Saint Gaudin’s Shaw Memorial in Boston is one of the few Civil War Monuments to clearly depict Black soldiers, in this case the 54 US “Colored Infantry” as it was officially designated. Clearly these figures are of real people , not just stylized images. As mentioned in an earlier “Connections” piece, this unit was immortalized not only in this artistic piece but in the acclaimed film “Glory.” Photo by Joe Kitchens

There is a second casting of the Shaw memorial bronze in the garden at the St. Gaudens home and museum maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Photo by Joe Kitchens
St. Gaudens was an artist of world renown and sculpted many celebrities who were his contemporaries, including General William Tecumseh Sherman and Secretary of State John Hay. This is his self portrait. Photo by Joe Kitchens

When historical lives and events intersect in unexpected ways, I find it exciting as I hope you do. Here is a new one. The 54th USCR fought not only at Fort Wagner, part of the defenses at Charleston, but they were also deployed in early 1864 to the Florida Coast. Union forces were ordered there to establish a base of operations at Jacksonville. From there the 5,000 man force was to destroy confederate food supplies and salt production sites that helped feed the confederate army. Salt was essential in slaughtering beef which had to be preserved in salt because there was no refrigeration at the time. It was estimated that there were about two million head of cattle in north Florida foraging in the longleaf pine forests and feeding off of the wiregrass the grew beneath them. (I will tell the story in a later piece of how cattle droving moved through the longleaf forests of the deep south to emerge as the Cattle Bonanza in post-Civil War Texas.)

The federal forces, which included the 54th Regiment USCI, began moving into the interior along the Florida and Gulf Railroad. They expected little resistance. Instead the confederate army included recently raised regiments from Georgia to stop the invasion of north Florida. And there were political stakes: if the Florida capital could be occupied and the confederate government removed, Florida’s votes might sway the next presidential election. The stakes were high because the election was expected to be close. Many northerners were sick of the war by this time..

The climax came on February 20, 1864 near Ocean Pond west of Jacksonville, when federal forces encountered fortified confederate positions and faced a withering fire from sharpshooters scattered in the pines. The result was the second bloodiest day in the Civil War, if this is calculated by the percentage of casualties compared to the number of combatants. Federal casualties were 1,861 and the confederate loses were 946. Each force originally numbered about 5,000.

The Battle of Ocean Pond (Olustee) from a 19th centry engarving . Wikepedia. Clearly, the artist had never seen longleaf pines. The victorious confederates managed to capture half a dozen pieces of field artillery.

The confederates were clear victors and the federals were forced to retreat. The 54th Regiment, which had been held in reserve, was deployed to make an orderly retreat possible. But it also was tasked with literally pushing a railroad engine and cars that broke down while attempting to evacuate the federal wounded. They pushed for several miles by hand before horses could be brought up brought up to retrieve the men.

Known as the Battle of Olustee, this was a Confederate victory, though a tarnished one, as there as at least one report of confederates shooting wounded black soldiers, allegedly out of frustration at having to fight freed slaves. The battle is recalled every year on its anniversary with a reenactment. Lincoln won the election, by the way.

This standing statue of Lincoln by Saint Gaudens is less seen by tourists perhaps,
than is Daniel French’s seated Lincoln in Washington. Photo by Joe Kitchens.