Start of the Second Seminole War
The beginning of the hostilities of the Second Seminole War, with all three wars known as the Florida War, had their roots in the Treaty of Camp Moultrie. Signed in September of 1823, the treaty was an agreement that said the Seminole tribe would be reimbursed for costs of cattle, pigs, and farming equipment of the day. They'd also be provided rations for a year and have their way paid as they relocated to a reservation in Central Florida. The agreement also said that the government would pay the relocated Seminole around $5,000 a year, for twenty years and provide other resources for that same length of time. Under this treaty, all slaves captured by the Seminole, on their reservation land, were supposed to be turned over to the authorities. The Seminoles believed they would stay on this land for twenty years.![]() |
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see also: The First Seminole War
May 9th, 1832 the Treaty of Payne's Landing was signed by fifteen chiefs of Seminole clans of Southern Florida. Many of the terms of the treaty were similar to the Treaty of Camp Moultrie. Only now, the Seminole would be ordered to locate to Indian Territory. At this time, the expanse of the Indian Territory stretched across all of Arkansas and Oklahoma. In 1835, some Seminole clans resisted leaving, or chose not to leave, as ordered by the treaties. They felt they were pressured by the U.S. government to sign the treaties. Freed blacks living amongst the Seminoles also feared for their future, their freedom, once the relocation commenced.
Clashes and incidents increased during the mid and latter part of 1835. This caused the rapid increase of hostility between federal forces and the Seminole. The first clash was at Hogtown in June, near present-day Gainesville, after seven Seminoles had gone beyond the reservation boundary to hunt.
On June 19th, five of the seven Seminoles we're waiting for the rest of their group to show up. The five were then seen by a group of whites. Soon enough, a disagreement began as the whites accused the Seminoles of killing a cow. The Seminoles were attacked by the men and hit by their bull whips. Around that time, the two other Seminoles from the group arrived and saw what was going on. They fired shots at the settlers and a small shootout began. One Seminole was killed and another was wounded. While the white settlers had three injured.
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On December 18th, 1835, Colonel John Warren and his men, all a part of the Florida Militia, were on their way to Micanopy. Warren then told Captain Richards to take a detachment of his militiamen and help escort three wagons and a cart with supplies. They split near Hogtown at Kanapaha Prairie. The wagons they were escorting were guarded at the front and rear by soldiers, about 100 paces ahead and behind the wagons. Washington Ives headed the forward force while J. Sumeral headed the rear forces. Thirteen men also walked alongside the wagons.
At Black Point, a force of around 80 Seminole warriors, led by Osceola, attacked them in an ambush. Some of the Florida militiamen reinforced their defense of the wagons while others ran off after the first shots were fired by the Seminole. After some of the men were shot and killed, Sumeral, Ives, and a man named Sparkman tried to retreat with a wounded man, Tillis, that they'd placed on the supply cart. They were unable to retreat but held defense until the cart horse was shot and killed. At that time, the Seminole switched attention and began taking ammunition from the supplies and setting the wagons on fire. Due to this, the men ended up surviving the attack. Around this time, 30 reinforcements, led by Major John McLemore and accompanied by Sergeant Hurst, took chase after the Seminole forces. Hurst was shot while McLemore lost a horse, then another, and had to charge the forces on foot with around 15 of his men. Though they were unable to pinpoint where the Seminole were at, as the Seminole were attacking from behind the bushes and trees. Major McLemore and his men then retreated to Fort Crum.
Days later, scouts were sent out and they spotted a small force of Seminole nearby an area where a house was on fire. With this news, Colonel Warren sent out some of his forces to charge the Seminole and push them out. After this attack, the Seminoles scattered and some of the remaining wagon supplies were found in the Seminole camp.
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Osceola and the Dinner Party Attack Outside Fort King
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Dade Massacre - Battle at Wahoo Swamp
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The actual reason they needed troops though was because General Clinch moved his forces to a sugar plantation near Micanopy, known as "Auld Lang Syne", due to a lack of provisions. He'd sent the message to Fort Brooke to provide forces for the defense of Fort King. Once Dade and his forces made it to the pine barrens, they believe they'd have no problem making it to Fort King without incident. As it seemed the pine barrens would be an unlikely place to be attacked by the Seminoles that were shadowing their movements and following them.
