossfire. The Union advance was finally halted when they ran low on ammunition and witdrew several hundred yards. Milton M. Woodford of the 7th CT wrote home "As we advanced, the enemy retired, keeping just in sight. Whenever we could get near enough to atnd any chance of doing execution we would blaze away at them and they returned the fire in a way that showed that they were good marksmen, for their shots came plenty near enough, although none of us were hit."
By 3 Pm, the 7th New Hampshire deployed on the Union right flank, battling heavy fire from the Confederates. The regiment had earlier been ordered to exchange their Spencer repeating rifles for old, defective muskets, many of which did not even fire. Colonel Hawley, leading the 7th new Hampshire, either gave a wrong command or his command was misunderstood, causing the confused 7th to scatter to the rear.
The 8th US Colored troops with no battle experience and little traing were deployed on the Union left flank. They had less than one month's service and had never practiced firing their weapons. They were severely mauled at a railroad crossing east of Olustee. Of the 375 men in this troop, 310 were killed or wounded. The 8th US Regimental Surgeon wrote "Here they stood for two hours... under one of the most terrible fires I ever witnessed, and here on the field of Olustee, was decided whether the colored man had the courage to stand without shelter, and run the dangers of the battlefield, and when I tell you that they stand with a fire in frint, on their flank without flinching, I have no doubt as to the center of every man who has gratitude for the defenders of his country, white or black."
Around this time, Colonel Harrison arrived with Confederate reinforcements. The area recently vacated by the 7th New Hampshire now came under concentrated fire. The train also had a large cannon mounted on a flatcar which shot a lare shell every five minutes with devastating effects. By now the Union had five cannon captured and almost all others rendered useless. James H. Clark remarked "the horses and men were nearly all killed or wounded, and it was the greatest slaughter among artillery known in the history of the war."
By now the Union felt the day was lost, but the 54th Massachusetts and 1st North Carolina US Colored advanced, staggering the enemy.
The 1899 Florida legislature created a commission to select a site and to raise funds for a suitable monument to commemorate the battle. The site was acquired by the state of Florida in 1909. the monument was built in 1912 and dedicated in 1913, just 49 years after the battle.
A small onsite museum has several artifacts, but does not say if they are originals or reproductions.
During Florida's territorial and early statehood time period, the land where the Lake Jackson Mounds are was owned by Col. Robert Butler. He was the state's first Surveyor General when Andrew Jackson was governor. Under his ownership, much of the land was used as a plantation, but some remained in its natural state. Here are some photos from the nature trail through the upland pinelands that surround the park today.
Looks like some trail improvement going on. Should be interesting to come back again in a few years and see how it looks.
This area waslabeled as "historical," but with no explanation why.
I have no idea what this fascinating plant is. I even looked in books and online, with no luck. Does anyone know?
These steep-walled, forested ravines are locally called "steepheads" and are normally found along the east bank of the Apalachicola River in Liberty and Gadsen counties. Most have small streams and a cool, moist microclimate, quite different from that of the surrounding terrain. The flora, in part, consists of Southern Magnolia, Redbud, and the Oakleaf Hydrangea. All have a rich herb and vina flora,includingmany fern species such as Maiden, Venus Hair, and Southern Lady ferns, most of which are often rare elsewhere. Related ravone forests occur along mainly the northern tier of counties in the panhandle. All with similar flora and faunas.
Getting late in the day...
Termite paradise?
This is Lake Jackson, just a quick jaunt away from the park.
This is the Lake Jackson mounds site, on the northern edgeof the Talahassee area. The site consists of six arthen temple mounds, two of which can be visited. There is evidence that the Lake Jackson Indians participated in a southeastern socio-religous complex known to archaeologists as the Southern Cult or Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, which flurished around 1200 AD. It is believed that the society had a well organized political system with tribal leaders residing in regional centers, such as this one. The remains of important tribal members have been found here with burial objects such as copper breast plates, shell beaded necklaces, braclets, anklets, and cloaks. These indicate trading ties with other major pre-historic settlements throughout the southeast. They traded shell beads and tools, as well as salt and shark teeth, in exchange for copper, soapstone, and mica
This site was abandoned around 1500 AD for unknown reasons. Descendants of the residents here met members of the De Soto expedition in 1540.
When I came here before in 2003, there was a large orange sign here that said "Water not fit for consumption, do not drink." Since the sign is nolonger here, does that mean it's now safe? *shudders*
It is hard to imagine how the site would have looked, as erosion and vandalism have taken their toll on the mounds, and plants have overgrown the site as well.
The people here are knwon to have hunted deer, turkeys, turtles, fish, and other small game using spears, bow and arrows, traps and snares. They also grew corn, beans and squash, as well as gathering berries and roots. They built small, simple houses of natural materials, but did most activities outdoors.
This is a book I no longer have and really wish I still did. Though with moving to Connecticut soon, maybe it doesn't matter so much. Anyway, this book by local author Alejandro De Quesada is an excellent guide to the forts of Florida. The book is arranged in time periods, from the earliest colonial settlements to the defensive sites of the Cold War. The book covers all existing forts and several forts that are long gone, with a fascinating historical text, along with descriptions and photos of the sites today. Several are National or State parks, some are cared for by other agencies, and some are simply neglected and left to the raveges of nature. This book is excellent for a history of the state or for someone wanting to see historic places in Florida. Also good because it has good information about topics that are otherwise hard to find, such as the Seminole Wars and the early colonial disputes. Overall and excellent book, highly reccomended for anyone living in or near Florida. It can be found on Amazon here.
