You probably think that the United States obliterated all Native American tribes, but what if that was not the case? During the 1800s, Florida was a beautiful place, filled with lush greenery, pristine beaches, and Seminoles (Seh-Meh-Nowl). The Seminoles were Florida's maintainers, Florida's lifeline. But when foreigners came and attempted to take over Florida, the Seminoles would not stand for that. When someone tries to take everything from you, you in all likelihood would not stand for that. All Native American tribes fought to keep their land, this is why the Seminoles were the closest to succeeding. 

The Seminole wars were some of the deadliest and most costly from America's push to move settlers into Native peoples lands. The First Seminole war started in 1815, when General Andrew Jackson propelled the U.S. army into the Spanish controlled territory of La Flordia (which means “flowery” in Spanish, the name was later shortened to Flordia by the Americans) to round up runaway slaves. The Seminole people, who had lived in Florida for roughly 14 thousand years, were caught in the middle of this conflict. Spain ended up signing the Adams–Onís Treaty (Transcontinental Treaty) in 1819, which ceded Florida to the United States. Settlers started to move in and the Seminole people were given 4 million acres of land in the Treaty of Moultrie Creek (1823). 

In 1832, Seminole tribal leaders were called to Payne’s Landing; they were then coaxed into signing the Treaty of Payne’s Landing, which stated that if the Seminoles found land in Oklahoma suitable, they would relocate. When leaders tried to resist, the U.S. banned arms sales to them. This made warriors like Osceola very upset. So in 1935, when only a few Seminoles showed up at Fort King for transportation to Oklahoma, U.S. General Clinch ordered his soldiers to “capture the Indians and bring them here dead or alive''. But, by that time the Seminoles had already moved their families into the everglades and prepared to fight. In the spring of 1838, Major General Jesup cajoled Seminole chiefs to come sign a document that would ensure their safety and well being in Florida. But when they arrived, Jesup had them all arrested and taken to Oklahoma. This severely harmed the Seminoles because the Americans had taken 500 prisoners hostage, including Osceola. By 1841, fighting was calming down due to the Seminoles not having enough supplies to continue. In 1842, the U.S. bribed the last of the Seminoles to move west. The Second Seminole war was by far the longest war fought between the United States and Native Americans, it lasted nearly 7 years. It was the most costly for the Americans, who spent around 60 million dollars on the war (that is close to 2 billion dollars today). This was also the deadliest war waged against indigenous peoples in America (2000 U.S. soldiers died) . The Seminoles were extremely close to winning. 

Florida's unique landscape was perfect for the use of guerrilla warfare (an irregular warfare technique where small units of soldiers attack then retreat). Seminoles used this to their advantage. On December 23rd, 1835, 110 United States soldiers set out from Fort Brooke (Near Tampa Bay, Fl) to Fort King (Ocala, Fl). Fort King desperately needed reinforcements and supplies. Francis L. Dade was in charge of this unit. The Seminoles, under the command of Osceola (Seminole hero and leader), followed the party for 5 days. On December 28th, the Seminoles attacked. Major Dade was the first one shot. Unprepared and freezing cold, U.S. soldiers did not pull out their muskets from inside their winter coats in time. The Seminoles showed no mercy, killing 107 U.S. soldiers in the short battle before stripping the dead and taking their weapons. Only three survived, one was tracked down and killed by a Seminole houseman, two got to Fort King. Ransom Clark told the only eyewitness account of the battle, “After catching me up by the heels, threw me down again with an oath: "He's dead enough." The Seminoles only suffered 4 losses. 

The Dade Battle or Dade Massacre was the first major conflict in the Second Seminole War. The element of surprise favored the Seminoles, who had an unmatched knowledge of the land. After all, they had been living there for thousands of years! On Christmas day 1837, Major General Zachary Taylor led 800 soldiers to the Seminole stronghold of Lake Okeechobee. The Seminoles only had around 400 soldiers, but they were  ready to fight. The Seminoles were packed in sawgrass waiting for the Americans to attack. Major Taylor ordered his Missouri volunteers to attack first, but instead of encircling the outnumbered natives, Taylor wanted his troops to attack head on. The Seminoles were ready, they opened fire on the ill prepared volunteers. The soldiers retreated and the Seminoles launched a counter attack. Colonial Richard Gentry ordered his troops to attack, but his dejected troops were no match for the newly invigorated Seminoles. Major Taylor retreated. The Americans lost 26 soldiers compared to just 11 losses of the Seminoles. Even with those numbers, Major Taylor still claimed victory (which would lead to him getting a promotion and becoming a national hero. He eventually became the 12th president of the U.S.), But the Seminoles knew the damage they inflicted on the Americans. The Battle of Lake Okeechobee should be remembered as an embarrassing defeat for America. The Seminoles used Guerrilla warfare to an incredible degree of success, whether it was ambushing soldiers at Fort King, or the triumphant upset of American forces at Lake Okeechobee.

