Letter from Lt. Oliver Norton
8th United States Colored Troops

Oliver Willcox Norton served as an enlisted man in the Eighty-third Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during the first half of the war. He enlisted at Springfield, 28 August 1861, and was wounded at Gaines' Mill, Virginia, on 27 June 1862. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Eight United States Colored Troops on 10 November 1863. This unit, consisting of black enlistees and white commissioned officers, received its baptism of fire at Olustee, suffering terrible casualties.

Following the war, Oliver Norton authored two books: Army Letters, 1861-1865, (mentioned above) in 1903; and The Attack and Defense of Little Round Top, in 1919. Both were reprinted by Morningside in 1978. The Eighty-third Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, of which Norton was a member, was part of Colonel Strong Vincent's brigade of infantry (83rd Pennsylvania, 16th Michigan, 44th New York and the 20th Maine) that defended and held Little Round Top during the second day at Gettysburg. Lieutenant Norton definitely "saw the elephant" during the War as he was in almost every major battle that the Army of the Potomac was in from 1861 until he departed for duty with the 8th United States Colored Troops.

After the battle of Olustee, Norton and the 8th USCT continued to serve in Florida, doing garrison duty and participating in raids until August 1864. The regiment was then sent north to join the Army of the James in Virginia.

The following letter is from the book Army Letters, 1861-1865, by Oliver Norton. It is published with the permission and through the courtesy of Mr. Robert Younger of Morningside Bookshop, Dayton, Ohio. This enthalling book is currently out of print and copies are difficult to find. The Webmaster of this site owns a copy that he refers to constantly as he does an impression of Lieutenant Norton at events around Florida.

Jacksonville, Fla.,
Monday, February 29, 1864.

Dear Sister L:

You will probably see accounts of the battle of Olustee, or Ocean Pond, in the papers. I have ordered a copy of the Brookville Republican, containing a letter from Dr. Heichold, descriptive of the battle, sent to you, but I will give you some of my own ideas about it, too; you always express a preference for them, you know.

Well, the morning of Saturday, the 20th, found us at Barber's Ford on the St. Mary's river ready to march and loaded down with ten days' rations. Our force consisted of the One hundred-fifteenth, Forty-seventh and Forty-eight New York Regiments, Seventh New Hampshire and Seventh Connecticut (repeating rifles), Fifty-fourth Massachusetts (colored) of Fort Wagner memory, the First North Carolina Colored and the Eighth, twenty pieces of artillery, one battalion cavalry and the Fortieth Massachusetts (mounted infantry).

We started marching in three columns, artillery in the road, flanked by the infantry on either side. After marching twelve miles we halted near a few desolate houses called Sanders and while resting heard a few musket shots in advance. We supposed our cavalry had met a few of the enemy's pickets. Their force was supposed to be at Lake City, twelve miles distant, so we moved on up the railroad. The skirmishing increased as we marched, but we paid little attention to it. Pretty soon the boom of a gun startled us a little, but not much, as we knew our flying artillery was ahead, but they boomed again and again and it began to look like a brush. An aide came dashing through the woods to us and the order was "double quick, march!" We turned into the woods and ran in the direction of the firing for half a mile, when the head of the column reached our batteries. The presiding genius, General Seymour, said: "Put your regiment in, Colonel Fribley," and left.

Military men say it takes veteran troops to maneuver under fire, but our regiment with knapsacks on and unloaded pieces, after a run of half a mile, formed a line under the most destructive fire I ever knew. We were not more than two hundred yards from the enemy, concealed in pits and behind trees, and what did the regiment do? At first they were stunned, bewildered, and knew not what to do. They curled to the ground, and as men fell around them they seemed terribly scared, but gradually they recovered their senses and commenced firing. And here was the great trouble - they could not use their arms to advantage. We have had very little practice in firing, and, though they could stand and be killed, they could not kill a concealed enemy fast enough to satisfy my feelings.

