Mapping the Geography of the Second Seminole War

A Visual and Interactive Learning Resource for the Second Seminole War in Florida (1835-1842)

Historical Context: The Second Seminole War (1835-1842)

The First Seminole War officially concluded in 1823, when the US Government and several tribes of Native Americans living in present-day Florida, including the Seminoles, signed the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. As part of the treaty, all of the Native Americans who lived in the Territory of Florida were required to move onto a reservation in Central Florida. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson, who fought in the US Army during the First Seminole War, signed the Indian Removal Act. This Act forcibly removed tens of thousands of Native Americans from their homes and relocated them to reservations west of the Mississippi River. The Seminoles, who by 1830 already lived on the reservation in Florida established by the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, considered this a violation of the treaty. Tensions rose between the US Government, who wanted to remove the Seminoles from Florida, and the Seminoles, who refused to leave. This led to the beginning of the Second Seminole War in 1835.

US Forts and their locations in Florida during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842)

*Some forts were not recorded on maps created during the war, but were added to maps created in later years based on their general locations.

The interactive map below depicts a selection of significant US forts where they existed in Florida during the Second Seminole War. US troops built about 200 forts across Florida between 1835 and 1842. Using information from American cartographer Henry Schenck Tanner's 1839 map of the state, the map below allows users to travel around present-day Florida and see where the forts stood in the nineteenth century. Some forts built during the war, like Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers, later lent their names to major cities around the state. The selected forts offer a glimpse into the path of the War and the continued legacy of the battles and Veterans of the Second Seminole War.

Fort Basinger

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Myers

Fort Pierce

Fort Walton

Fort White

Fort Maitland

Fort Blount

Fort Harrison

Fort Dallas

Fort Clinch

Fort Capron

Fort Marion

Fort Brooke

Fort King

Fort Shannon

Fort Gardiner

Fort Hanson

Addison Blockhouse

Fort Christmas

Fort Drane

Fort Moniac

Fort Basinger

Fort Basinger, established by Col. Zachary Taylor in December 1837, was named after 1st Lt. William E. Basinger, 2nd Artillery, who was killed during Dade's Battle in December 1835. After suffering heavy casualties during the Battle of Okeechobee on December 25, 1837, Col. Taylor and his troops retreated to Fort Basinger.

Fort Lauderdale

Maj. William Lauderdale established Fort Lauderdale in March 1838, while leading a battalion of volunteers south along the east coast of Florida to capture Seminole agricultural lands. Built along the banks of the New River, the US Army abandoned Fort Lauderdale in May 1838, and the Seminoles destroyed it a few months later.

Fort Myers

Originally established as Fort Harvie in 1841, near the end of the Second Seminole War, Fort Myers was built on the same site in 1850 after Fort Harvie was abandoned in 1842. It was named after Lt. Abraham C. Myers.

Fort Pierce

Built in 1838 on Florida's east coast, Fort Pierce served as a supply depot for the US Army during the final years of the Second Seminole War. Named after LtCol. Benjamin K. Pierce, it was abandoned after the war ended in 1842.

Fort Walton

This fort was estabilsh between 1835-1842. It was named after Colonel George Walton. Fort Walton was use as the first line of defence againist a Spanish invasion of Florida and the United States.

Fort White

Established between 1836 and 1837 along the banks of the Santa Fe River, Fort White served as a supply depot during the Second Seminole War. Originally built to protect white settlements along Cow Creek, a tributary of the Santa Fe River, Fort White was abandoned shortly before the end of the war in 1842, due to the spread of disease among the troops there.

Fort Maitland

Named after Cpt. W.S. Maitland, who was severely injured by Seminole warriors during the Battle of Wahoo Swamp in 1836, Fort Maitland served as a supply depot for US troops. The US military abandoned it in 1842, after the Second Seminole War.

Fort Blount

This fort was established in 1853. it was named after Redding Blount, a white settler of Florida. This fort was used to protect white settlers from Seminole raids.

Fort Harrison

Maj. William Hoffman and the 6th US Infantry troops established Fort Harrison in April 1841, shortly after President William Henry Harrison died in office. Perhaps because Harrison died of disease, Fort Harrison served as a recovery center for sick and wounded US soldiers during the final year of the Second Seminole War.