On December 28th of 1835, five days into the march and in the area of Wahoo Swamp, Chief Micanopy, Jumper, and Alligator were waiting to ambush the troops. A force of around 180-250 Seminoles were hidden by the cover of palmettos and pines. Micanopy decided to attack here and gave up waiting for Osceola to arrive. With swamps making it difficult for Dade and his men to escape they had no choice but to fight back. Unfortunately, Dade's men had their guard down and the Seminole knew this. Many of the troops had their weapons inside their coats or on the wagons to keep them from the moisture. Once the attack by the Seminole commenced, the gunfire from Micanopy and other Seminole guns killed or injured nearly half of the command. It was Micanopy's shot that killed Dade, making Dade the first casualty. A captain, Upton S. Fraser, was killed at nearly the same moment. Three of the six officers were wounded and only Captain George W. Gardiner was without injury. He commanded the remaining forces to return fire with their cannon.
This and a bit of confusion caused the Seminoles to pull their forces back a short distance. The Seminole forces believed all of Dade's men to be dead or injured. One of the Seminole went to Alligator and told them that Dade's men were building small defenses out of logs. Alligator and Jumper headed back to the area, with a few warriors, and started another attack on the army forces. This battle lasted from early morning, around 8 a.m. and lasted until approximately 2 p.m., according to army survivors of the battle.
The army forces were decimated and Ransom Clark, Edwin De Courcey, and Joseph Sprague (who left separate from the other men) made their escape and headed off towards Fort Brooke, despite being injured. They ran as the Seminoles overran the remaining men, killing off some of them, stripping off the troops' clothes and taking items from them. Following the Seminole were a force of escaped slaves, allied with the Seminole, that proceeded to strip and/or kill the remaining army forces. Dade's interpreter, a black man named Louis Pacheco, was taken as a captive. The Seminoles, suffering low casualties, went back to Wahoo Swamp to celebrate and rest. Clark and De Courcey split to avoid being caught after they were chased by Seminole a day after escaping the battle. De Courcey ended up being killed. While Clark made it back to the Fort Brooke after being helped by a Seminole woman, on horseback, about a mile from Fort Brooke. It was this unknown Seminole woman who took him closer to Fort Brooke and dropped him off near the fort. Sprague also arrived at the fort probably sometime after Clark.
The area of the ambush was left abandoned for almost two months before General Edmund Pendleton Gaines arrived. They arrived at the Dade Massacre site on February 20th, 1836. They proceeded to identify Dade's men and gave them proper military burials. The cannon, which the Seminoles had thrown into a nearby pond, was removed from the pond and became the headstone of the officers killed in the battle. It would only be after the cessation of the war, on August 14th, 1842, that the men buried there would be reinterred at the St. Augustine National Cemetery. The defeat at Wahoo Swamp was seen as one of the worst U.S. Army defeats by Native American forces. With only the Battle of the Little Bighorn and St. Clair's Defeat being thought of as being worse.
Events of 1836
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March 26th to April 5th, 1836
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The right wing of these forces were commanded by General Duncan Clinch and they numbered at 1,968. This number includes 720 regulars and the rest of the force being comprised of Georgia and Louisiana volunteers. They were to march from Fort Drane to Camp Izard, crossing Withlacoochee River at a point near Camp Izard and then drive the Seminole in a southward direction towards the other two wings.
The center wing were commanded by Colonel William Lindsay and numbered at 1,250 men. Of this number, 260 were volunteers from Florida, 750 Alabama volunteers, and members of the 4th Infantry. They were to head from Fort Brooke and north to the Cove of the Withlacoochee and head off the Seminoles fleeing the right wing.
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The left wing were commanded by General Abraham Eustis with 1,400 men. They were comprised of four companies of the First Regiment of Artillery, one regiment of South Carolina volunteer infantrymen, and a regiment of South Carolina mounted volunteers. They were to march from St Augustine to Mosquito Inlet (near present-day New Smyrna) then head off to Volusia. From Volusia, they were to cross St. John's river and head for an area near present-day Bushnell. From Bushnell, they were to head north and approach the Cove of the Withlacoochee by the way of Fort King.