After seeing his men murdered as long as flesh and blood could endure it, Colonel Fribley ordered the regiment to fall back slowly, firing as they went. As the men fell back they gathered in groups like frightened sheep, and it was almost impossible to keep them from doing so. Into these groups the rebels poured the deadliest fire, almost every bullet hitting some one. Color bearer after color bearer was shot down and the colors seized by another. Behind us was a battery that was wretchedly managed. They had but little ammunition, but after firing that, they made no effort to get away with their pieces, but busied themselves in trying to keep us in front of them. Lieutenant Lewis seized the colors and planted them by a gun and tried to rally his men round them, but forgetting them for the moment, they were left there, and the battery was captured and our colors with it.

Colonel Fribley was killed soon after his order to fall back, and Major Burritt had both legs broken. We were without a commander, and every officer was doing his best to do something, he knew not what exactly. There was no leader. Seymour might better have been in his grave than there. Many will blame Lieutenant Lewis that the colors were lost. I do not think he can be blamed. Brave to rashness, he cannot be accused of cowardice, but man can not think of too many things.

Some things in this story look strange. Officers should know exactly what to do, you may say. Certainly, but it is a damper on that duty when there is a certainty on the mind that the commander does not know. When, with eight or ten regiments ready, you see only two or three fighting, and feel you are getting whipped from your general's incompetency, it is hard to be soldierly.

I saw from the commencement of our retreat that the day was lost, but I confess to you that I was in doubt whether I aught to stay and see my men shot down or take them to the rear. Soldierly feelings triumphed, but at what a cost.

Captain Dickey was shot early in the fight and the command of the company devolved on me. He was not seriously wounded, a ball through the face.

Captain Wagner was standing by me when he fell, pierced by three balls. I seized him and dragged him back a few rods and tow of his men then took him to the rear. I carried his sword through the fight. Several times I was on the point of throwing it away, thinking he must be dead, but I saved it and had the pleasure of giving it to him and hearing that he is likely to recover.

Of twenty-two officers that went into the fight, but two escaped without marks. Such accurate firing I never saw before. I was under the impression all the time that an inferior force was shipping us, but the deadly aim of their rifles told the story.

Well, you are, wanting to know how I came off, no doubt. With my usual narrow escapes, but escapes. My hat has five bullet holes in it. Don't start very much at that - they were a made by one bullet. You know the dent in the top of it. Well, the ball went trough the rim first and them through the top in this way. My hat was cocked up on one side so that it went through in that way and just drew the blood on my scalp. Of course a quarter of and inch lower would have broken my skull, but it was too high. Another ball cut away a coner of my haversack and one struck my scabbard. The only wonder is I was not killed, and the wonder grows with each succeeding fight, and this is the fifteenth or sixteenth, Yorktown, Hanover, Gaines Mill, Charles City, Malvern, Bull Run, Antietam, Shepherdstown Ford, Fredericksburg, Richards Ford, Chancellorsville, Loundon Valley, Gettysburg, Manassas Gap, Rappahannock Station and Olustee, to say nothing of the shelling at Harrison's Landing or the skirmish at Ely's Ford. Had any one told me when I enlisted that I should have to pass through so many I am afraid it would have daunted me. How Many more?

Company K went into the fight with fifty-five enlisted men and two officers. It came out with twenty-three and one officer. Of these but two men were not marked. That speaks volumes for the bravery of Negroes. Several of these twenty-three were quite badly cut, but they are present with the company. Ten were killed, four reported missing, though there is little doubt they are killed, too.

A flag of truce from the enemy brought the news that prisoners, black and white, were treated alike. I hope it is so, for I have sworn never to take a prisoner if my men left there were murdered.

This is the first letter I have written since the fight, and it is to you, my best beloved sister. It is written in haste, in a press of business, but you will excuse mistakes and my inattention to the matter of your own letter. You may pray for me - I need that, and do write to me as often as you find time.

External Web sites related to the Battle of Olustee
Army Letters, 1861-1865 - by 1st Lieutenant Oliver Willcox Norton

Other Letters from Olustee
Battle of Olustee home page
http://battleofolustee.org/