On the eighteenth of February, however, General Seymour again took the field, and marched from Jacksonville with a force of five thousand men, with ten days’ rations, and advanced sixteen miles on the line of the railroad the first day. On the second day he moved seventeen miles, and reached Barber’s Station, his men much exhausted by marching over bad roads. The twentieth proved to be a beautiful day, and the army started at an early hour, with the cavalry in advance. The line of march was now across the south fork of the St. Mary’s and towards Sanderson, nine miles distant, which place they reached without halting. The sky was clear, and the savannahs, stretching on either side of the sandy road winding through the pine woods were warm with the sunshine. The infantry now made a short halt, but the cavalry kept its position about two miles in advance. The march was resumed at midday toward Lake City. General Seymour’s force moved in three columns, Colonel Hawley’s brigade on the left, Colonel Barton’s in the centre, and Colonel Scammon’s regiment on the extreme right. The cavalry in advance were led by Colonel Henry with Elder’s battery. In the rear was the colored brigade led by Colonel Montgomery. BATTLE OF OLUSTEE. FEBRUARY 20, 1864. About six miles from Sanderson the enemy’s mounted pickets, thirty or forty in number, were met and driven in after exchanging shots. The main body hurried forward a distance of two miles, when three or four cannon shot of the enemy fell among the head of the column. Skirmishing commenced immediately. The artillery dashed into position on the gallop, the infantry on the double-quick step, and in a brief period of time a severe battle was progressing. Elder’s battery unlimbered at the head of the road, Hamilton’s to the left, and Langdon’s on the extreme left, opening at short range with canister shot. The artillery of the enemy consisted of four or five guns, and was badly served at first, being fired too high to do injury. General Seymour’s line of infantry was well formed for the position. With the exception of a small field of a few acres, it was in the woods, amid a heavy growth of pine timber, and with swampy ground intervening between it and the enemy, of whose position nothing was known. The battle lasted for three hours. Two of the Federal batteries were disabled early in the action. The Seventh New Hampshire broke, but was rallied again. The Eighth United States colored fought well until the loss of their leader, when they fled. The contest closed at dusk, when General Seymour, finding his force repulsed with some loss, and the colored reserve unequal to the emergency, retired from the field, leaving his dead and wounded. The retreat, for a short distance, was conducted in successive lines of battle, but finding the enemy were not disposed to follow, the line was changed, and the force retired in