8th United States Colored Troops
Unit History

1863
Sept. 22-Dec. 4
Organized at Camp William Penn, Philadelphia, Penn.

1864
Jan. 16
Left Philadelphia by sea for Hilton Head, South Carolina
Feb.
 Attached to Howell's Brigade, District of Hilton Head, S. C., Dept. of the South
Feb. 5-6
 Expedition from Hilton Head, S. C., to Jacksonville, Fla.
Feb. 7
 Occupation of Jacksonville
Feb.-April
 Attached to Hawley's Brigade, Seymour's Division, District of Florida, Dept. of the South
Feb. 8
 Camp Finnegan, Fla.
Feb. 8-20
Advance into North Central Florida
Feb. 20
 Battle of Olustee. Fla.
Feb.-April 16
 Retreat to Jacksonville, Fla., and duty there
To Aug.
 Attached to District of Florida, Dept. of the South
April 17-Aug.
 Moved to St. John's Bluff, Fla.
July 23-28
Raid on Baldwin, Fla.
Aug. 4-12
Moved by sea to Deep Bottom, Va.
To Dec.
 Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 1Oth Corps, Army of the James, Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina
Aug. 12
 Action at Deep Bottom, Va.
To Sept. 27
 Duty at Deep Bottom and in trenches before Petersburg, Va.
Sept. 28-30
Battle of Chaffin's Farm, New Market Heights, Va.
Sept. 29
Fort Harrison, Va.
Oct. 13
Action at Darbytown Road, Va.
Oct. 27-28
Battle of Fair Oaks, Va.

1865
To April
Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 25th Corps
To March 27
 In trenches before Richmond, Va.
March 28-April 9
Appomattox Campaign, Va.
March 29-31
Hatcher's Run, Va.
April 2
Fall of Petersburg
April 3-9
Pursuit of Lee through Virginia
April 9
Appomattox Court House. Surrender of Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia
April 11-May 24
 Moved to Petersburg, Va., and duty there
May 24
 Sailed from City Point for Texas
To Nov.
Attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 25th Corps, and Dept. of Texas
To Nov.
 Duty at Ringgold Barracks and on the Rio Grande, Texas
Nov. 10
 Mustered out
Nov. 10-Dec.3
 Moved by sea to Philadelphia, Penn.
Dec. 12
 Discharged

During its Civil War career the 8th United States Colored Troops lost during service 4 Officers and 115 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and 132 enlisted men by disease. Total 251.

Editor's Note: After comparing the maps of the battle, I think it is reasonable to assume that, during at least one point during the Battle of Olustee, the 8th United States Colored Troops and the 64th Georiga Infantry exchanged fire. If so, then it is interesting to speculate if the 8th USCT, which took heavy casulties during this battle, revenged itself later in the war. Both the 8th USCT and the 64th Georiga were at Deep Bottom, Va, during the same period. The company commander for F Co., 64th Georgia, of which Pvt. Edmond Hardy Jones was a member, wrote to Pvt. Jones' wife on August 22, 1864, that her husband was killed at Deep Bottom on August 16th. Stranger things happened during the Civil War.

Totals of casualties in this official history and on the previous page on the 8th USCT do not match. But this is common in Civil War records.

Battle of Olustee home page
http://battleofolustee.org/