Ocala Resident to discuss

The Battle of Olustee,

largest battle of Civil War in Florida

 Keith Kohl, resident of Ocala, Florida will be detailing the  1864 Union expedition into Florida and events leading up to the largest battle of the war in the state.  

Mr. Kohl will present the lecture in a period Civil War uniform.  He will discuss the Battle of Olustee at the Third Thursday Lecture at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 16th at the Mandarin Community Club.

The free quarterly event is sponsored by the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society and the Mandarin Community Club.  It will be held at the Community Club, located at 12447 Mandarin Road.  Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. prior to the lecture.

Kohl, a Living History re-enactor for 28 years, has portrayed numerous impressions covering several periods of Florida history.  The American Civil War and especially Florida's role in the conflict is a keen area of interest to Mr. Kohl.

He has taken part in Living History reenactment events all around the eastern U.S. and in England.  Mr. Kohl is an avid writer, often combining his passions for writing and history.  Further he has written numerous articles for other area newspapers, programs and magazines, both in print and in online format on the internet. 

Mr. Kohl's recently published book, Florida's Civil War Years, addresses the political and military aspects of the Civil War in Florida as well as the experiences of the civilians remaining at the home front.  The work is highlighted by numerous illustrations, including period photographs and drawings, maps and author's photographs.  

The annual reenactment of the Battle of Olustee is held February 17-19 at the Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, in Olustee, Florida.  For more information, contact http://floridastateparks.org/olusteebattlefield/events.cfm.