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140-795: He had fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida and the Mexican–American War . In 1850 he co-led the Bloody Island Massacre of 60–200 Pomo Native American old men, women, and children as part of the wider California genocide . Several days later, Lyon was responsible for another massacre in Cokadjal, killing 75 to 100 Native Americans, albeit the number was likely double. After being assigned to Kansas, where many residents were divided about slavery and

280-600: A hammock surrounded by sawgrass . The ground was thick mud, and sawgrass easily cuts and burns the skin. Taylor had about 800 men, while the Seminoles numbered less than 400. Taylor sent the Missouri volunteers in first. Colonel Richard Gentry , three other officers and more than twenty enlisted men were killed before the volunteers retreated. Next in were 200 soldiers of the 6th Infantry , who lost four officers and suffered nearly 40% casualties before they withdrew. Then it

420-590: A Seminole stronghold called the Cove of the Withlacoochee , an area of many lakes on the southwest side of the Withlacoochee River . When they reached the river, they could not find the ford, and Clinch had his regular troops ferried across the river in a single canoe they had found. Once they were across and had relaxed, the Seminoles attacked. The troops survived only by fixing bayonets and charging

560-406: A band of Yuchis, including their leader, Uchee Billy . General Jesup had King Phillip send a message to his son Coacoochee (Wild Cat) to arrange a meeting with Jesup. When Coacoochee arrived under a flag of truce, Jesup arrested him. In October Osceola and Coa Hadjo, another chief, requested a parley with Jesup. A meeting was arranged south of St. Augustine. When Osceola and Coa Hadjo arrived for

700-468: A battle went on for eight days. Still at Fort Drane, Clinch requested that General Scott change his orders and allow him to go to Gaines' aid. Clinch finally decided to disobey Scott and left to join Gaines just one day before Scott's permission to do so arrived at Fort Drane. Clinch and his men reached Camp Izard on March 6, chasing away the Seminoles. General Scott had begun assembling men and supplies for

840-545: A bay horse ridden by Maj. E.L. McElhaney of the Missouri Infantry. Lyon, badly outnumbered by Confederate forces, then dramatically led a countercharge of the 2nd Kansas Infantry on Bloody Hill, where he was shot in the heart at about 9:30 am. Although the Union Army was defeated at Wilson's Creek, Lyon's quick action neutralized the effectiveness of pro-Southern forces in Missouri, allowing Union forces to secure

980-431: A fortification, called Camp Izard, and sent word to General Clinch. Gaines hoped that the Seminoles would concentrate around Camp Izard, and that Clinch's forces could then hit the Seminoles in their flank, crushing them between the two forces. General Scott, however, who was in charge of the war, ordered Clinch to stay at Fort Drane. Gaines's men were soon reduced to eating their horses and mules, and an occasional dog, while

1120-535: A grand campaign against the Seminoles. Three columns, totaling 5,000 men, were to converge on the Cove of the Withlacoochee, trapping the Seminoles with a force large enough to defeat them. Scott would accompany one column, under the command of General Clinch, moving south from Fort Drane . A second column, under Brig. Gen. Abraham Eustis , would travel southwest from Volusia, a town on the St. Johns River . The third wing, under

1260-533: A letter from President Andrew Jackson to them. In his letter, Jackson said, "Should you... refuse to move, I have then directed the Commanding officer to remove you by force." The chiefs asked for thirty days to respond. A month later the Seminole chiefs told Thompson that they would not move west. Thompson and the chiefs began arguing, and General Clinch had to intervene to prevent bloodshed. Eventually, eight of

1400-601: A member of the Corps of Colonial Marines and was present at, and taken into custody, at the Battle of Negro Fort In custody only a short time, he was a Black Seminole leader, and interpreter for the Seminoles, who played a critical role during the Second Seminole War. Eustis burned the town before moving on to Volusia. All three columns were delayed. Eustis was two days late departing Volusia because of an attack by

1540-458: A mentor for him. In 1841, he graduated from West Point ranked number 11th out of 52 cadets. Around this time, Lyon also displayed a romantic affection for a woman known as "Miss Tot"; her identity and the details of the relationship are unknown, but biographer Christopher Phillips suggests that the failure of this relationship may have contributed to Lyon's later decision to never marry. Traditionally, higher-ranked graduates of West Point were given

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1680-407: A narrow window. The escapees included Coacoochee and John Horse , a Black Seminole leader. "Undoubtedly the general violated the rules of civilized warfare...[and] he was still writing justifications of it twenty-one years later" for an act that "hardly seems worthwhile to try to grace the capture with any other label than treachery ." A delegation of Cherokee was sent to Florida to try to talk

1820-525: A pro-union paramilitary organization that he intended to arm from the arsenal and muster into the ranks of the federal army. Upon obtaining command of the arsenal, Lyon armed the Wide Awake units under guise of night. Lyon had most of the excess weapons in the arsenal secretly moved to Illinois . Lyon was aware of a clandestine operation whereby the Confederacy had shipped captured artillery from

1960-563: A record of good discipline, receiving few demerits, although he received 12 for a single incident in February 1841 related to an incident of insubordination when he angrily refused to turn over his orders to an officer. Academically, he struggled with calculus, drawing, and infantry tactics, but did well in natural philosophy, engineering, and artillery. Lyon's cousin Miner Knowlton was an assistant professor at West Point and served as

2100-456: A speech from which the first sixteen words have become important to the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen . The regiment was bloodied and exhausted from the fierce fighting at Contreras, but even so, each man stood at attention as Scott approached. The General removed his hat, bowed low, and said: "Brave Rifles! Veterans! You have been baptized in fire and blood and have come out steel!" This accolade

2240-417: A stream of unknown depth under hostile fire, and with supplies again running short, Call withdrew and led his men to Volusia. On December 9, Call was relieved of command and replaced by Maj. Gen. Thomas Jesup , who took the troops back to Fort Brooke. The enlistments of the volunteers were up at the end of December and they went home. In 1836, the U.S. Army had just four Major Generals. Alexander Macomb, Jr.