Fort Dallas

Built in 1836 to prevent the Seminoles from trading with the Caribbean Islands, Fort Dallas was established in what is now downtown Miami, FL. It was named after Cdre. Alexander James Dallas, who was then commander of US Naval Forces in the Caribbean.

Fort Clinch

This fort was established in 1849. This fort was named after General Duncan Lamont Clinch. This fort was used to prevent a naval invasion from the Spanish Empire during the Secound Seminole War

Fort Capron

This fort replaced Fort Pierce in 1850. This fort was named after Captain Erastus Capron. Fort Pierce in 1850 would buried down and Captain Erastus Capron order that a new fort will be built in the same location to protect the settlers during the Second Seminole War.

Fort Marion

Built between 1672 and 1756 in St. Augustine, FL, and known today by its Spanish name, the Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Marion is the oldest permanent seacoast fortification in the US. After Spain ceded Florida to the US in 1821, the US Government renamed the Castillo de San Marcos after Revolutionary War hero Gen. Francis Marion. The fort housed Native American prisoners during the Second Seminole War.

Fort Brooke

Built in 1824 near present-day Tampa Bay, Fort Brooke housed nearly 3,000 US soldiers during the Second Seminole War, making it one of the most important US military outposts during the conflict. Named for Col. George Mercer Brooke, Fort Brooke was originally established to enforce the terms of the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, signed in 1823, which required that Native Americans be removed from the areas surrounding present-day Tampa Bay. A hurricane destroyed the fort in 1848, following the Second Seminole War.

Fort King

Fort King was originally established in 1827 to shelter US troops sent to Florida to enforce the terms of the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. Signed in 1823 after the First Seminole War, the treaty required that all Native Americans living in the Territory of Florida relocate to a reservation in Central Florida. Named after Col. William King, who served as Military Governor of West Florida following the First Seminole War, Fort King became one of the most important US military outposts in the region during the Second Seminole War. Seminole warriors destroyed the fort in 1836, but because of its strategic position in Central Florida, US troops rebuilt Fort King the following year. It was abandoned after the war in 1842.

Fort Shannon

Fort Shannon, located in Palatka, was established in May 1838, and served as a major quartermaster depot during the Second Seminole War. Named after Cpt. Samuel Shannon, who died in 1836, Fort Shannon included a hospital, barracks for soldiers, blockhouses for defense, and several stables for horses. US troops abandoned the fort in 1843, after the war.

Fort Gardiner

Named after Cpt. George Washington Gardiner, who died during Dade's Battle in 1835, Fort Gardiner was established by Col. Zachary Taylor in December 1837, shortly before the Battle of Lake Okeechobee. After the battle, fought December 25, 1837, Taylor brought wounded troops back to Fort Gardiner for treatment.

Fort Hanson

Fort Hanson, established eighteen miles southwest of St. Augustine in 1838, was built to protect the city from Seminole attacks during the Second Seminole War. As tensions between the Seminoles and the US military decreased, US troops abandoned Fort Hanson in 1841.

Addison Blockhouse

Originally part of an eighteenth-century sugar and cotton plantation owned by John Addison, the Addison Blockhouse was a small outside kitchen used by the slave overseers who lived on the plantation. After Seminoles burned down the plantation in 1836, the US military fortified the blockhouse, which still stood, to house troops throughout the remainder of the Second Seminole War.

Fort Christmas

Established on Christmas Day 1837 by BrigGen. Abraham Eustis, Fort Christmas housed US troops from Alabama during the Second Seminole War. The US military abandoned it in 1842, shortly after the war's conclusion.

Fort Drane

Originally known as Camp Auld Lang Syne when it was created in 1835. It was renamed for Capt. Gustavus S. Drane, 2 nd  Artillery who had constructed the post. Camp Auld Lang Syne is described in the diary of Lt. Henry Prince.

Fort Moniac

In 1838, Capt. Thompson Morris of the 2nd Infantry received orders from Major Dearborn to construct a post for protection of settlements near the Florida border with Georgia. Morris said, "I call the post Fort Moniac after the late Major David Moniac, a Creek & an officer of the Regt of Creek Volunteers, who fell in the action with the Seminoles at the Wahoo Swamp in the [fall] of 1836 – He was a friend and class mate of mine at West Point & as a small tribute of respect to his memory, I call the Fort by his name.”