Things didn't go as planned through due to the lack of roads and paths in the interior of Florida at the time. Also lacking were reliable maps of the region. So the only wing to make it to their objective was General Clinch's right wing. Eustis' left wing forces, in having to create their own roads, ran short on time and supplies. Instead of being able to reach Fort King, due to low supplies, they had to go to Fort Brooke instead. Lindsay's center wing also had a hard time. The relationship between the volunteers and the regulars were always strained and disagreements were becoming a regular occurrence. On the march to the Cove of Withlacoochee, Colonel Lindsay refused to allow the Alabama volunteers to carry or buy alcohol. Of course, this didn't help the already strained relations. When the forces reached the Hillsborough River, Colonel Lindsay made the decision to build a fort in this area to hold their supplies. They named it Fort Alabama to try and appease the Alabama volunteers. Though this fort is now known as Fort Foster. Here he posted a small force to garrison the fort and took the rest of the center wing north. For days, he tried to make contact with the other wings up until their rations were gone. Failing to make contact, they head back to Fort Alabama. When his men reach Fort Alabama they find that a group of Seminoles are inside the fort. His men fire upon the Seminoles and they scatter. When Lindsay's men enter the fort they discover that the garrison force has been killed and their food stolen. The center wing finally arrives at Fort Brooke on April 4th, completely out of rations.
As for the other wings, the left wing headed south from Fort Brooke to Pease Creek (modern-day Bradenton) and then back to Volusia. The right wing traveled, part of the way, along the Withlacoochee River and made their way back to Fort Drane. After all three wings made it to their destinations, the volunteers were released at the first opportunity since they'd fulfilled their commitment of service under the army. After this release, around 790 regular forces were left to defend against attacks from the Seminole. This would also mark the departure of General Winfield Scott from Florida, as he was recalled to Washington.
April 5th to April 17th, 1836
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April 20th, 1836
Soldiers on watch at Fort Drane are attacked in the middle of the night by Seminole forces who are attempting to capture the fort by surprise. This attack was one of the only attacks at night carried out by the Seminole. Their attacks are repelled and the fort is held.
May 17th, 1836
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July 9th, 1836
Fort Defiance, at Micanopy, comes under attack and is saved from capture due to a pincer movement against the Seminoles. They leave the fort and attack the Seminole forces on both flanks. Thus defeating their attempt to take the fort.
July 17th, 1836
Fort Drane, like Fort King, is abandoned due to sickness spread amongst its garrison. While the summer of 1836 was hard on many of these military forces, causing many deaths, disease and sickness didn't seem to affect the Seminole and their operations.
July 19th, 1836
The troops from now-abandoned Fort Drane are attacked as they were headed towards Fort Defiance. They are attacked in an area near Welika Pond and are aided by additional forces sent from Fort Defiance. The Seminole were repelled and the troops make their way to Fort Defiance.
July 23rd, 1836
A lighthouse keeper, John Thompson and an elderly black man, Aaron Carter, came under attack by Seminoles. Thompson and Carter ran to the lighthouse and locked the door just in time. The two of them made their way to an upper level of the lighthouse and Thompson began to shoot at the Seminole. This continued off and on throughout the day. The Seminole men set the door, and the boarded up window on the lower level of the lighthouse, on fire. Some of the earlier shots from the Seminole went through the lighthouse and allowed the flames to ignite leaking lamp oil tanks. Tanks which were on located on the bottom floor within the lighthouse. As the flames from below reached higher, Thompson and Carter retreated to the top level of the tower. Along with them, they took some gunpowder, a rifle, and some rifle balls. They also cut a part of the stairs below them away. As the fire reached higher they had to go outside of the lighthouse tower, and onto the top platform. It was said to have gotten bad enough that the glass panes of the lighthouse began to shatter. In fear of dying, and wanting to go quicker, Thompson threw the gunpowder barrel into the tower where it when down into the tower. The gunpowder exploded and though Thompson expected the gunpowder to collapse the tower when it exploded, it didn't. The fire was lessened by the explosion of the gunpowder though and the attacking Seminole got away from the lighthouse. Both men were wounded by shots and the fire and, unfortunately, Carter had succumbed to his gunshot wounds. Thompson had a wounded foot and a shattered ankle on his other leg and was trapped by the fire as he watched the Seminole burn another building and steal supplies. Soon after this, the Seminole left since they believed both Thompson and Carter were dead.
Lucky for Thompson, Marines had seen the flames and smoke from a distance and arrived later that day to investigate. They'd arrive on the schooner, “Motto”. While looking around, that's when they spotted Thompson. It took them a while but they rescued the injured and thirsty Thompson. They also brought Carter down, had a burial, and Thompson then took off with the Marines to Key West.
