Once in command of American forces in the Second Seminole War, Colonel Worth instituted a change of strategy so successful that by April of 1842 only 300 Indians remained in Florida, his appointment truly was a tipping point in the Second Seminole War. His primary action was to remove hostiles in north Florida who lived nearby white settlements. He then maintained military operations through the...
This battle was the last battle of the War of 1812, even though a treaty declaring the end of the war had already been signed in Ghent. After the British were cruelly defeated in the Battle of New Orleans, the British did not want to leave America without striking one last attack against the Americans. Major-General Lambert commanded the British forces while Lieutenant-Colonel William Lawrence was...
After the end of the Second Seminole War in Florida (August 1842), peace between the Seminoles and the American settlers lasted for only seven years. In July of 1849, five warriors, acting independently, left the reservation to kill and pillage at the American settlements. Seminole leadership turned over three of the rebellious warriors and the hand of a fourth who was killed by the whites for their...
Fowl Town, an Indian village in Spanish-controlled Florida, was the site of one of the major events in the First Seminole War. It was visited three times by United States troops, the first time marking the first official engagement of the war. These skirmishes resulted in the deaths of three Seminoles, the capture of one, and the abandonment of the town. Lieutenant Colonel Arbuckle led the second party...
Following the War of 1812, Isaiah D. Hart was living on a farm near the St. Mary's River in Florida. Learning of the early successes of some small stores opened by white settlers near the Ferry Crossing on the St. John's River, Hart envisioned great potential for the area. Making perhaps the most profitable decision of his life, in late 1820 Hart purchased what was then known as Cowford from settler...
Beginning in 1818, President Monroe sent General Andrew Jackson to Spanish Florida to subdue the Seminole Indians, who were raiding American settlements. Liberally interpreting his ambiguous instructions, Jackson led his troops deep into areas of Florida under Spanish control, capturing two Spanish forts. Because Florida held the potential of becoming a new slave state, southern congressmen eagerly...
The most storied developer in Florida history, Henry Flagler began his career as the co-owner of the Flagler and York Salt Company. After years of futility, Flagler gave up on the company. Around the same time, he met John Rockefeller. Later, the two became founding partners of the Standard Oil Company. After amassing his fortune, Flagler married and spent his honeymoon with his second wife, Ida Alice,...
General Andrew Jackson learned in the spring of 1818 that the Seminoles were gathering en masse in Pensacola, which, at the time, was in Spanish-controlled Florida. He also had heard reports of Indians murdering whites in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. He was, in fact, sent down to Fort Scott because of Seminole retaliatory strikes against the United States in late 1817. General Jackson concluded that...
Upon hearing rumors that the Seminoles were gathering en masse in Pensacola, Florida, General Andrew Jackson and his army invaded and took control of the town, dispersing the Seminole gathering in the process. After the war, General Jackson faced much criticism for his actions in the war, both in the press and in a formal investigation conducted by the Senate; his seizure of Pensacola was not exempt...
A native of Florida, Mr. Cooke jumped on the cash-in bandwagon and attempted to retrieve his money but The Land Mortgage Bank of Florida was unwilling to return Mr. Cooke's assets. Mr. Cooke then moved to sue the bank and the case was passed up to the High Court of Justice in Florida similar to a state supreme court. The apprehension of an uncertain economy left many citizens feeling insecure about...