Dade Massacre/Battle of Ouithlacoochie
28 December - 31 December 1835
SSG Foster, Charles F.
SLC 18-012
20180209
Andrew Jackson’s operation during the First Seminole War 1817-1818 did not accomplish the desired result in monitoring the Florida natives. It was decided that the removal of Native Americans should be moved west to the Oklahoma area. This seemed like the best resolution to subdue constant conflict between the Seminole Indian and new white settlers encroaching into the new state’s settlement.
The Second Seminole War, also called Seminole War proper (1835-1842) had the Indian nation pitted against a very large American force, 10:1 ratio to Seminole warriors. The Second Seminole War began on Dec 28, 1835, and was the result…show more content… December 28 1835, MJR Francis L. Dade was moving his Soldiers from Fort Brook (present day Ocala) to Fort King (present day Tampa) to implement the treaty, the Native Americans planning for this moment for over a year were ready to ambush. "Have a good heart; our difficulties and dangers are over now, and as soon as we arrive at Fort King you'll have three days to rest and keep Christmas gaily." Major Francis L. Dade spoke these words of encouragement to 110 cold, tired Soldiers in a pine forest on the morning of December 28, 1835. (Seminole Nation, N/A) Within eight hours, only three Soldiers would survive the battle. 180-300 (estimated) Seminole warriors, led by Chiefs Osceola, Micanopy, Alligator, and Jumper attacked a detachment of over 110 troops leaving three men alive although two would later succumb to the injuries of the battle at a later time. This was an exceptional demonstration of an established enemy that held the element of surprise, fighting in their natural surroundings, and environment. The weather was cold and wet the troops had trekked only a few miles by the time Chief Micanopy fired the initial shot, by cue the Seminole warriors followed suit. The forest was dense, ridden with pine trees and live oak hammocks, the land was flat with waist high lightly browning/green grass brought on by the winters chill. This provided a great camouflage for the Seminole warrior’s…show more content… Just as the day was breaking, we moved out of the swamp into the pine-barren. I counted, by direction of Jumper, one hundred and eighty warriors. Upon approaching the road, each man chose his position on the west side... About nine o'clock in the morning the command approached... So soon as all the soldiers were opposite... Jumper gave the whoop, Micanopy fired the first rifle, the signal agreed upon, when every Indian arose and fired, which laid upon the ground, dead, more than half the white men. The cannon was discharged three or four times, but the men who loaded it were shot down as soon as the smoke cleared away... As we were returning to the swamp supposing all were dead, an Indian came up and said the white men were building a fort of logs. Jumper and myself, with ten warriors, returned. As we approached, we saw six men behind two logs placed one above another, with the cannon a short distance off... We soon came near, as the balls went over us. They had guns, but no powder, we looked in the boxes afterwards and found they were empty" (History of The Dade Battlefield,