August 15th to 21st, 1836
Major Benjamin Kendrick Pierce is ordered to head with off to Fort Defiance with 125 men and 27 wagons. At Fort Defiance, he finds that 147 of its men are sick and was surprised to find the now abandoned Fort Drane under the control of Osceola. He gathered up around 110 men to retake the fort but when they arrived they surprised some of the Seminoles who were in a cleared area. Not being sure his forces could take on the Seminole force that had moved into the woods, they went back to Fort Defiance.
September 18th, 1836
Colonel John Warren, of the Florida Militia, has a force of 100 men and a cannon sent to San Felasco Hammock, near modern-day Gainesville. Along the way, they are ambushed by a large number of Seminole. They were charged by Seminole forces twice during the short battle and successfully fought them off, losing one soldier and a horse. Also on this day Governor Richard Call, after taking command of all forces in Florida on May 30th, begins his campaign.
October 8th to 17th, 1836
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November 13th, 1836
With the Seminole out of the area, Call's force cross the Withlacoochee River and begin the search for the Seminole stronghold. While searching, they find three empty villages and proceed to burn all of the dwellings down. Trying to find the Seminole more quickly, Call makes the decision to split his force in two. He takes command of the northern wing and gives command of the southern wing to Colonel Benjamin Pierce. The forces are to meet up at Dade's Battlefield (site of the Dade Massacre) in a few days.
November 17th, 1836
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November 18th, 1836
Call's northern wing finds another village during their march. Only this one is far larger with nearly 700 people. Call orders his men into a single line with infantrymen in the middle and the mounted Tennessee volunteers on the flanks. The infantry is then ordered to charge as the volunteers move to prevent their envelopment. This engagement also lasts around a half-an-hour, with 25 Seminoles killed and Call's forces losing 3 men and 12 men being wounded.
November 19th, 1836
The northern and southern wings meet up at Dade's Battlefield.
November 21st, 1836
With both of the wings now together, Governor Call begins to carry out the plans to take a village in the area of Wahoo Swamp. Again, he has his troops march in a single line, with this line being about a mile long. Orders were to not fire until they were around fifty yards from the enemy. Then they would fire a volley and proceed to charge with their bayonets. Things became chaotic as Call's men had trouble getting through the thick underbrush as they chased the fleeing Seminole. They reached a dark water stream and stopped since they believed it was too deep to cross. Major David Moniac got closer to stream and began looking for somewhere to cross. He then stepped into the water to check its depth, only to be killed by a shot from the Seminole. Call's forces fell back to a resupply area since they couldn't cross the stream. Later on, from intelligence sources, they found out the force on the other side was comprised of 420 Seminoles and 200 blacks. Those forces were led by Yaholoochee and Osuchee.
On November 22nd, Call's force marched to Fort Barnell, in Volusia, which was about 60 miles from the area of Wahoo Swamp and they arrive at Fort Barnell around November 27th.
December 9th, 1836
Governor Call receives orders to turn command of all of Florida's forces over to General Thomas Sidney Jesup.
December 12th, 1836
Violating truces, General Jesup decides to try to locate and capture Micanopy and his forces. That or Osceola and his forces, who he knew were in the area of Tampa Bay. Around this time, he also had a fort built upon the site of Dade's Battlefield and named it Fort Armstrong. The fort was named after the man who designed it, Major Robert Armstrong, commander of the Tennessee volunteers.
He also makes the decision to reduce the number of necessary forts during the Withlacoochee River campaigns. These forts were kept garrisoned as supply stops:
Fort Armstrong - Their 'home fort', on the site of Dade's Battlefield
Fort Barnwell - At Volusia and twelves miles south of Lake George
Fort Clinch - Located at the mouth of the Withlacoochee River
Fort Dade - Along the Withlacoochee River and 29 miles from Fort Foster
Fort Drane – Southwest of modern-day Micanopy
Fort Foster - Along the Hillsborough River and 25 miles from modern-day Thonotosassa
Events of 1837
January 10th, 1837![]() |
By Charles Fenderich (1805-1887) (Transferred from [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
January 17th, 1837
Black Seminole John Caesar and a force of 14 blacks and Seminoles, had attempted to capture Hanson's plantation, in St. Augustine, earlier in the day. Failing, they retreated and went to their hideaway about 30 miles from the plantation. At night, Caesar and his men were attacked by the St. Augustine Militia. During this confrontation, John Caesar was killed. As were two of his men. This loss, along with the loss of Caesar, was a huge blow to the Seminole.
