NO KNOWN COPIES
414
●
(MILITARY—CIVIL WAR 54th MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEER REGI-
MENT.)
Report of the Battle of Olustee and list of casualties, as it appeared in
Volume I, Number 1 of The Palmetto Herald, March 3, 1864.
Small folio, folded to
form four pages; toned with a couple of tiny holes at the conjunction of the folds, perfectly
legible in context.
Port Royal, 1864
[1,500/2,500]
A RARE COPY OF THE FIRST ISSUE OF THIS
UNION PAPER
,
PRINTED ON A FIELD PRESS IN
CAPTURED TERRITORY
.
The Battle of Olustee, or
Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County,
Florida on February 20, 1864 and was the largest
battle fought in Florida during the war. The article,
reporting the battle with a list of the casualties came
barely 10 days afterward, while there were still a
number of missing, presumably captured or fled. Also
reported is a gang rape of a local widow by four
“stragglers” from the 55th Regiment who were
apprehended, given a “drum head” court-marshal
and hung. The writer describes the battle as “san-
guinary.” Union casualties were 203 killed, 1,152
wounded, and 506 missing, a total of 1,861 men-
about 34 percent. The bravery of the colored troops of
the 54th Massachusetts and the First South
Carolina Regiments is particularly noted.
NO
COPIES OF THIS PAPER ARE KNOWN TO EXIST
,
WITH ONLY ONE LIBRARY HOLDING A MICRO
-
FORM COPY OF VOLUME
1,
NUMBER
1
THROUGH
44 (
DECEMBER
1864).
415
●
(MILITARY—CIVIL WAR.) COLORED TROOPS.
Headquarters, Tenth
Army Corps. General Orders No. 25.
Small 8vo leaf, printed on one side; creases
where folded; some light soil.
In the Field, Fuzell’s Mills, VA, August 19th, 1864
[400/600]
VERY SCARCE FIELD PRINTING
,
congratulating the 10th Army on it success, going on to
specifically praise the behavior of the colored troops.
413
