The only major engagement fought on Florida soil was the Battle of Olustee, or Ocean Pond. In February, 1864, troops commanded by General Seymour embarked at Hilton Head, SC - their immediate objective was occupation of Jacksonville, FL. From there they could disrupt transportation links and deprive the Confederacy of food supplies from central Florida; capture cotton, timber, and other goods; gain black recruits for the Union army; and induce Unionists in east Florida to organize a loyal state government. They arrived at Jacksonville on February 7, 1864, and headed west meeting little opposition. However, the Confederates had noticed the movement of the Union fleet and prepared for an offensive under Generals Finegan and Colquitt. When they discovered Union forces moving west, they determined that their best defensive position was at Olustee. With a lake called Ocean Pond on the left, a nearly impassable swamp on the right and only a narrow passage between, they took up their positions along with some veteran troops from Savannah, Georgia. On Feb. 20, the Union force of 5,500 men marched toward the Confederate force of almost equal number. The men fought in open forest with neither side having constructed any earthworks. The battle continued until dark when the Union troops began a quick retreat. Union forces remained in Jacksonville and its immediate area until the end of the war.
In proportion to the number of troops involved, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War (1,861 Union casualties and 946 Confederate). Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park now commemorates the site and battle reenactments take place every year.