January 22nd, 1837
General Jesup and his men, made of a mix of Alabama volunteers, regulars, Creeks, Georgia mounted volunteers and Marines depart for Fort Armstrong.
January 23rd, 1837
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By Joshua R. Giddings [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
January 27th, 1837
A different group of Jesup's men find a village near Lake Tohopekaliga. After they battle, they capture 100 horses, 25 blacks, and 5 Seminole.
It was after this confrontation that General Jesup made a decision to change up his tactics and more routinely divide up his army into smaller groups. This was out of only encountering small forces of Seminoles and having multiple groups made it easier to find them.
Jesup's men were divided as such:
Cover of the Withlacoochee - Lt. Col. Foster and 500 men are commanded to hunt the Tallahassee clans in this area.
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By Wutz (en.wikipedia.org) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Northern St. Johns River region – Lieutenant Colonel Alexander C.W. Fanning would send his forces south from the headwaters of the river and search for King Philip's (Emathla's) forces.
Orange Lake area – Another force of Dragoons patrolled this region for any hostile forces.
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By Zachary_Taylor_half_plate_daguerreotype_c1843-45.png: unknown, possibly Maguire of New Orleans derivative work: Beao [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
February 3rd, 1837
Alligator, Jumper, and Micanopy arrive at Fort Dade to make an agreement on a ceasefire. It was decided that the negotiations would continue on February 8th.
February 8th, 1837
Alligator, Jumper, and Micanopy do not show up at Fort Dade.
While encamped at Lake Monroe, Colonel Fanning and his forces were attacked at sunrise by combined forces of King Philip's and his son Coacoochee. A steamboat patrolling on the lake was able to aid Fanning's forces with artillery fire. After the battle, a fort was built and named after the first man killed in this battle, Captain Charles Mellon.
February 9th, 1837
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By TomFawls (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons |
March 6th, 1837
Some Seminole, and allied forces, agree to surrender at Fort Brooke. From there, they'll await relocation from the area. Also, in this agreement was that the blacks with them would be allowed to be relocated too. Which was central to this agreement, as it had not been included with the earlier Treaty of Payne's Landing.
April 5th, 1837
As per the agreement, a boundary is established from the Hillsborough River and eastward. No whites are allowed to cross into this region.
April 8th, 1837
An agreement made between General Jesup and several influential chiefs, made in secret, wherein all (former) slaves taken in the war would be turned over. Though, this would cause many problems as the Seminole and other tribes, clans didn't keep track of the numbers of ex-slaves taken.
April 18th, 1837
Arriving at Fort Brooke, Yaholoochee and his band turn themselves in. At Fort Mellon, numerous clans arrive. Including the clans of King Philip, Tuskinia, Coacoochee, Coa Hadjo, Sam Jones, and even Osceola's.
April 29th, 1837
General Jesup writes, in a letter, that he believes the Second Seminole War is soon to wind down and end.
May 1st, 1837
Whites are granted permission to cross the Hillsborough boundary to retrieve cattle that have strayed onto that land.
June 2nd, 1837
Osceola and Sam Jones launch a raid on the detention camp near Fort Brooke with nearly 700 warriors. All the supplies are taken and those detained there scatter. The territory reverts back to a hostile area.
June 11th, 1837
The U.S. Army attempts to increase recruits from the Creek Nation by allowing all property taken by their forces to be kept by them. Though this also applies to any forces that capture property in Florida.
June 22nd, 1837
General Alexander Macomb offers to have General Jesup relieved from commanding Florida's forces but his offer is refused.
July 1837
The Army of Florida is now called the Army of the South.
August 1837
General Gaines looks to take over command of the Army of the South but fails.
September 1837
The alliance of the Seminoles and the blacks in Florida Territory begins to fall apart. Some blacks begin to move into the settlements and tell stories about the hardships they had living amongst the Seminole in the wilds.
September 6th, 1837
As per the agreement in April, all ex-slaves that were captured are to be turned over to the army. From there, the Secretary of War is to make a decision on what is to be done with them.
