As a 6th generation Floridian I have always had a deep appetite for Florida history. I have lived near the Olustee Battlefield for 74 years and particularly have had a deep fascination with that time in February 20, 1864 when 2 Armies collided resulting in the the only major Civil War battle fought in Florida. My connection goes even deeper with my Great Great Grandfather Andrew Jackson Padgett who served in the 6th Florida Battalion which later became the 9th Florida Infantry. Another connection with the battle was with my Grandfather Barney Jackson Padgett who deeded some of the battlefield property to the federal government in 1936. Fast forward to 1986 when I did an article for the Blue Grey Magazine on the battle of Olustee, I had hired a researcher to search for material related to the battle in the National Archives. One of the interesting things he found was that the Federal Government in 1866 sent a detachment of the 7th U.S. Infantry to ascertain the fate of the Union soldiers left on the battlefield after the battle. Over the years since my article no new research on the fate of the Union dead has been forthcoming in any of the recent publications. The only new material that I am aware of was from the excellent 1996 David Coles' doctoral dissertation on the Battle of Olustee. David Coles is now a college professor at Longwood college in Farmville, Virginia. Recently there has been a flurry of erroneous material from people who should know better. My friend Don Hillhouse embarked on a journey to tell the true story of the Union dead and to correct the erroneous information that has recently surfaced . Don Hillhouse has always been an avid researcher with an interest in the Battle of Olustee. He too had an ancestor who fought at Olustee in a Florida regiment. Well written and exciting story on the fate of the union dead

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