Present-day Florida versus Florida during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842)

Below, a present-day map of Florida is overlaid with two maps created during the Second Seminole War, one in 1836 by Myer M. Cohen and the other in 1838 by Washington Hood. The Slider Feature allows users to compare depictions of Florida from the 1830s with more contemporary depictions.

1836 map of Florida by Myer M. Cohen. Cohen served with the South Carolina Volunteers during the early months of the Second Seminole War. After his service, he worked as a cartographer and created maps during the early days of the US. Cohen originally created this map as a lithograph, a work made from sheet metal and stone.

Major Battles and Veterans of the Second Seminole War (1835-1842)

The guided tour below includes the locations of several major battles and deaths during the Second Seminole War in Florida.

1

Dade's Massacre

Dade's Battle, also called the Dade Massacre, was fought on December 28th, 1835. The first battle of the Second Seminole War, Dade's Battle began after a party of Seminole's ambushed a US military expedition led by BvtMaj. Francis L. Dade, near present-day Tampa Bay. The Seminoles killed more than 100 US soldiers during the Battle, including Dade. Many of the soldiers who died during the battle later became some of the earliest burials at St. Augustine National Cemetery.

2

The Battle of Wahoo Swamp

Fought between November 17 and November 21, 1836, the Battle of Wahoo Swamp began after US troops encountered Seminole warriors hiding out in the forests and swamps between Tampa Bay and Ocala. Maj. David Moniac, who in 1822 became the first Native American to graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point, died on the final day of the battle.

3

The Battle of Withlacoochee

The Battle of Withlacoochee, fought on December 31, 1835, just three days after Dade's Battle, was fought along the banks of the Withlacoochee River in present-day Polk County, FL. US troops suffered over sixty casualties during the battle, but the swampy Florida environment proved even more deadly. After the battle, diseases like malaria and yellow fever spread throughout forts and camps, killing hundreds of US troops by the end of the war.

4

Battle of Lake Okeechobee

Fought on Christmas Day, 1837, the Battle of Lake Okeechobee was one of the deadliest battles of the Second Seminole War, surpassed only by Dade's Battle. Although US troops suffered significant casualties during the battle, commanding officer Col. Zachary Taylor claimed victory after the Seminoles retreated into the surrounding forests, despite only suffering minor casualties. This propelled Taylor into the national spotlight, and led to his election to the presidency in 1848.

As a major natural landmark in Florida, US surveyors and military officers transliterated the name "Lake Okeechobee" from various native languages and dialects. Some variations in spelling and pronunciation include:

  1. Okechobee

2. Okee-chobee

3. Oke-cho-bee

4. O-kie-cho-bee

5. O-kee-cho-bee

6. Wee-thloko

7. Big Water

5

Major David Moniac

One of the first Native American graduate from West Point. David Moniac served during the Second Seminole War and died at Wahoo Swamp. Historians believe that David Moniac is buried under the Dade Pyramids at St. Augustine National Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida.

6

Alexander Ramsey Thompson

Lt. Col. Alexander Ramsey Thompson, a West Point graduate, served during the Second Seminole War. Ramsey lost his life at the Battle of Okeechobee, his last words to his men being, "“Keep steady, men; charge the hammock – remember the regiment to which you belong.”

7

Henry Prince

Henry Prince was a soldier during the Second Seminole War. Prince's diary offers one of the most complete records of life in Florida during the early to mid 1800s, and the experience of soldiers on their day to day operations and encounters with the Seminoles.

Conclusion

The forts and locations mapped throughout this visualization serve as both a historical record of the forts and sites utilized during the Second Seminole War. In addition the presence of these shows forts, named after people and places of the Seminole Wars, demonstrate this conflict's legacy in Florida.

Discussion Questions

  1. How can maps tell us about life in the past and life today?
  2. How do you think that the terrain in Florida, swamps, rivers, forests, etc., impacted the experiences of soldiers moving around the state during the Seminole Wars? How were the movements of the Seminoles different or the same?
  3. What do you think it was like experiencing the Florida climate for the first time? How would you experience the Florida climate wearing wool uniforms?
  4. What was one of the most interesting facts about one of the Veterans you read about? Why?
  5. What remnants of the Second Seminole War can we see in Florida today?

1836 map of Florida by Myer M. Cohen. Cohen served with the South Carolina Volunteers during the early months of the Second Seminole War. After his service, he worked as a cartographer and created maps during the early days of the US. Cohen originally created this map as a lithograph, a work made from sheet metal and stone.