September 8th, 1837
An ex-slave, along with his wife, arrive at St. Augustine and agree to lead the army forces to where King Philip, his people, and his forces are, near Dunlawton Plantation. After this engagement, King Philip and the rest of the band are captured.
September 9th, 1837
After the capture of King Philip's band, the army heads towards a village where chief Uchee Billy and more Seminole are at. Uchee Billy is captured, by General Hernández and his men, along with his brother Uchee Jack and many other Seminole. The army loses one man, killed by Uchee Billy during his capture. The Seminole had one killed and several wounded. The area around St. Augustine is far less hostile after these captures.
October 1837
General Winfield Scott attempts to regain control of the Army of the South but fails.
October 27th, 1837
Osceola and his people arrive at Fort Mellon with a flag of truce. They are then captured. Osceola and Coa Hadjo are later sent to Fort Marion, in St. Augustine, and held.
Around this time, the Army of the South was split into four groups.
Colonel Zachary Taylor had command over the First Infantry Regiment and was to build a supply fort somewhere between the Kissimmee River and Pease Creek. They were also to engage the enemy whenever spotted.
Colonel Persifor Frazer Smith, commanding a regiment of Louisiana volunteers, was to patrol and defend an area south of Taylor, near the Caloosahatchee River.
Lieutenant Levin M. Powell, of the U.S. Navy, with sailors, artillery, and volunteer infantrymen patrolled the Everglades.
The main column of the army was split into four parts, as such:
Column One - General Hernández and his men were to move from Mosquito Inlet, head north, and then search the area east of St. Johns River.
Column Two – Colonel John Warren and his forces head south of the mouth of St. Johns River.
Column Three – General Abraham Eustis travel along the St. Johns River to destroy any villages they see.
Column Four – Operating from shortly-abandoned Fort King, they patrolled the areas of the St. Johns and Ocklawaha Rivers.
December 1837
Osceola is relocated to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina, along with other Seminoles.
December 5th, 1837
Cherokee leaders arrive in Florida, as a delegation, to try and end hostilities between the army and the Seminole. They took some of the local chiefs along with them. Like Osceola, they approached Fort Mellon with a flag of truce and were captured. Chiefs Micanopy, Nocose, Tuskegee, and Yaholoochee are sent to Fort Marion and held there.
December 19th, 1837
Colonel Taylor is permitted to find the enemy in the area of Lake Okeechobee.
December 20th, 1837
Twenty-six Seminole, including Chief Jumper, turn themselves in and Colonel Taylor takes them into custody.
December 21st, 1837
Colonel Taylor has Fort Basinger built and it becomes a supply stop for campaigns in the area of Lake Okeechobee.
December 25th, 1837
The Battle of Lake Okeechobee begins and is a massive defeat for the Army of the South. They lose 26 men and suffer 112 wounded. This battle temporarily halted Taylor's forces' southern advancement.
December 30th, 1837
Fort Christmas is built and garrisoned by General Jesup and his men.
Events of 1838
January 1838![]() |
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Fort Bassinger
Fort Floyd
Fort Hamer
Fort Myakka
Fort Pierce
January 3rd, 1838
General Jesup departs from Fort Christmas with his army column and head south.
January 15th, 1838
Lieutenant Powell's forces battle a band of Tuskegee near the headwaters of the Jupiter River.
January 18th, 1838
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John Plumbe [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
January 24th, 1838
General Jesup, and his force of 1500 soldiers, clash with 300 Seminole and the Battle of the Loxahatchee River begins. This is the last battle that General Jesup commands.
January 31st, 1838
Osceola is said to have died of quinsy while imprisoned at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina. His death occurs around three months after he was 'captured' in Florida. He was buried at Fort Moultrie with military honors.
February 8th, 1838
Hallec-Hajo and Toskegee meet up with General Jesup. They are told to set up an encampment near Jesup's forces. General Jesup then sends out a letter about the Seminoles requesting a reservation for them in Southern Florida.
February 20th, 1838
Colonel Taylor is found to not be at fault over the massive defeat at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee. He then becomes a Brigadier General.
March 17th, 1838
General Jesup receives a reply to his letter, from Washington D.C. A reservation for the Seminole is denied.
March 21st, 1838
Colonel David Emanuel Twiggs is sent to the Seminole camp and disarms them. They then "capture” the Seminole, numbering around 500 with 151 warriors. Once news got out, this event causes unrest and violence to increase throughout the territory.