This is one of the most fascinating little known sites in the country. Located where the Wakulla and St Marks rivers converge near the Gulf Coast, this is the site of a fort owned by the Spanish, British, Muskogee, Confederates, and US. It's history begins earlier, though, with the doomed expedition of Panfilo de Navarez, who came north from Tampa in 1528. When he failed to find gold and riches, he built rafts near here to return to his ships, but the ships and two of the rafts were destroyed in a storm. After a long overland trek, only four men survived the ill-fated expedition. Hernando De Soto passed through here on a much more succesful expedition in 1539.
By 1679, the Spanish began construction on a wooden fort on this spot, the logs covered with lime to look like stone. This ruse only lasted three years before the fort was burned by pirates. It was not until 1718 that Captain Jose Primo de Ribera began to build another wooden fort.
Artist's concept of the early Spanish fort.
The first stone fort here was begun in 1739, but construction was slow, and it was only half finished when the fort was transferred to the British in 1763. By 1787 Spain occupied the fort again as a result of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution. Seen here are the remains of the Spanish Bombproof, or magazine. It was built with limestone from about a mile downriver, and had four rooms with arched ceilings and strong doors. Its roof served as a firing position for troops on the north wall of the fort. Much of the stone fort was destroyed by a hurricane in 1851. Stones from the bombproof were used later to build a lighthouse and Marine hospital. When Confederates occupied the fort, they placed a battery of canon here.
This piece of mortar from the Spanish Bombproof shows the finger markings of a construction worker in the upper left corner. Someone also very obviously formed their name or initials with stone chips in the mortar.
This is the keystone from the Bombproof. The keystone was placed in the entrance arch of forts and magazines to hold the doorway together, and as a symbol that it is finished.
The original moat of the Spanish stone fort. In 1800, a former British officer, William Augustus Bowles, united groups of Creek and Seminole Indians into a nation they called Muskogee. This nation made a capital near modern tallahasee and eventually captured the fort here at San Marcos. Not long after, the fort was retaken by the Spanish and Bowles was taken as a prisoner to Havana, Cuba, where he died.
The remains here are what is left of the north wall of the Spanish fort. In 1817, prompted by Indian raids into Georgia, and by slaves running away to Spanish Florida, the United States began the First Seminole War. As part of this, Andrew Jackson was ordered to invade Spanish held Florida. In April 1818, Jackson siezed the lightly defended San Marcos, where he believed the Natives were getting war supplies. He wrote "To prevent the recurrence of so gross a violation of neutrality, and to exclude our savage enemies from so strong a hold as St Marks, I deem it expedient to garrison that fortress with American troops until the close of the present war. This measure is justifiable on the immutable priciple of self defense, and can not but be satisfactory, under existing circumstances, to his Catholic Majesty the King of Spain." In addition to attacking Spanish and Indians here, he found a Scottish agent, Alexander Arbuthnot, who he accused of selling arms to the Indians. Later in his campaign, he found another British agent named Robert Ambrister. Both men were given a military tribunal here, and were executed. Britain had serious discussions about war over the incident, but cooler heads prevailed. The US House of Representatives stated "The House of Representatives of the United States disapproves the proceedings in the trial and execution of Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert C. Armbrister. This House disapproves of the seizure of the post of St Marks and Pensacola, contrary to orders, and in violation of the Constitution." More importantly, as a result of Jackson's succesful campaign and Spain's weak control over Florida, the territory was sold to the United States in 1821. 
In 1857-58, a Marine Hospital was built near the fort, using stones from the Spanish Bombproof. This facility provided care for local yellow fever victims. The modern park visitor center, seen here, is built on the foundation of the hospital.
In 1861, Confederate forces took control of the fort, renaming it Fort Ward. During the war, the river was blockaded by the Union Navy, but the local blockade runner The Spray was one of the most successful of the war, delivering salt as cargo. In 1864 a Union raid destroyed many nearby kettles and furnaces of salt. In 1865, a Union invasion was stalled by running aground while trying to avoid the fort. The soldiers disembarked the ships, and result was the Battle of Natural Bridge, that stopped the invasion. Seen here is the large earthen magazine built by the Confederates.
Looking down the Confederate magazine into the Spanish moat. The last soldiers to occupy the fort were Union Colored Infantry under Col Joseph Shaw. They left in 1866, and the fort became a part of history.
Here is the surviving portion of the out wall of the Spanish stone fort. In 1996, the State Park Service built a wooden covering to protect the wall from the river, which had been eroding it.
Here is a canon in the visitor center. Based on its condition I am guessing it is authentic, probably one of the Spanish canon by its design.
This appears to be a grave, located atop the Confederate magazine. I have no idea the story behind it. If anyone does, please tell me!
This cemetery is near the visitor center, and is where several unknown soldiers from Jackson's army are buried.
Marker at the cemetery
Marker for Luther Tucker, near the site of the original fort.
Marker at the original fort site