2380-431: A treaty with the chiefs' signatures. Upon their return to Florida, however, most of the chiefs renounced the statement, claiming that they had not signed it, or that they had been forced to sign it. They said they did not have the power to decide for all the tribes and bands that resided on the reservation. Even some U.S. Army officers claimed that the chiefs had been "wheedled and bullied into signing." Others noted "there

2520-464: A truce was arranged. Fighting did not stop right away, and a meeting between Jesup and the chiefs did not occur until near the end of February. In March a 'Capitulation' was signed by a number of chiefs, including Micanopy, stipulating that the Seminoles could be accompanied by their allies and "their negroes, their 'bona fide' property" in their relocation to the West. Even as Seminoles began to come into

2660-503: A young warrior beginning to be noticed by the European Americans, was particularly upset by the ban, feeling that it equated Seminoles with slaves and said, "The white man shall not make me black. I will make the white man red with blood; and then blacken him in the sun and rain ... and the buzzard live upon his flesh." In spite of this, Thompson considered Osceola to be a friend, and gave him a rifle. Later, though, when Osceola

2800-590: Is evidence of trickery by the whites in the way the treaty is phrased." The members of the villages in the area of the Apalachicola River were more easily persuaded, however, as they suffered more encroachment from European Americans; they went west in 1834. The United States Senate finally ratified the Treaty of Payne's Landing in April 1834. The treaty had given the Seminoles three years to move west of

2940-479: Is no longer useful to appeal to reason, but to the sword." In March 1861, shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War , Lyon arrived in St. Louis in command of Company B of the 2nd U.S. Infantry. At the time the population and state of Missouri were relatively neutral in the dispute between North and South, but Governor Claiborne F. Jackson was a strong Southern sympathizer, as were many of

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3080-485: Is one of twelve in all as illustrations for the 1851 publication The War between the United States and Mexico Illustrated , with journalist George Wilkins Kendall . Nebel's depiction is of the second day of battle, and is a generally accurate rendering of the topography. According to Kendall's written text, the image's focus is on the assault of Smith, Riley and Cadwalader. On 20 August 1847, General Scott made

3220-670: Is the probable origin of "Seminole". This name was eventually also applied to the other groups in Florida, although the Native Americans still regarded themselves as members of different tribes. Other groups in Florida at the time of the Seminole Wars included " Spanish Indians ", so called because it was believed that they were descended from Calusas , and "rancho Indians", persons of Native American ancestry, possibly both Calusa and Muscogee, and mixed Native American/Spanish ancestry, living at Spanish/Cuban fishing ranchos on

3360-538: The 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment after graduation and served with them in the Seminole Wars and the Mexican–American War . Despite denouncing American involvement in the Mexican War, he was promoted to first lieutenant for "conspicuous bravery in capturing enemy artillery" at the Battle for Mexico City and received a brevet promotion to captain for the battles of Contreras and Churubusco . Although he

3500-775: The American Civil War . Lyon Park in St. Louis , Lyon Street in San Francisco and Lyon Lane in Carson City, Nevada are also named for him. Lyon is mentioned in Stephen C. Foster 's 1862 song "Better Times Are Coming". A monument honoring Nathaniel Lyon was erected on Grand Boulevard in St. Louis in 1927. However, the monument was removed in 1960 when Harriet Frost Fordyce, a St. Louis philanthropist and youngest child of Confederate General Daniel Frost, agreed to donate one million dollars to help expand St. Louis University's campus on

3640-410: The Battle of Jupiter Inlet , led eighty men towards a Seminole camp only to find themselves outnumbered by the Seminoles. A charge against the Seminoles was unsuccessful, but the troops made it back to their boats after losing four dead and twenty-two wounded. The party's retreat was covered by Army Lt. Joseph E. Johnston . At the end of January, Jesup's troops caught up with a large body of Seminoles to

3780-537: The Camp Jackson Affair . Lyon was promoted brigadier-general and given command of Union troops in Missouri. He was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek , while trying to rally his outnumbered soldiers. Despite his death during the first year of the war, Lyon's efforts prevented the State of Missouri from joining the Confederacy. Nathaniel Lyon was born on July 14, 1818, to Amasa and Kezia Lyon. His father

3920-579: The Missouri River by steamer and occupied Jefferson City without a fight on June 13. Lyon continued the pursuit and on June 17 he defeated a portion of the State Guard at the Battle of Boonville . The governor, his administration, and the Guard retreated to the southwest. Lyon was subsequently supported by the reconvened Missouri State Convention which reconvened on July 22, 1861, declared

4060-700: The Muscogee Confederacy , and both Hitchiti and Muscogee speakers. One group of Hitchiti speakers, the Mikasuki, settled around what is now Lake Miccosukee near Tallahassee . Another group of Hitchiti speakers settled around the Alachua Prairie in what is now Alachua County (see Ahaya ). The Spanish in St. Augustine began calling the Alachua Muscogees cimarrones , which roughly meant "wild ones" or "runaways", and which

4200-624: The United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles , consisting of Creek and Black Seminoles as well as other allied tribes (see below). It was part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars . The Second Seminole War, often referred to as the Seminole War, is regarded as "the longest and most costly of the Indian conflicts of the United States". After the Treaty of Payne's Landing in 1832 that called for

4340-644: The War of 1812 and the Creek War leading to the First Seminole War . The United States acquired Florida from Spain through the Adams–Onís Treaty in 1819 and took possession of the territory in 1821. Now that Florida belonged to the United States, settlers pressured the government to remove the Seminole and their allies altogether. In 1823 the government negotiated the Treaty of Moultrie Creek with

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4480-507: The lava field at El Pedregal, considering it impassable terrain and a natural defense. Intending to flank San Antonio, Scott ordered Capt. Robert E. Lee to build a road across El Pedregal so he could enfilade San Antonio to the north of San Agustin. On the morning of 19 August, Lee's men met Mexican pickets , which Major William W. Loring 's companies cleared at Padierna, only to come under fire from Valencia's 22 pieces of artillery west of El Pedregal and north of Contreras. When told of