March 22nd, 1838
Lieutenant Colonel James Bankhead gets into a skirmish with warriors led by Holatoochee. Holatoochee is captured some days later.
First Week of April
Holatoochee, a black man named Abraham, and several chiefs are sent out to negotiate with Chief Alligator to surrender himself and his people.
April 24th, 1838
Lieutenant Colonel William S. Harney and his forces engage with a small band of Seminole.
May 15th, 1838
General Jesup gives command of Florida to Brigadier General Zachary Taylor.
May 27th, 1838
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June 4th, 1838
Troops from Fort Brooke engage a band of Seminole near Camp Izard, in the area of the Withlacoochee River. The Seminole forces burn Fort Dade down and almost do the same with a bridge over the Withlacoochee.
Major Benjamin Lloyd Beall leads his forces into an engagement of Seminole at Kanapaha Prairie. This results in the death of Captain Walker and the wounding of six dragoons.
August 20th, 1838
Due to the unending hostilities in Central Florida, the Secretary of War approves 500 mounted Florida militiamen and they have the task of guarding the area.
October 1838
The remaining Apalachicola, the last remnants of their tribe that left Florida between 1833 and 1834, are removed to Indian Territory.
November 1838
Brigadier General Taylor begins his fall and winter campaigns.
Colonel William Davenport re-establishes Fort Clinch and his forces patrol the Cove of the Withlacoochee.
Colonel Fanning re-establishes Fort Mellon.
Lieutenant Colonel Green and his forces patrol the area of St. Marks River to the Suwannee.
Major Gustavus Loomis patrols the area of Okefenokee Swamp.
Colonel Twiggs and his men search the area east of St. Johns River, then head south to New Smyrna where they proceed to build a post.
These forces main purpose was to build fortifications and roads to more quickly relocate any bands of Seminole and send them south of the line between Tampa Bay and New Smyrna. By the end of November, it was clear that this campaign was a failure before it even really began.
Events of 1839
January 23rd, 1839![]() |
By AlexanderMacomb.jpg: Thomas Sully (1783-1872) derivative work: Hohum (AlexanderMacomb.jpg) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
February 2nd, 1839
Eighteen Seminole are captured near Fort Mellon.
Two army soldiers are wounded in an attack around the area of Micanopy.
February 15th, 1839
Under orders of General Taylor, the plan of dividing Florida into 'squared' sections is carried out.
February 25th, 1839
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See page for author [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
March 18th, 1839
Commanding General Macomb takes up orders to get to Florida and help negotiate treaties to end the war. As the war is just starting to become unpopular in DC and amongst some of the country's population.
April 5th, 1839
General Macomb arrives in Florida, near Jacksonville.
May 18th, 1839
General Macomb waits for Seminole chiefs to arrive at Fort King to negotiate an agreement to end the hostilities.
May 20th, 1839
Chiefs Chito Tustenuggee and Halleck Tustenuggee arrive at Fort King, negotiate with General Macomb and then sign an agreement wherein all Seminole bands still in Florida are permitted to live in an area south of Pease Creek. This agreement comes into effect on July 15th, 1839.
June 5th, 1839
Thirty Seminole escape a camp that they were being held in, pending relocation to Indian Territory. On the next day, those Seminole that didn't escape were sent west to Indian Territory.
July 20th, 1839
In the final months of his command, Brigadier General Taylor oversaw the building of 848 new roads and trails and 3,600 feet of bridges and causeways. Also, 53 new posts and supply stops were constructed.
July 23rd, 1839
Colonel Harney, commanding dragoons protecting a new trading post being built near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, are attacked in the early morning by nearly 200 Seminole warriors. It is Chakaika who leads the Seminole in this attack. Eighteen men at the site of this trading post are killed or captured, some burned alive. Also, Colonel Harney barely escapes. The Seminole also kill a trader and get away with many guns and trade items.
December 1839
Governor Richard Call is replaced, due to disagreements with the federal government, and Robert Raymond Reid takes his place.
Events of 1840
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See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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By N. Orr [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Events of 1841
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By Matthew B Brady (M.B. Brady Photography) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
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By McKenney, Thomas Loraine, 1785-1859; Hall, James, 1793-1868 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
1842 - End of the Second Seminole War
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By Civil War glass negative collection, Library of Congress [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |