HOSTILITIES CONTINUED.
General disappointment in regard to the continuance of the War--Its
Difficulties--Feelings of the People of Florida--Letter of their
Delegate in Congress--Letter of General Jessup to F. P.
Blair--President Jackson's order in regard to it--Secretary of War
orders General Scott to Washington, and General Jessup to take
command--General Call in temporary command of the Army--Court of
Inquiry--Osceola attacks Micanopy--Major Heilman's gallant
Defense--General Jessup meets General Call at Tallahasse--Refuses
to assume Command--Major Pearce's Expedition to Fort Drane--Meets
Osceola with an equal force--Severe Contest--Major Pearce retires
to Micanopy--General Jessup's contract with Creeks--Its
Character--Resumes barbarous practice of Enslaving
Prisoners--General Call's Expedition to Withlacoochee--Its
Failure--Further attempts to destroy Stores on that
River--Armstrong's Battle--Another severe Battle--Another
Expedition to Withlacoochee--Its Failure--Skill and Valor of the
Exiles and Indians--Loss of Creeks--They become Disheartened.
When General Scott took command of the army in Florida, the
Administration and the country confidently expected that he would bring
the war to an immediate close. There was but little known of the
combined strength, or the determined purpose, of the Seminoles and
Exiles. They were regarded as few in number, and were supposed to be
fighting without any very definite purpose. The difficulties of
collecting an army in that territory, procuring supplies and arranging a
campaign, were great; and the most effective mode for penetrating the
strongholds of the allied forces could only be ascertained by
experience.
The inhabitants of Florida had urged on the war. They held their enemy
in great contempt. They were slaveholders, accustomed to look upon the
negro as an inferior being, possessed of very limited reasoning powers,
and devoid of the nobler sentiments which adorn the human character.
They do not appear to have supposed the African capable of noble
aspirations, or of manly effort. They were also accustomed to look upon
the Indians with about the same degree of contempt. Regarding the war as
commenced and prosecuted for their own benefit, they felt authorized in
some degree to dictate the manner in which it should be conducted.
General Scott, bred to the profession of arms, and conscious of that
self-respect which was due to an officer of his rank, paid but little
attention to their attempts at interference with his official duties.
This was regarded as offensive, and the delegate in Congress from that
Territory demanded his withdrawal from the command.
General Jessup, at that time in command of the army in Georgia,
operating against the Creek Indians, in order to compel them to emigrate
West, also wrote a letter (June 20), addressed to a private citizen of
Washington City,[86] criticising General Scott's policy. This letter was
placed in the hands of President Jackson, who, after reading it,
indorsed upon it as follows:
"Referred to the Secretary of War, that he forthwith order General
Scott to this place, in order that an inquiry may be had into the
unaccountable delays in prosecuting the Creek war, and the failure
of the campaign in Florida. Let General Jessup assume the
command.[87]
A. J."
It is very evident that General Jackson, when speaking of the
"_unaccountable delays_" of a few months, had little expectation that
under the direction of his most favorite officer the war would continue
during his life, and that he would leave another generation involved in
hostilities, for the purpose of enslaving persons whom he had ordered to
be "returned to their masters" twenty years previously. But it is also
apparent that neither the President, nor Congress, nor the officers of
the army, had any just conceptions of that love of liberty which nerved
the Exiles to effort, and stimulated them to encounter every hardship
and privation, and suffering and danger, rather than be delivered over
to degrading bondage.
Congress, participating in the general astonishment at the failure of
our arms to conquer a handful of Indians and negroes, adopted a
resolution, calling on the President for information touching that
subject. In answer to this resolution, General Cass, Secretary of War,
transmitted voluminous papers to Congress, which may be found in the
Executive Documents of the second session, Twenty-fourth Congress, from
which much of our information is derived.
The Secretary of War issued the order for General Scott to retire, and
another for General Jessup to assume the command.
A court of inquiry was duly convened for the purpose of ascertaining the
cause of delay under General Scott.[88]
Several months now passed without any important incident to mark the
progress of hostilities. As the summer approached and the sickly season
commenced, General Scott left Florida, and the command of the army, for
the time, devolved on General C. K. Call. The allied forces seemed to
have retired to the interior, and were supposed to be engaged in raising
corn and other provisions, for their support during the coming winter,
and all appeared quiet.
Osceola, after the death of Thompson at Fort King, had become a
master-spirit among the Seminoles. He had conducted bravely during the
battle with General Clinch, and equally so in the several conflicts with
General Gaines, and had been raised to the dignity of a chief. He now
conceived, and executed, one of the boldest movements ever made by
savages against a fortified post manned by regular troops.
On the ninth of June, with three hundred warriors, some sixty of whom
were negroes, he attacked the stockade at Micanopy, garrisoned by an
equal force of disciplined troops, under the command of Major Heilman.
The assault was maintained with determined obstinacy for an hour and a
half, the assailants boldly facing the artillery, which was brought to
bear upon them; and when they left the scene of action, they carried
away their dead and wounded.
Although this attack proved unsuccessful, it gave the country to
understand, in some degree, the character of the enemy with whom our
Government was contending.
Major Heilman, in his report, regrets the severe wound of Capt. Lee; but
says nothing of his other loss, or that of the allies, either in killed
or wounded. He himself died soon after, from excessive fatigue during
the action.
Soon after this attack the allies became again active, making their
appearance at various points on the frontier, again spreading
devastation wherever they went.
Major General Jessup continued in Georgia, engaged in constraining the
Creeks to emigrate. In this he was very successful, and for that reason
was ordered to take command of the army in Florida. With this view he
repaired to Tallahasse, where he met General Call, who laid before him a
plan, which he had conceived, for an expedition to Withlacoochee.
General Jessup, not having received his instructions for prosecuting the
campaign, refused to assume the command at that time, leaving General
Call to carry out his contemplated movement.
General Clinch owned a plantation some twenty miles northwesterly of
Fort King. During the early part of the season he had encamped there
with his troops, and planted sugar-cane, and other crops; and, being
occupied as a military post, he gave it the name of "Fort Drane."
In consequence of the constant depredations committed by the enemy, he
was directed to fall back to an Indian town called "Micanopy," which
thereby became an outpost. He left Fort Drane in July, when his crops
were growing luxuriantly; and Osceola, being in the vicinity with about
a hundred followers, consisting of Indians and Exiles, took possession
of this plantation, and occupied it with apparent pride, at having
driven its veteran owner back farther towards the settlements.
On the twelfth of August, Major Pearce, being in command at Micanopy,
left that station, with one piece of artillery and one hundred and ten
regular troops, for the purpose of attacking the allies at Fort Drane.
He reached the plantation, situated eight miles from Micanopy, at
sunrise, and commenced the attack. Osceola and his followers fell back
to a hommock, where they made a stand. The number of men engaged were
about equal; Major Pearce and Osceola were known as gallant warriors; of
course, the battle was warm and well contested.
After an engagement of an hour and a quarter, Major Pearce fell back;
and the allied forces showing no disposition to follow him into the open
fields, he retreated to Micanopy, leaving them in possession of the
field of battle. Major Pearce's loss was reported to be one killed and
sixteen wounded.
Before leaving Alabama, John A. Campbell, aid to General Jessup, acting
under direction of that officer, entered into a written contract with
certain Creek chiefs and warriors. Being somewhat extraordinary in its
character, and rendered still more so by the construction given to it by
the Administration and the Indians, it is deemed worthy of being
inserted. The following is the language of the instrument:
"The State of Alabama, Tallapoosa County.
This contract, entered into between the United States of America on
the first part, and the Creek tribe of Indians on the other part,
Witnesseth: That upon the consideration hereafter mentioned, the
party of the first part agrees to advance to the party of the
second part the sum of thirty-one thousand nine hundred dollars, to
be applied to the payment of the debts due by the Creek Nation of
Indians. And the party of the second part hereby covenants, and
agrees to furnish from their tribe, the number of from six hundred
to one thousand men, for service against the Seminoles, to be
continued in service until the same shall be conquered; they to
receive the pay and emoluments, and equipments, of soldiers in the
army of the United States, and such _plunder as they may take from
the Seminoles_."
"And the party of the second part releases, transfers and assigns
to the party of the first part, all their right, title, claim,
interest and demand in and to the annuity granted by the party of
the first part to the party of the second part, for the year 1837.
In witness whereof, I, John A. Campbell, on the part of the United
States, do hereby set my hand and affix my seal, the 28th of
August, 1836."
"JOHN A. CAMPBELL, [L.S.]"
"In witness whereof, we, the Chiefs and Head-men of said tribe, on
the behalf of said Nation, do hereby set our hands and affix our
seals, the 28th of August, 1836."
"HYPOTHLE YOHOLA, his X mark, [L.S.]
LITTLE DOCTOR, his X mark, [L.S.]
TUCKABATCHEE MICO, his X mark, [L.S.]
YELCO HAYO, his X mark,[L.S.]"
"Attest: EDWARD HAWICK,
BARENT DUBOIS."
The real character of this contract will at once be seen when the reader
shall be reminded, that the laws of the United States had, in the most
specific manner, prescribed the amount to be paid each man who should
enter the military service of the Government, and the manner and time of
payment; nor had there been any act passed enabling General Jessup, or
the Secretary of War, or the President, to employ any other persons in
the army except those enlisted in the ordinary mode; yet this contract
was duly approved by the War Department, at that time under the
direction of General Cass. That provision which gives to the Creek
warriors such _plunder as they might capture_, has been denounced as
"_piratical_;" and we are constrained to admit there is some degree of
propriety in this denunciation, when we find that General Jessup, by
whose orders it was framed, and General Cass, Secretary of War, who
approved it, and the Creek Warriors who signed it, all understood that
the Creeks were to _hold as slaves all the negroes they might capture_,
while engaged in the service of the United States. It was this
construction which subsequently involved the War Department in
difficulties, from which it has never been able to extricate itself.
The barbarous practice of enslaving prisoners captured in war, had been
repudiated by all Christian nations for more than two hundred years. The
civilization of the sixteenth century had brought that atrocious
practice into disrepute, which was now resorted to and renewed in the
nineteenth, by this American Republic, so boastful of its refinement and
Christianity. While the laws of the United States provided for an
ignominious punishment of those who seize the stupid heathen of Africa
and enslave them, our nation was taxing its resources, employing our
army and paying out its funds, to employ heathen allies to capture and
enslave a people who for generations had been free.
On the nineteenth of September, General Armstrong, with a brigade of
twelve hundred Tennessee militia, was ordered to Suwanee "Old Town."
Here he was met by a detachment of two hundred Creek warriors, under
Major Brown, and a battalion of Florida militia, under Colonel Warren;
and with this formidable army, Governor Call moved upon Withlacoochee.
On coming near the stream he encamped.
During the darkness of night the allies fired upon his troops, and kept
them in a state of alarm. In the morning it was found that the _river
had suddenly risen_, which rendered it difficult for the troops to
cross; and this gallant army returned to Fort Drane for supplies without
firing a gun or seeing an enemy, leaving the allies in peaceful
possession of the country.
But the Indians and Exiles now found themselves almost daily threatened
in their own fastnesses. Along the Withlacoochee were many small
villages and plantations occupied almost exclusively by Exiles. Large
crops of corn and other vegetables had been raised there during the
season, and it was known that stores of provisions were located upon
various islands surrounded by the swamps lying along that river, and in
the great morass called the "Wahoo Swamp;" while it was equally known
that many families of the Exiles were residing in that vicinity. It was
therefore deemed important to destroy those villages and obtain the
supplies which they contained.
General Armstrong, with five hundred mounted men, while marching toward
these villages on the fourteenth of November, encountered a strong force
consisting of Indians and Exiles. The conflict was spirited. In forty
minutes, eleven of Armstrong's men fell before the deadly aim of the
allies. He, however, drove them from the field, but they took with them
their dead and wounded. This fact with savages is regarded the only test
of success in battle: they never acknowledge defeat while they hold
possession of their dead and wounded.
But the time drew near when they were constrained to acknowledge a
_defeat_. On the eighteenth of November, a regiment of Tennesseeans,
consisting of about five hundred, encountered a body of the enemy whose
numbers are not given by any officer or historian whom we have
consulted. They were posted in a hommock. The Tennesseeans were the
assailing party. The battle continued more than two hours, when the
allies fled, leaving upon the field twenty-five Indians and Africans
slain in battle; while the loss of the assailants was still larger. This
was the best contested battle which occurred during the campaign of
1836, and the first in which the allies left their dead in possession of
our troops.
This defeat appears to have taught the allies to be cautious, and
stimulated a desire to wipe out the impression which their defeat was
calculated to make upon the public mind.
General Call having formed a junction with Major Pearce of the regular
service, with nearly three hundred regular troops under his command,
making in all more than one thousand men, entered the great Wahoo Swamp
on the twenty-first of November. Their intention was to obtain the
provisions supposed to be deposited in the villages situated upon the
islands in that extensive morass. But they were attacked soon after
entering the swamp. The fire at first was principally concentrated upon
the Creek Indians, the mercenary troops employed by General Jessup.
Major Pearce hastened to their relief. The fire then became general. The
men were in a swamp which was nearly covered with water, and much of it
with a thick underbrush. After maintaining the battle for a time, the
Indians fell back, crossed the river, and formed upon its bank, each man
protected by a log or tree. The river was turbid and appeared difficult
to pass. As our troops approached it, the fire upon them was severe.
Captain Moniac, of the Creek warriors, was killed while examining the
stream to ascertain if it could be forded. Others were wounded. The
allied force appeared determined to make their final stand upon this
stream. Behind them were their wives and children, their provisions,
their homes and firesides.
General Call and his troops now obtained an opportunity of fighting the
enemy; a privilege which he had long sought, though he embraced it under
disadvantageous circumstances. Our troops had great inducements to
advance, but the dangers corresponded with the advantages to be
gained.[89] General Call, however, concluded to withdraw; and after
sustaining a heavy loss he retreated and left the allies in possession
of the field. They very correctly, feeling that their success depended
greatly upon the position they had taken, did not pursue General Call,
who, with his whole force, retired to Volusi to recruit. His loss was
fifteen killed and thirty wounded.
It is certain the allies manifested great skill in selecting their
place of attack, and the position for their final stand. Their success
greatly encouraged them, and the gallantry displayed by the Exiles
served to increase their influence with the Indians.
The Creek warriors had shown themselves very efficient in this
expedition, but they suffered severely; and at no subsequent period did
they maintain their former character as warriors. They had been greatly
stimulated in this conflict with the expectation of capturing women and
children, whom they expected to seize and sell as slaves. But so far as
that object was concerned, their warriors who fell in this battle died
ingloriously, and the result discouraged the survivors.