4620-520: The American movement across El Pedregal, Valencia exclaimed, "No! No! You're dreaming, man." The U.S. forces took heavy casualties and Valencia thought at this point he was winning the encounter. Gideon Pillow then brought in his artillery, under the command of Capt. John B. Magruder , Lt. Franklin D. Callender, and Lt. Jesse L. Reno . In the meantime Col. Truman B. Ransom 's 9th Infantry and Lt. Col. Milledge L. Bonham 's 12th moved forward on

4760-482: The American right to within 200 yards of Valencia's camp by nightfall. Pillow also sent General Bennet Riley 's brigade, supported by General George Cadwalader , to seize San Jerónimo just north of Valencia's camp, while Persifor Smith 's brigade, supported by General Franklin Pierce , struck Valencia from the front. Scott sent General James Shields brigade to Pillow who sent it after Cadwalader. Santa Anna

4900-455: The Army camps to await transportation west, slave catchers were claiming blacks living with the Seminoles. As the Seminoles had no written records of ownership, they generally lost in disputes over ownership. Other whites were trying to have Seminoles arrested for alleged crimes or debts. All of this made the Seminoles suspicious of promises made by Jesup. On the other hand, it was noted that many of

5040-477: The Army units in Florida. Fort King was built near the reservation agency, at the site of present-day Ocala, Florida . By early 1827, the Army reported that the Seminoles were on the reservation and Florida was peaceful. This peace lasted for five years, during which time there were repeated calls for the Seminoles to be sent west of the Mississippi. The Seminoles were opposed to the move, and especially to

5180-574: The Army while awaiting the reply, and there was considerable fraternizing between the two camps. Secretary of War Joel Roberts Poinsett rejected the arrangement, however, and instructed Jesup to continue his campaign. Upon receiving Poinsett's response, Jesup summoned the chiefs to his camp, but they refused his invitation. Unwilling to let 500 Seminoles return to the swamps, Jesup sent a force to detain them. The Seminoles offered very little resistance, perhaps seeing little reason to continue fighting. Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park preserves an area of

5320-423: The Army, Alexander Macomb , to negotiate a new treaty with the Seminole. Remembering the broken treaties and promises of the past, they were slow to respond to the new overtures. Finally, Sam Jones sent his chosen successor, Chitto Tustenuggee, to meet with Macomb. On May 19, 1839, Macomb announced reaching agreement with the Seminole. They would stop fighting in exchange for a reservation in southern Florida. As

5460-516: The Black Seminole escaped. He reported at the fort that Sam Jones and Chitto Tustenuggee were involved in the attack. In August 1839, Seminole raiding parties operated as far north as Fort White . Battle of Contreras The Battle of Contreras , also known as the Battle of Padierna , took place on 19–20 August 1847, in one of the final encounters of the Mexican–American War , as invading U.S. forces under Winfield Scott approached

5600-558: The Cove of the Withlacoochee in December, had been appointed Governor of the Territory of Florida on March 16, 1836. Governor Call proposed a summer campaign using militia and volunteers instead of regular Army troops. The War Department agreed to this proposal, but delays in preparations meant the campaign did not start until the end of September. Call also intended to attack the Cove of the Withlacoochee. He sent most of his supplies down

5740-506: The Cove, Fort Alabama on the Hillsborough River north of Fort Brooke, Fort Barnwell near Volusia , and Fort Drane itself. The Seminoles also burned the sugar works on Clinch's plantation. After that, Clinch resigned his commission and left the territory. Fort Alabama was abandoned in late April. In late May, Fort King was also abandoned. In June the soldiers in a blockhouse on the Withlacoochee were rescued after being besieged by

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5880-459: The Cove. In mid-November Call tried again. His forces made it across the Withlacoochee this time, but found the Cove abandoned. Call divided his forces, and proceeded south along the river. On November 17, Seminoles were routed from a large camp. There was another battle the next day, and the Seminoles were assumed to be headed for the Wahoo Swamp. Call waited to bring the other column across

6020-510: The Florida coast. For a brief period after the start of the war, these rancho Indians, particularly those residing along Tampa Bay, were offered protection. However, they were also eventually forced onto reservations. The United States and Spain were at odds over Florida after the Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War and returned East and West Florida to Spanish control. The United States disputed

6160-524: The Indian- Negros ." General Taylor would not, being a slave holder himself, deny "the Seminoles of their Negros", and "in practice", handed his captives over to Lt. J. G. Reynolds, U.S. Marine Corps , "in charge of immigration." Spain had given freedom to slaves who escaped to Florida under their rule, although the U.S. did not recognize it. Over the years, those who became known as Black or Negro Seminoles established communities separate from

6300-519: The Indians, who have nobly defended their country against our attempt to enforce a fraudulent treaty. The natives used every means to avoid a war, but were forced into it by the tyranny of our government. On December 29, General Clinch left Fort Drane (recently established on Clinch's plantation, about twenty miles (32 km) northwest of Fort King) with 750 soldiers, including 500 volunteers on an enlistment due to end January 1, 1836. They were going to

6440-491: The Mexican capital. American forces surprised and then routed the Mexican forces of General Gabriel Valencia , who had disobeyed General Antonio López de Santa Anna 's orders for his forces' placement. Although the battle was an overwhelming victory for U.S. forces, there are few depictions of it in contemporary popular prints. The armies re-engaged the next day in the Battle of Churubusco . General Gabriel Valencia's army of

6580-548: The Mississippi. The government interpreted the three years as starting 1832, and expected the Seminoles to move in 1835. Fort King was reopened in 1834. A new Seminole agent, Wiley Thompson, had been appointed in 1834, and the task of persuading the Seminoles to move fell to him. He called the chiefs together at Fort King in October 1834 to talk to them about the removal to the west. The Seminoles informed Thompson that they had no intention of moving, and that they did not feel bound by

6720-463: The North, place itself at another strategic point at San Ángel , near Contreras by 17 August. General Valencia had not yet faced U.S. troops in battle, and did not consider the spot that Santa Anna had ordered him to at San Ángel to be a defensible position. He disobeyed orders and moved his infantry and cannons to just south of Padierna. Valencia had not expected the U.S. forces to be able to cross

