The 1864 Battle of Olustee was by far the largest battle fought in Florida during the Civil War and yielded a plethora of battlefield artifacts.

Nearly 11,000 soldiers engaged in the battle -- that ended in more than 2800 casualties and a Confederate victory. Tens of thousands of bullets were exchanged during the battle, with 20-thousand of them fired by the men of the U.S. 54th Massachusetts, an all-African American federal unit that fought there.

In 1994, archaeologists studied the Baker County site -- near Lake City--where the Battle of Olustee unfolded. Here they uncovered artifacts and identified features of the battle including the sites of field hospitals, earthworks, and camps. Not surprisingly, most the metal artifacts recovered were rifle bullets.

The size of the bullets varied but several were identified as coming from one particular type of rifle -- the Enfield. This British gun was used by both the North and South throughout the war.

Written and produced by the Florida Public Archaeology Network, WUWF Public Media, and narrated by Dr. Judy Bense. Image provided by the Florida Memory Project.