The Seminoles had been living in Florida since the early ages. This was their home, and they were willing to fight for it all. Seminole leaders like Osceala and Abiaka “The Alligator”, always wanted their warriors to constantly remind themselves why; why are we fighting. Osceola once said, “Let our last sleep be in the graves of our native lands”. He was never going to surrender. He and his comrades knew what they had to do. “Fight. Till. The. End.”. The Americans never knew the land, all of them were outsiders trying to make Florida into another piece of stolen land. The U.S. had an invariable amount of success fighting Native Americans across the country, but this one was different. The Seminoles had the necessary resources to put up a good fight. That sparked something in them. “You have guns, and so have we. You have power and lead, and so have we. You have men, and so have we. Your men will fight, and so will ours, till the last drop of Seminoles blood has moistened the dust of his hunting ground!”-Osceola. They were not to be relocated, no matter the cost. Osceola made that very clear. But some battle cries can turn into a battle for their lives. The U.S. was just too powerful. The Seminole people needed to protect their land from the invaders. Being strong is important in war, but also knowing what you are fighting for just might be the thing that pushes you over the top. 

The Seminoles had every single thing on the line, and fought until the end. Out of the thousands of conflicts between natives and the United States, why did I choose this one? The pure amount of hope that these people had was incredible. The Seminoles knew how powerful the United States was. In the end, it was a loss. But it was not all for nothing. The Seminoles showed everyone what was possible, they faced two future presidents and put up an amazing fight. 

Today, the Seminole people are back. In 1957, The State of Florida recognized the Seminole Indians as a native tribe and Seminole ancestors moved back to their lands. Today Florida has plenty of counties named after the Seminole war, like Osceola County, Seminole Country, and Okeechobee County. The Florida State University mascot is the Seminole (though many Seminole activists see the FSU name as cultural appropriation). The Seminoles are still trying to get the U.S. to give them reparations and more recognition. The fighting spirit that Osceola and Abiaka engraved into their men still lingers on today. Can it really go away?

Works Cited

Wikipedia. “Seminole Wars” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov, 2022. Link to Article

Britannica. “Seminole Wars, United States History” Britannica Encyclopedia, Jul 20, 1998. Link to Article

You probably think that the United States obliterated all Native American tribes, but what if that was not the case? During the 1800s, Florida was a beautiful place, filled with lush greenery, pristine beaches, and Seminoles (Seh-Meh-Nowl). The Seminoles were Florida's maintainers, Florida's lifeline. But when foreigners came and attempted to take over Florida, the Seminoles would not stand for that. When someone tries to take everything from you, you in all likelihood would not stand for that. All Native American tribes fought to keep their land, this is why the Seminoles were the closest to succeeding. 

The Seminole wars were some of the deadliest and most costly from America's push to move settlers into Native peoples lands. The First Seminole war started in 1815, when General Andrew Jackson propelled the U.S. army into the Spanish controlled territory of La Flordia (which means “flowery” in Spanish, the name was later shortened to Flordia by the Americans) to round up runaway slaves. The Seminole people, who had lived in Florida for roughly 14 thousand years, were caught in the middle of this conflict. Spain ended up signing the Adams–Onís Treaty (Transcontinental Treaty) in 1819, which ceded Florida to the United States. Settlers started to move in and the Seminole people were given 4 million acres of land in the Treaty of Moultrie Creek (1823). 

In 1832, Seminole tribal leaders were called to Payne’s Landing; they were then coaxed into signing the Treaty of Payne’s Landing, which stated that if the Seminoles found land in Oklahoma suitable, they would relocate. When leaders tried to resist, the U.S. banned arms sales to them. This made warriors like Osceola very upset. So in 1935, when only a few Seminoles showed up at Fort King for transportation to Oklahoma, U.S. General Clinch ordered his soldiers to “capture the Indians and bring them here dead or alive''. But, by that time the Seminoles had already moved their families into the everglades and prepared to fight. In the spring of 1838, Major General Jesup cajoled Seminole chiefs to come sign a document that would ensure their safety and well being in Florida. But when they arrived, Jesup had them all arrested and taken to Oklahoma. This severely harmed the Seminoles because the Americans had taken 500 prisoners hostage, including Osceola. By 1841, fighting was calming down due to the Seminoles not having enough supplies to continue. In 1842, the U.S. bribed the last of the Seminoles to move west. The Second Seminole war was by far the longest war fought between the United States and Native Americans, it lasted nearly 7 years. It was the most costly for the Americans, who spent around 60 million dollars on the war (that is close to 2 billion dollars today). This was also the deadliest war waged against indigenous peoples in America (2000 U.S. soldiers died) . The Seminoles were extremely close to winning. 