6860-557: The Pedregal, stating it was "the greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed by any individual" during the campaign, and awarded Lee with a brevet rank of lieutenant colonel . 843 Mexicans were taken prisoner. No figures are available for the killed and wounded at Contreras but Winfield Scott estimated the Mexican casualties on August 20, at Contreras and Churubusco, at 4,297 killed and wounded; in addition to 2,637 taken prisoner. Santa Anna issued his version of events of

7000-610: The Seminole out of northern Florida, so that settlers could return to their homes. The Seminoles were still capable of reaching far north. In July they were thought responsible for the deaths of a family on the Santa Fe River , another near Tallahassee, as well as two families in Georgia. The fighting died down during the summer, as the soldiers were pulled back to the coasts. The Seminoles concentrated on growing their crops and gathering supplies for fall and winter. Taylor's plan

7140-510: The Seminole villages, and the two peoples had close alliances although they maintained separate cultures. "Negroes among the Seminoles constituted a threat to the institution of slavery north of the Spanish border. Slave holders in Mississippi and other border areas were aware of this and "constantly accused the Indians of stealing their Negroes. However, this "accusation" was often reversed; whites were raiding Florida and forcibly stealing

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7280-514: The Seminoles for 48 days. On July 23, 1836, Seminoles attacked the Cape Florida lighthouse , severely wounding the assistant keeper in charge, killing his assistant, and burning the lighthouse. The lighthouse was not repaired until 1846. Fort Drane was abandoned in July because of illness, with five out of seven officers and 140 men on the sick list. The Army was suffering terribly from illness; at

7420-399: The Seminoles into a set-piece battle, he concentrated on wearing the Seminoles down. This required a large military presence in Florida, and Jesup eventually had a force of more than 9,000 men under his command. About half of the force were volunteers and militia. It also included a brigade of Marines, and Navy and United States Revenue Cutter Service (AKA: Revenue Marine) personnel patrolling

7560-611: The Seminoles into moving west. When Micanopy and others came in to meet the Cherokees, General Jesup had the Seminoles held. John Ross , the head of the Cherokee delegation, protested, but to no avail. Jesup replied that he had told the Cherokees that no Seminole who came in would be allowed to return home. Jesup now had a large army assembled, including volunteers from as far away as Missouri and Pennsylvania —so many men, in fact, that he had trouble feeding all of them. Jesup's plan

7700-515: The Seminoles' removal from Florida, tensions rose until fierce hostilities occurred in Dade's massacre in 1835. This engagement officially started the war although there were a series of incidents leading up to the Dade battle. The Seminoles and the U.S. forces engaged in mostly small engagements for more than six years. By 1842, only a few hundred native peoples remained in Florida. Although no peace treaty

7840-597: The Seminoles, at the cost of four dead and 59 wounded. The militia provided cover as the Army troops withdrew across the river. On January 6, 1836, a band of Seminoles attacked the coontie plantation of William Cooley on the New River (in present-day Fort Lauderdale, Florida ), killing his wife and children and the children's tutor. The other residents of the New River area and of the Biscayne Bay country to

7980-488: The Seminoles, establishing a reservation for them in the middle of the territory. Six chiefs, however, were allowed to keep their villages along the Apalachicola River (see Neamathla ). The Seminoles gave up their lands in the panhandle and slowly settled into the reservation, although they occasionally had clashes with European Americans. Colonel (later General) Duncan Lamont Clinch was placed in charge of

8120-407: The Seminoles. Clinch's and Lindsay's columns only reached their positions on March 28. Because of problems crossing through uncharted territory, Eustis's column did not arrive until March 30. Clinch crossed the Withlacoochee on March 29 to attack the Seminoles in the Cove, but found the villages deserted. Eustis's column did fight a skirmish with some Seminoles before reaching its assigned position, but

8260-533: The Seminoles. Sailors and Marines helped man Army forts that were short of manpower. Sailors, Marines, and the Cuttermen of the Revenue Marine participated in expeditions into the interior of Florida, both by boat and on land. Against those numbers the Seminoles had started the war with between 900 and 1,400 warriors, and with no means of replacing their losses. The total population of the Seminoles in 1836

8400-529: The Treaty of Payne's Landing. Thompson requested reinforcements for Fort King and Fort Brooke, reporting that, "the Indians after they had received the Annuity, purchased an unusually large quantity of Powder & Lead." General Clinch also warned Washington that the Seminoles did not intend to move, and that more troops would be needed to force them to move. In March 1835 Thompson called the chiefs together to read

8540-584: The U.S. arsenal in Baton Rouge to the Missouri State Militia camp in St. Louis. Lyon allegedly disguised himself as a farm woman to spy on the State Guard's camp and then claimed that he had uncovered a plan by Jackson to seize the arsenal for Missouri troops. On May 10 Lyon directed the Missouri volunteer regiments and the 2nd U.S. Infantry to the camp, forcing its surrender. Riots broke out in St. Louis as Lyon marched his prisoners through

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8680-522: The Union, he developed strong pro-Union views. In February 1861, Lyon was made commander of the Union arsenal in St. Louis in Missouri , another divided state. Suspicious of governor Jackson, who was working with Jefferson Davis on a secret plan for secession, Lyon forced the surrender of the pro-Confederate militia. Some civilians rioted and Lyon's troops fired into the crowd, which came to be known as

8820-635: The age of 28, left any account of the battle from the Army's perspective. Entitled "The Surprising Adventures of Ransom Clark, Among the Indians in Florida" , it was published in 1839 by J. Orlando Orton and "printed by Johnson and Marble in Binghamton, New York ." Joseph Sprague suffered a " shattered arm ", served in the army until March 1843, and lived out his days near White Springs, Florida , until possibly 1848. No written material from Sprague's personal military experience 's has ever surfaced. The Seminoles lost three men killed, with five wounded. On

8960-746: The areas between the St. Johns and the Oklawaha River, between the Oklawaha and the Withlacoochee River, and along the Caloosahatchee River . A joint Army-Navy unit patrolled the lower east coast of Florida. Other troops patrolled the northern part of the territory to protect against Seminole raids. Colonel Taylor saw the first major action of the campaign. Leaving Fort Gardiner on the upper Kissimmee with 1,000 men on December 19, Taylor headed towards Lake Okeechobee . In

9100-590: The arsenal. When the Civil War broke out and President Abraham Lincoln called for troops to put down the Confederacy , Missouri was asked to supply four regiments. Governor Jackson refused the request and ordered the Missouri State Guard to muster outside St. Louis under the stated purpose of training for home defense. Lyon himself had been extensively involved in the St. Louis Wide Awakes ,

9240-401: The battle on 23 August 1847, which appeared in English translation in the New Orleans Daily Picayune on 9 September. In it, he claimed that "it would have been equal to a defeat to have kept the troops in the open field." Despite the great victory at Contreras, there are few contemporaneous prints of the action. The most famous and easily accessible is by Carl Nebel . His image of the battle

9380-412: The blacks with the Seminoles began turning themselves in. After a couple of swings in policy on dealing with fugitive slaves, Jesup ended up sending most of them west to join the Seminoles that were already in Indian territory. On September 10, 1837, the Army and militias captured a band of Mikasukis including King Phillip, one of the most important chiefs in Florida. The next night the same command captured

9520-441: The boundaries of West Florida. They accused the Spanish authorities of harboring fugitive slaves (see the Negro Fort ) and of failing to restrain the Native Americans living in Florida from raiding the United States. Starting in 1810, the United States occupied and annexed parts of West Florida . Also, the Patriot War of 1812 was part of these ongoing conflicts. In 1818, Andrew Jackson led an invasion of Spanish Florida , during

9660-616: The brave officers who, under the command of the late general Lyon sustained the honor of the flag and achieved victory against overwhelming numbers at the battle of Springfield, Missouri." The 24th Missouri Volunteer Infantry was recruited as "The Lyon Legion" in honor of the General, and carried a unique regimental color, depicting a Lion beneath a constellation of six stars. Counties in Iowa , Kansas , Minnesota , and Nevada , are named in Nathaniel Lyon's honor. Two forts were also named in his honor: Fort Lyon in Colorado and Fort Lyon (Virginia) , which defended Washington, D.C. , during

9800-446: The capital, and Valencia's forces were ordered to Mexico City. Most of Valencia's men were from Central Mexico, so the march southward brought them to their home territory. News that Scott's forces were marching from Puebla toward the capital was said to cheer Valencia's forces, who expected to be victorious. Valencia's troops marched rapidly south, from Texcoco northeast of the capital to Guadalupe Hidalgo , and traversed Mexico City on

9940-498: The capital, as part of General Winfield Scott 's invasion of Mexico's heartland and drive to the capital. Leaving Puebla on 7 August for his march on Mexico City , the U.S. army under Scott, reached Ayotla and Chalco on 11 August with the divisions of David E. Twiggs , William J. Worth , John A. Quitman , and Gideon Johnson Pillow . Scott moved on the south side of Lake Chalco on 15 August, advancing to San Agustín . Rather than moving northward that would have taken them to

10080-510: The chiefs agreed to move west, but asked to delay the move until the end of the year, and Thompson and Clinch agreed. Five of the most important Seminole chiefs, including Micanopy of the Alachua Seminoles, had not agreed to the move. In retaliation, Thompson declared that those chiefs were removed from their positions. As relations with the Seminoles deteriorated, Thompson forbade the sale of guns and ammunition to them. Osceola ,

10220-415: The choke point at El Peñon, which Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna had fortified, Scott chose a circuitous southerly route to attack Mexico City. Santa Anna understood Scott's flanking action, and sought to block alternative routes into the capital. Santa Anna placed troops under his own command at the pueblo of San Antonio and commanded that the 7,000 men of General Gabriel Valencia 's Army of

10360-399: The city to the St. Louis Arsenal. The event provoked the Camp Jackson Affair of May 10, 1861, in which Lyons' troops opened fire on a crowd of civilians injuring at least 75 and killing 28. Two federals and three militia were also killed and others were wounded. The source of the first shot is disputed, some witnesses claiming it was a drunken rioter, others claiming it was unprovoked. Lyon

10500-425: The coast and inland rivers and streams. In all the Revenue Marine committed 8 Cutters to operations in Florida during the war. The U.S. Navy and the Revenue Marine both worked with the Army from the beginning of the war. Navy ships and revenue cutters ferried men and supplies to Army posts. They patrolled the Florida coast to gather information on and intercept Seminoles, and to block smuggling of arms and supplies to

10640-506: The command of Col. William Lindsay, would move north from Fort Brooke . The plan was for the three columns to arrive at the Cove simultaneously so as to prevent the Seminoles from escaping. Eustis and Lindsay were supposed to be in place on March 25, so that Clinch's column could drive the Seminoles into them. On the way from St. Augustine to Volusia to take up his starting position, Gen. Eustis found Pilaklikaha, or Palatlakaha ( Palatka, Florida ), also known as Abraham's Town. Abraham had been

10780-548: The command of Price, met with troops under Brig. Gen. Benjamin McCulloch near the end of July. The combined Confederate forces numbered about 12,000, formed plans to attack Springfield, and marched northeast on July 31. The armies met at dawn a few miles southwest of Springfield on the morning of August 10 in the Battle of Wilson's Creek . Lyon was wounded twice in the fighting; shot in the head and leg and his horse shot from under him. He returned to Union lines and commandeered

10920-660: The condition that Lyon's statue be removed. The city quickly removed the monument in Lyon Park, a small park near Anheuser-Busch Brewery. SLU later renamed its main campus the “Frost Campus” in honor of the Confederate General Frost. Second Seminole War Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War , also known as the Florida War , was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between

11060-410: The defeat]. Santa Anna's plan for a coordinated defense of the capital fell apart when Valencia disobeyed his orders, essentially not recognizing Santa Anna as the commander of Mexican forces. Santa Anna and Valencia had a personal rivalry, one of many in the officer corps of the military and a product of years of coups and political rivalries. The battle was the first one in the immediate environs of

11200-533: The demands for manpower in the Florida war. Many people were beginning to think that the Seminole had earned a right to stay in Florida. The cost and time required to get all the Seminole out of Florida were looming larger. Congress appropriated US$ 5,000 to negotiate a settlement with the Seminole people in order to end the outlay of resources. President Martin Van Buren sent the Commanding General of

11340-571: The east of Lake Okeechobee. The Seminoles were originally positioned in a hammock, but cannon and rocket fire drove them back across a wide stream (the Loxahatchee River ), where they made another stand. The Seminoles eventually just faded away, having caused more casualties than they received, and the Battle of Loxahatchee was over. The fighting now died down. In February 1838, Seminole chiefs Tuskegee and Halleck Hadjo approached Jesup with

11480-585: The fighting spread, action was taken on many levels. Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott was placed in charge of the war. Congress appropriated US$ 620,000 for the war. Volunteer companies began forming in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina . General Edmund P. Gaines put together a force of 1,100 regulars and volunteers in New Orleans and sailed with them to Fort Brooke. A lack of arms was also an issue, with only two arsenals located in Florida, one at Fort Brooke and

11620-544: The fighting. Memorials are also located in Jonathan Dickinson State Park . Jesup asked to be relieved of his command. As summer approached in 1838 the number of troops in Florida dwindled to about 2,300. In April, Jesup was informed that he should return to his position as Quartermaster General of the Army. In May, Zachary Taylor, now a General, assumed command of the Army forces in Florida. With reduced forces in Florida, Taylor concentrated on keeping

11760-445: The first two days out ninety Seminoles surrendered. On the third day Taylor stopped to build Fort Basinger , where he left his sick and enough men to guard the Seminoles that had surrendered. Three days later, on Christmas Day, 1837, Taylor's column caught up with the main body of the Seminoles on the north shore of Lake Okeechobee. The Seminoles led by Alligator, Sam Jones , and the recently escaped Coacoochee, were well positioned in

11900-637: The funeral. A cenotaph stands in memory of Lyon in the Springfield National Cemetery , Missouri. On December 24, 1861, the United States Congress passed a resolution of thanks for the "eminent and patriotic services of the late Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon. The country to whose service he devoted his life will guard and preserve his fame as a part of its own glory. That the Thanks of Congress are hereby given to

12040-522: The generals: Miguel Blanco de Estrada, Manuel García Pueblita, N. Mendoza, and former President of Mexico and brigadier general José Mariano Salas , called "the notorious" for organizing the Guerrillas of Vengeance against the Americans. "Valencia's repeated refusal to follow orders had led to the dissolution of Mexico's most experienced and disciplined regiments and exposed the rest of the army to

12180-504: The implementation and potential continuation of the Price–Harney Truce between Federal forces and the State Guard. The discussions were conducted largely between Lyon and Jackson, who were generally intransigent in their respective positions: that U.S. forces had the right to move anywhere in the state, and that Federal forces should be restricted to the St. Louis-area, respectively. After four unproductive hours Lyon eventually halted

12320-463: The meeting, also under a white flag, they were arrested. Osceola was dead within three months of his capture, in prison at Fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina . Not all of the Seminoles captured by the Army stayed captured. While Osceola was still held at Fort Marion (Castillo de San Marcos) in St. Augustine, twenty Seminoles held in the same cell with him and King Phillip escaped through

12460-409: The meeting, informing Governor Jackson and MG Price that Jackson's demanded limitations on federal authority "means war". Lyon then allowed the two to leave St. Louis for Jefferson City by train, in accordance with the safe conduct. The governor fled first to the capitol at Jefferson City (ordering the tracks destroyed behind him), and then retreated with the State Guard to Boonville . Lyon moved up

12600-464: The men responsible for the attack over to Harney in 33 days. In the meantime, the Mikasuki in Sam Jones' camp near Fort Lauderdale remained on friendly terms with the local soldiers. On July 27 they invited the officers at the fort to a dance at the Mikasuki camp. The officers declined but sent two soldiers and a Black Seminole interpreter with a keg of whiskey. The Mikasuki killed the soldiers, but

12740-558: The north was part of the forces that fought at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, in which Santa Anna retreated before giving a crushing blow to the forces of Zachary Taylor . The Mexican forces were then divided in two, with one sent to Cerro Gordo and the other to San Luis Potosí. General Valencia was given the command of the forces in San Luis, replacing General Mora y Villamil. In April 1847 Battle of Cerro Gordo , General Winfield Scott 's victorious forces clearly threatened

12880-489: The north. The winter season was fairly quiet. The Army killed only a few Seminole and transported fewer than 200 to the West. Nine U.S. troops were killed by the Seminoles. Taylor reported in the Spring of 1839 that his men had constructed 53 new posts and cut 848 miles (1,365 km) of wagon roads. In Washington and around the country in 1839, support for the war was eroding. The size of the Army had been increased because of

13020-537: The office of Governor and other state officials "vacant", and appointed a Unionist provisional state government under former Missouri Chief Justice Hamilton Gamble . Lyon assumed command of the Army of the West on July 2. Lyon reinforced his army before moving southwest in pursuit of Jackson, Price and the State Guard. By July 13, Lyon was encamped at Springfield, Missouri , with about 6,000 Union soldiers. The Missouri State Guard, about 75 miles southwest of Lyon and under

13160-489: The option to enter the United States Corps of Engineers , which was viewed as a desirable assignment, but Lyon instead chose to be assigned to the infantry, where he believed that promotion would come quicker. Briefly returning to Ashford after his graduation, Lyon received a commission as a second lieutenant on July 1. Upon graduating from West Point, Lyon was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and assigned to

13300-431: The order. During the night, Lt. Zealous Bates Tower discovered a ravine running southwest from San Jerónimo to the rear of Valencia's camp, which Smith planned to use for a dawn attack the next morning. Lee volunteered to cross the Pedregal during the night so Scott could coordinate a diversion using Twiggs. Twiggs did so at 5 AM, just as Smith struck Valencia from the rear. Valencia did not put sentries along in

13440-476: The other at Fort Marion, with a third under construction in what is now Chattahoochee . When Gaines reached Fort Brooke, he found it low on supplies. Believing that General Scott had sent supplies to Fort King, Gaines led his men on to Fort King. Along the road they found the site of the Dade Massacre, and buried the bodies in three mass graves. The force reached Fort King after nine days, only to find it

13580-417: The other side of the river were shooting at any soldier who showed himself along the river. Call then turned west along the north bank of the river to reach the supply depot. However, the steamer bringing the supplies had sunk in the lower part of the river, and the supply depot was far downstream from where Call was expecting it. Out of food, Call led his men back to Fort Drane, another failed expedition against

13720-406: The poorly guarded holding camp at Fort Brooke and led away the 700 Seminoles there who had surrendered. The war did not immediately resume on a large scale. General Jesup had thought that the surrender of so many Seminoles meant the war was ending, and had not planned a long campaign. Many of the soldiers had been assigned elsewhere, or, in the case of militias and volunteers, released from duty. It

13860-486: The proposition that they would stop fighting if they were allowed to stay south of Lake Okeechobee. Jesup favored the idea, foreseeing a long struggle to capture the remaining Seminoles in the Everglades , and calculating that the Seminoles would be easier to round up later when the land was actually needed by white settlers. However, Jesup had to write to Washington for approval. The chiefs and their followers camped near

14000-570: The ravines along the path the American forces took, perhaps because of worries of desertion. When the attack came, Mexican forces resisted fiercely, but within seventeen minutes, Valencia and his force fled to San Ángel. Two of the cannons the American forces captured had been lost by Captain John P. O'Brien in bloody fighting at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847. The U.S. forces captured 22 pieces of artillery and four generals. The contemporary newspaper dispatch by George Wilkins Kendall names

14140-400: The red men's slaves. Worried about the possibility of an Indian uprising and/or an armed slave rebellion, Governor DuVal requested additional Federal troops for Florida. Instead, Fort King was closed in 1828. The Seminoles, short of food and finding the hunting becoming poorer on the reservation, were wandering off of it more often. Also in 1828, Andrew Jackson, the old enemy of the Seminoles,

14280-416: The river, then entered the Wahoo Swamp on November 21. The Seminoles resisted the advance in the Battle of Wahoo Swamp , as their families were close by, but had to retreat across a stream. Major David Moniac, who was part Creek and possibly the first Native American to graduate from West Point , tried to determine how deep the stream was, but was shot and killed by the Seminoles. Faced with trying to cross

14420-424: The same day as the Dade Massacre, Osceola and his followers shot and killed Wiley Thompson and six others outside of Fort King. In February, Major Ethan Allen Hitchcock was among those who found the remains of the Dade party. In his journal he wrote about the discovery and vented his bitter discontent with the conflict: The government is in the wrong, and this is the chief cause of the persevering opposition of

14560-463: The same point on the Withlacoochee where Clinch had met the Seminoles one-and-a-half months earlier, and it took another day to find the ford while the two sides exchanged gunfire across the river. When a crossing was attempted at the ford of the Withlacoochee, Lt. James Izard was wounded (and later died), and General Gaines was stuck by a bullet. Unable to ford the river, and not having enough ration to return to Fort King, Gaines and his men constructed

14700-568: The same possibility." With the rout of Valencia, Twiggs' army was in full pursuit as they retreated toward Mexico City. Santa Anna had to fall to his second line of defense at fortifications he has created at the Churubusco River. He ordered Major General Nicolás Bravo at San Antonio and Brigadier General Antonio Gaona at Mexicalzingo both to fall back to Churubusco , where soon the Battle of Churubusco would commence. Scott commended Lee, who made three-night crossings across

14840-522: The soldiers, and killed all but three of the command, which became known as the Dade Massacre . Only three white men survived the battle. Pvt Edwin DeCourcey was hunted down and killed by a Seminole the next day. The other two survivors, Pvt Ransom Clarke and Pvt Joseph Sprague, returned to Fort Brooke. Only Clarke, who ultimately succumbed to his wounds 5 years later, dying on November 18, 1840 at

14980-450: The south fled to Key West. On January 17, volunteers and Seminoles met south of St. Augustine at the Battle of Dunlawton . The volunteers lost four men, with thirteen wounded. On January 19, 1836, the Navy sloop-of-war Vandalia was dispatched to Tampa Bay from Pensacola. On the same day 57 U.S. Marines were dispatched from Key West to help man Fort Brooke. The regular American army

15120-518: The state legislators. Lyon guessed correctly that Jackson would seize the federal arsenal in St. Louis if the state seceded and that the Union had insufficient defensive forces to prevent the seizure. He attempted to strengthen the defenses, but came into opposition from his superiors, including Brig. Gen. William S. Harney of the Department of the West . Lyon employed his friendship with Francis P. Blair Jr. , to have himself named commander of

15260-474: The state. In the confused aftermath of the Union retreat from Wilson's Creek, Lyon's body was mistakenly left behind on the battlefield and discovered by Confederate forces. It was briefly buried on a Union soldier's farm outside Springfield until it could be returned to Lyon's relatives. Eventually the remains were interred at the family plot in Eastford, Connecticut, where an estimated crowd of 15,000 attended

15400-539: The suggestion that they should be placed on the Creek reservation. Most European Americans regarded the Seminoles as simply Creeks who had recently moved to Florida, while the Seminoles claimed Florida as their home and denied that they had any connection with the Creeks. The status of runaway slaves was a continuing irritation between Seminoles and European Americans. "The major problem was not with them [Seminoles] but with

15540-645: The summer passed, the agreement seemed to be holding. There were few killings. A trading post was established on the north shore of the Caloosahatchee River, near present day Cape Coral , and the Seminoles who came to the trading post seemed to be friendly. A detachment of 23 soldiers was stationed at the Caloosahatchee trading post under the command of Colonel William S. Harney . On July 23, 1839, some 150 Indians, including Billy Bowlegs and two other leaders named Chakaika and Hospertarke, attacked

