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with the Indians, where they could have a hand in them. This company of players was in two wagons, passing from Picolata to St. Augustine, on the 23 May, and when within 5 or 6 miles of the latter place, were attacked by a large number of Indians under WILD CAT, and four of them killed. How many were in the company we are not told; but Forbes and the females escaped. The Indians, immediately after, surrounded Fort Searle, danced about it in defiance, and dared the soldiers to come out and fight; but the garrison was too weak to make a sortie. We have to close the relation of this tragedy with a comedy. The Indians had found time, before appearing at Fort Searle, to dress themselves in such of the actors' clothes as they had taken. Wild Cat had got on the turban of Othello; and others had sashes and spangles, which they took care to display to advantage. Wild Cat showed a rich velvet dress to some negroes who afterwards came in, and told them he would not take a hundred head of cattle for it.

At Cow Creek Hommock, near Fort White, there was a skirmish, on the 12 July, between Serg. Zeigler and three or four men, and 21 Indians. A corporal and two soldiers were killed, and the others were wounded.

On the 7 August, there happened a most horrid massacre at Indian Key. Six persons were killed by the Indians in their barbarous manner; among whom was Dr. Henry Perrine, formerly of Connecticut, a scientific gentleman, who had located himself there for the purpose of cultivating some rare plants which he had obtained in South America, while residing there as consul. There were upon Indian Key, at the time of this massacre, 44 people, all of whom had the good fortune to escape, except the six before named. All the houses were burned except one. The number of Indians was said to

be 100 or 150.

On the 10 August, word was brought to Fort Barkee, that an encampment of Indians was discovered, about seven miles from thence, on the road to Fort Mitchell. Lieut. B. H. Arthur immediately marched out, with "a company of soldiers," to surprise them. The object was effected; two Indians were killed, one wounded, and 3 rifles taken. Early in the morning of the same day, the house of Mr. Wyley Jones, on the Econfina, about 6 miles north of the St. Joseph's, was attacked and burnt; the Indians shot Mrs. Jones and one of her children; a little daughter of 13 conveyed away four of her younger brothers and sisters to a safe place, and then returned to see what had become of her mother. She found her only time enough to see her expire! and then made a second escape!

About the middle of August, eleven families are said to have been broken up, on the Suanee River, and a great number of people killed. Among them was the family of a Mr. Courcy. He was from home at the time, and on his return, found his wife and six children murdered, and left in the most barbarous manner, here and there lying about the fields where they fell. Of Mr. Howell's family, his wife and one child were killed, and three other children escaped. A Mrs. Green and one child were also murdered. A Mrs. Patrick was shot in her house while preparing a bed for her children! Mr. Thomas Davis and two children, and Mr. Patrick's daughter, all murdered.

On the 4 September, as Capt. B. L. Beall, with 10 or 12 men, was upon a scout, he came suddenly upon about 30 Indians, who all escaped but four; the rest secured themselves in a swamp on Wacoosasa River. One of the prisoners was said to be Holatoochee, a sub-chief of the Mikasaukies. With these prisoners several guns were taken "in good order," and "a large deerskin full of honey."

But two days after, Lieut. N. K. Hanson had a smart battle with some Seminoles, near Fort Wekahoota. Word being brought to the lieutenant then at that post, that Indians were in the vicinity, he immediately marched out with 35 regulars; and when one and a half miles from the fort, was fired upon from a gloomy hommock, which obliged him to retreat about 300 yards to an open wood, closely pursued by the Indians. Here he made a stand, and continued the fight about half an hour, at which time the Indians, to decoy him, retreated again to the hommock; but Lieut. Hanson, having now five of his men killed and wounded, concluded to retreat while he was at liberty to do so. The firing had brought out a reenforcement under Capt. Haw

kins, who not long after charged the hommock, but he found no Indians. The number of Indians supposed to have fought in this skirmish, was stated to be 80. On the morning of the same day, the same Indians, it is said, killed and horribly mutilated a young man named Geiger; his head was severed and carried off.

On the 7 September, the house of a Mr. Dorsey is plundered and burnt ;— fortunately, he had lately removed his family to Alabama. About ten days after, Lieut. Saunders, scouting with a party of dragoons in the neighborhood of Fort Mellon, captured a single Indian. This brave company first shot their prisoner, and afterwards hung him on a tree.

A more pacific policy, on the part of the government, had been instigated, in a manner not to be passed unheeded, by the public expression; and, consequently, Gen. Armistead was directed to act on the protective system; at the same time, to endeavor by every possible means to influence the Seminoles to go quietly from the land of their fathers. More effectually to carry these views into effect, a deputation of their countrymen had been sent for, beyond the Mississippi, and treated with to visit Florida, and intercede with their friends and brothers to give up the country, and end the controversy. Accordingly, this proposition was acceded to; and fourteen chiefs and others left Arkansas on this embassy, and arrived at Tampa, in Florida, on the 2 November. They came prepared to assure their countrymen that they would be far better off in Arkansas; and as they had been known to have been exceedingly opposed to emigration, and had been forced away from Florida themselves, great reliance was placed upon their endeavors to end the troubles. And to satisfy the whites of their good intentions, they left all their wives and children behind. Among them were the noted chiefs, ALLIGATOR, HOLATOOCHEE, and MICANOPY; and on the morning of the 3d, they commenced their march of 100 miles for Fort King, where they were to have an interview with some of the hostile chiefs.

The deputation arrived at Fort King in about 4 days, viz., on the 6th, and Gen. Armistead on the 7th. Every effort was now made to discuss matters with freedom; and Halec Tustenugge, Tiger-tail, and many others, were waiting in the woods, not far off, when the before-named functionaries arrived. Sundry conferences and talks were had during the following six days; but what was said and done we are not informed; though, judging from what happened immediately after, it could not have been very satisfactory to the Indians, whatever they may have pretended; for, on the night of the 14 November, they all took leave very unceremoniously, and retired into their old fastnesses, as was conjectured, for they said nothing about that, nor did the whites have an opportunity of guessing where they had gone until the next morning. At this conduct of the hostiles, those from Arkansas expressed themselves "utterly astonished." As soon as the general was informed of the escape of the Indians, which was "early the next morning," he wrote to the secretary of war, Mr. POINSETT, in the following desponding strain:"Thus have ended all our well-grounded hopes of bringing the war to a close by pacific measures; confident in the resources of the country, the enemy will hold out to the last, and can never be induced to come in again. Immediately upon the withdrawal of the Indians, orders were transmitted to commanders of regiments, to put their troops in motion; and before this reaches you, they will be scouting in every direction."

Notwithstanding these efforts at peace-making on the part of the whites, hostilities did not entirely cease on the side of the Indians. On the 17 October, a party went to Col. Gamble's plantation, at Welaune, in Jefferson county, where they fired upon and wounded a negro man, and took a woman, with whom they made off; but, in their flight, meeting with a company of whites, they left her, and she escaped. On the 24th, some bloodhounds led a company of soldiers to a house, in Middle Florida, in which three white men were captured, charged with aiding and abetting the Indians.

At Col. Hanson's plantation, about 20 Indians made quite a "business operation," on the 28 October, which, without any other insurance than their own peculiar tactics, was, to say the least of it, a very "risky transaction." Such is our judgment upon it, inasmuch as the place where it was done was

only two miles from St. Augustine. Although they did not succeed to the extent of their wishes, yet they took and carried off all the blankets and other clothing which had been provided for a "large stock of negroes," for the ensuing winter; and when about to fire the buildings, became alarmed by the approach of some neighboring whites, whom a negro had informed of what was going on, and fled without doing further mischief. They had intended to have carried off all the slaves, but were prevented by this circumstance. Wild Cat is said to have led the Indians in this expedition.

People flocked in and garrisoned the place, and watched all night for the return of the Indians, who doubtless had not the most distant idea of repeating their visit. This led to one of those melancholy events, accounts of many of which are already upon our records. The news of the descent upon Col. Hanson's farm was carried immediately to Picolata, which caused Lieut. Graham to march with a small force for that place, hoping to surprise the Indians there, or in its vicinity. Accordingly, he approached it with great caution about 2 o'clock on the morning of the next day, not knowing that guards had been set to receive the Indians, should they return; and, unfortunately, being himself and company taken for Indians, were fired upon, and Serg. Wolcott was mortally, and Lieut. Graham severely wounded.

On the same day, the post rider between Forts Fanning and Macomb was found murdered, quartered, and thrown into a pond.

Every day adds new scenes to the tragedy. On the 1st day of November, as Lieut. Judd, with Mr. Falany and three dragoons, was proceeding from Fort Searle for St. Augustine, they were fired upon when near the eightmile-post, by Indians concealed in bushes along the road, by which a sergeant and one private were killed, and Mr. Falany and another private severely wounded. Lieut. Judd escaped, as it were, by a miracle. He rode with the wounded soldier till he fell from his horse, then dismounting, dragged him from the path, and the Indians being just upon him, concealed himself in the bushes until they gave up the chase.

About the same time Col. Harney captured 12 Indians (women and children) near Fort Reid, on the St. John's. He found them in possession of 50 blankets, mostly new, pieces of calico, &c., supposed to have been taken from Indian Key, when it was destroyed in August last.

Fort Hanson, 15 miles from St. Augustine, was abandoned about the 5 November, and in two or three hours after was burnt by the Indians.

Early in December, Col. Harney, as much now the terror of the Seminoles as Col. Church was to the Wampanoags, or Daniel Boone to the Kikapoos, undertakes an expedition into the everglades. These much heard of and little known retreats extend over perhaps 100 square miles. They are an expanse of shoal water, varying in depth from one to five feet, dotted with innumerable low and flat islands, generally covered with trees or shrubs. Much of the water is shaded by an almost impenetrable saw-grass, as high as a man's head, but the little channels in every direction are free from it. It had been long supposed, that upon the islands in some part of this district the Indians had their head-quarters, from whence they had issued upon their destructive expeditions. This suspicion amounted to a certainty a little before this, from the testimony of a negro named John, who had escaped from a clan in that region and come in at Cape Florida. He had been with the Indians since 1835, at which time he was captured by them from Dr. Grew. Therefore it was determined by Col. Harney to take John as a guide, and endeavor to strike an effectual blow upon them in their own fastness. Accordingly, with 90 men in boats, he set out to traverse that monotonous world, the everglades. John faithfully performed his promise, and led the armament directly to the island where the Indians were, which was at once surrounded, and 38 prisoners taken and 2 killed. It proved to be the band of CHAI-KI-KA, as "noted a rogue" as Tatoson of old. He it was, it is said, who led the party that destroyed Indian Key, and traitorously massacred Col. Harney's men at the Synebal. As direct evidence of the fact, upwards of 2,000 dollars' worth of the goods taken from Dr. Perrine's settlement were identified, and 13 Colt's rifles lost at the Synebal were found; therefore, as an offset to those affairs, nine of the "warriors" were forthwith executed by hanging, and the tenth was preserved for a future guide.

When Col. Harney came upon Chaikika's band, the chief was at a short distance from his people, chopping wood, and on discovering that the foe was upon them, fled with all his might for the high grass. Several soldiers started in pursuit, but he outran them all except a private named Hall. When he found he could not escape from him, and being unarmed, he faced about, and with a smile of submission on his face, threw up his arms, in token of surrender. This availed him nothing. Hall levelled his rifle, which sent a bullet through his skull into his brains, and he fell lifeless into the water but a little distance from the shore of the island! How like the fall of the great Wampanoag chief! Col. Harney had one man killed and five wounded, of whom negro John, the pilot, was one.

There was great rejoicing at the success of Col. Harney all over Florida; and although his summary vengeance upon some of the prisoners called forth imprecations from many, those were drowned by the general burst of approbation; but this was damped in some degree by the loss of a very valuable and meritorious officer, who died immediately after the expedition returned from the everglades. This was Capt. W. B. Davidson, who died at Indian Key on the 24th of the same month, from disease engendered while upon that service.

About this time, or previous to 23 December, Tiger-tail's son and brother, with several others, came in to Fort King and surrendered. The old chief himself was daily expected in also, but that expectation only amounted to a disappointment. Not long after these Indians came in, a party went to Fort Walker, between Micanopy and Newnansville, where they killed three negroés and wounded one white woman, without being molested.

On the morning of the 29 December, a wagon was ordered to proceed from Fort Micanopy to Fort Wacahoota, and notwithstanding "positive orders had been given by the commanding general, forbidding any escort from post to post to consist of less than 30 men," but 11 went on this occasion. They were under the command of Lieuts. Sherwood and Hopson, and "as the morning was fine, a Mrs. Montgomery, wife of Lieut. Montgomery, rode out with them." This company had got scarcely three miles on the way when it fell into an ambush, and Mrs. Montgomery, Lieut. Sherwood, a sergeantmajor, and two privates were immediately killed. Lieut. Sherwood and a soldier sacrificed themselves to save Mrs. Montgomery, but it availed her nothing. Her husband arrived on the ground soon after, but she was dead, and a soldier was lying by her side in the agonies of death, but had strength enough to say to her husband, “Lieutenant, I fought for your wife as long as I could,” and then expired! Mrs. Montgomery was an accomplished lady from Cincinnati, and had not been married but about three weeks.

About the same time two wagoners were killed on the way from Pilatka to Fort Russell. They started in advance of the escort.-Such are some of the most prominent events of Florida warfare, which brings our account of it to the close of the year 1840.

BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

OF THE

INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA.

BOOK V.

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