Florida's unique landscape was perfect for the use of guerrilla warfare (an irregular warfare technique where small units of soldiers attack then retreat). Seminoles used this to their advantage. On December 23rd, 1835, 110 United States soldiers set out from Fort Brooke (Near Tampa Bay, Fl) to Fort King (Ocala, Fl). Fort King desperately needed reinforcements and supplies. Francis L. Dade was in charge of this unit. The Seminoles, under the command of Osceola (Seminole hero and leader), followed the party for 5 days. On December 28th, the Seminoles attacked. Major Dade was the first one shot. Unprepared and freezing cold, U.S. soldiers did not pull out their muskets from inside their winter coats in time. The Seminoles showed no mercy, killing 107 U.S. soldiers in the short battle before stripping the dead and taking their weapons. Only three survived, one was tracked down and killed by a Seminole houseman, two got to Fort King. Ransom Clark told the only eyewitness account of the battle, “After catching me up by the heels, threw me down again with an oath: "He's dead enough." The Seminoles only suffered 4 losses. 

The Dade Battle or Dade Massacre was the first major conflict in the Second Seminole War. The element of surprise favored the Seminoles, who had an unmatched knowledge of the land. After all, they had been living there for thousands of years! On Christmas day 1837, Major General Zachary Taylor led 800 soldiers to the Seminole stronghold of Lake Okeechobee. The Seminoles only had around 400 soldiers, but they were  ready to fight. The Seminoles were packed in sawgrass waiting for the Americans to attack. Major Taylor ordered his Missouri volunteers to attack first, but instead of encircling the outnumbered natives, Taylor wanted his troops to attack head on. The Seminoles were ready, they opened fire on the ill prepared volunteers. The soldiers retreated and the Seminoles launched a counter attack. Colonial Richard Gentry ordered his troops to attack, but his dejected troops were no match for the newly invigorated Seminoles. Major Taylor retreated. The Americans lost 26 soldiers compared to just 11 losses of the Seminoles. Even with those numbers, Major Taylor still claimed victory (which would lead to him getting a promotion and becoming a national hero. He eventually became the 12th president of the U.S.), But the Seminoles knew the damage they inflicted on the Americans. The Battle of Lake Okeechobee should be remembered as an embarrassing defeat for America. The Seminoles used Guerrilla warfare to an incredible degree of success, whether it was ambushing soldiers at Fort King, or the triumphant upset of American forces at Lake Okeechobee.

The Seminoles had been living in Florida since the early ages. This was their home, and they were willing to fight for it all. Seminole leaders like Osceala and Abiaka “The Alligator”, always wanted their warriors to constantly remind themselves why; why are we fighting. Osceola once said, “Let our last sleep be in the graves of our native lands”. He was never going to surrender. He and his comrades knew what they had to do. “Fight. Till. The. End.”. The Americans never knew the land, all of them were outsiders trying to make Florida into another piece of stolen land. The U.S. had an invariable amount of success fighting Native Americans across the country, but this one was different. The Seminoles had the necessary resources to put up a good fight. That sparked something in them. “You have guns, and so have we. You have power and lead, and so have we. You have men, and so have we. Your men will fight, and so will ours, till the last drop of Seminoles blood has moistened the dust of his hunting ground!”-Osceola. They were not to be relocated, no matter the cost. Osceola made that very clear. But some battle cries can turn into a battle for their lives. The U.S. was just too powerful. The Seminole people needed to protect their land from the invaders. Being strong is important in war, but also knowing what you are fighting for just might be the thing that pushes you over the top. 

The Seminoles had every single thing on the line, and fought until the end. Out of the thousands of conflicts between natives and the United States, why did I choose this one? The pure amount of hope that these people had was incredible. The Seminoles knew how powerful the United States was. In the end, it was a loss. But it was not all for nothing. The Seminoles showed everyone what was possible, they faced two future presidents and put up an amazing fight. 

Today, the Seminole people are back. In 1957, The State of Florida recognized the Seminole Indians as a native tribe and Seminole ancestors moved back to their lands. Today Florida has plenty of counties named after the Seminole war, like Osceola County, Seminole Country, and Okeechobee County. The Florida State University mascot is the Seminole (though many Seminole activists see the FSU name as cultural appropriation). The Seminoles are still trying to get the U.S. to give them reparations and more recognition. The fighting spirit that Osceola and Abiaka engraved into their men still lingers on today. Can it really go away?

Works Cited

Wikipedia. “Seminole Wars” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov, 2022. Link to Article

Britannica. “Seminole Wars, United States History” Britannica Encyclopedia, Jul 20, 1998. Link to Article

Seminole Tribe of Florida. “Tribal History” Seminole Tribe Of Florida Tribal Council, No date. Link to Article