"'Victory at Olustee,' as title headings in history books call it, was conjured up a generation after the Civil War ended. State law ordained that all children be taught the fictional version, and a Confederate war monument was not erected in Olustee until 1912 at the insistence of white supremacist nostalgists. The 'reenactment' of the battle, an even more recent anachronism, dates back only to 1977. Participants in the actual battle recalled how horrible it was; just getting there was an ordeal of mud and insects. Today’s reenactors strut their stuff on a clear-cut parade ground. The murder of the wounded plays no role in the festivities. In most accounts the presence of black troops, let along their heroism, is never mentioned."
Upon the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Olustee, T.D. Allman at The Daily Beast disputes neo-Confederate memory of Florida's largest Civil War conflict.
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