15680-569: The territory altogether. A war party led by Osceola captured a Florida militia supply train, killing eight of its guards and wounding six others. Most of the goods taken were recovered by the militia in another fight a few days later. Sugar plantations along the Atlantic coast south of St. Augustine were destroyed, with many of the slaves on the plantations joining the Seminoles. The U.S. Army had 11 companies, about 550 soldiers, stationed in Florida. Fort King had only one company of soldiers, and it

15820-467: The time summer in Florida was called the sickly season . By the end of August, Fort Defiance, on the edge of the Alachua Prairie, was also abandoned. Seeing that the war promised to be long and expensive, Congress appropriated another US$ 1.5 million, and allowed volunteers to enlist for up to a year. Richard Keith Call , who had led the Florida volunteers as a Brig. Gen. when Clinch marched on

15960-496: The trading post and guard. Some of the soldiers, including Colonel Harney, were able to reach the river and find boats to escape in, but most of the soldiers, as well as a number of civilians in the trading post, were killed. The war was on again. The Americans did not know which band of Indians had attacked the trading post. Many blamed the 'Spanish' Indians, led by Chakaika . Some suspected Sam Jones, whose band of Mikasuki had come to agreement with Macomb. Jones promised to turn

16100-465: The trail to Fort King and killed him. As the realization that the Seminoles would resist relocation sank in, Florida began preparing for war. The St. Augustine Militia asked the War Department for the loan of 500 muskets. Five hundred volunteers were mobilized under Brig. Gen. Richard K. Call . Indian war parties raided farms and settlements, and families fled to forts, large towns, or out of

16240-403: The warriors coming into the transportation camps had not brought their families, and seemed mainly to be interested in collecting supplies. By the end of May, many chiefs, including Micanopy, had surrendered. Two important leaders, Osceola and Sam Jones , had not surrendered, however, and were known to be vehemently opposed to relocation. On June 2 these two leaders with about 200 followers entered

16380-674: The way to their position south of the city in San Angel . They arrived in San Angel on August 17. Valencia expected the U.S. forces to attack San Antonio and anticipated his troops would move behind them to help bring about the victory. On 18 August, he placed a battery of artillery, overseen by General Mejía. Santa Anna did not concur with Valencia's positioning of his forces, and as Supreme Commander orders him to withdraw to Coyoacan and Churubusco . Valencia disobeyed Santa Anna's order and his disobedience "formed afterward his indictment" [in

16520-399: The west coast of the peninsula and up the Withlacoochee to set up a supply base. With the main body of his men he marched to the now abandoned Fort Drane, and then on to the Withlacoochee, which they reached on October 13. The Withlacoochee was flooding and could not be forded. The army could not make rafts for a crossing because they had not brought any axes with them. In addition, Seminoles on

16660-417: The whole action had killed or captured only a few Seminoles. On March 31 all three commanders, running low on supplies, headed for Fort Brooke. The failure of the expedition to effectively engage the Seminoles was seen as a defeat, and was blamed on insufficient time for planning and an inhospitable climate. April 1836 did not go well for the Army. Seminoles attacked a number of forts, including Camp Cooper in

16800-764: Was a devoted Christian, but Amasa tended towards rejecting organized Christianity, raising doubts about religion in Nathaniel's young mind. He was educated in the local school system, and briefly attended an academy in Brooklyn, Connecticut . After recommendations from family acquaintances, United States Representative Orrin Holt secured Lyon's appointment to the United States Military Academy (West Point) in early 1837. Lyon officially entered West Point on July 1, 1837, While there, he established

16940-401: Was a sawmill operator who also dabbled in farming, and his mother was related to Revolutionary War hero Thomas Knowlton . Raised on his father's farm, Nathaniel performed farm chores as a young child; at an early age he gained a reputation for seriousness and having a short temper. Amasa was strict and not affectionate towards his children, and Nathaniel grew quite close to his mother. Kezia

17080-416: Was also getting into summer, the 'sickly season', and the Army did not fight aggressively in Florida during the summer. The Panic of 1837 was reducing government revenues, but Congress appropriated another US$ 1.6 million for the war. In August the Army stopped supplying rations to civilians who had taken refuge at its forts. Jesup kept pressure on the Seminoles by sending small units into the field. Many of

17220-534: Was angered by Valencia's disobedience, but nonetheless sought to save his army. He moved with Brigadier General Francisco Pérez 's 3,000 man brigade to San Ángel, just north of the fighting. Night brought a cold rain and the end of fighting for the day. The American forces had positioned themselves to block Santa Anna's approach to Valencia's army. Santa Anna wanted to fall back in an orderly fashion and ordered Valencia to abandon his artillery and retreat with his men and their smaller weapons. Valencia refused to obey

17360-458: Was causing trouble, Thompson had him locked up at Fort King for a night. The next day, in order to secure his release, Osceola agreed to abide by the Treaty of Payne's Landing and to bring his followers in. The situation grew worse. A group of European Americans assaulted some Indians sitting around a campfire. Two more Indians came up during the assault and opened fire on the European Americans. Three European Americans were wounded, and one Indian

17500-604: Was elected President of the United States . In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act . They wanted to solve the problems with the Seminoles by moving them to west of the Mississippi River . In the spring of 1832, the Seminoles on the reservation were called to a meeting at Payne's Landing on the Oklawaha River . The treaty negotiated there called for the Seminoles to move west, if the land

17640-538: Was eligible for membership, Lyon did not join the Aztec Club of 1847 when it was formed in Mexico City in 1847. After the Mexican War, Lyon was then posted to the frontier, where forces under his command perpetrated the massacre of Pomo Native Americans at Clear Lake , California , the 1850 " Bloody Island Massacre "; in which as many as 200 old men, women and children were killed. Several days later, Lyon

17780-493: Was estimated at around 6,000 up to 10,000 people. January 1837 saw a change in the war. In various actions a number of Seminoles and Black Seminoles were killed or captured. At the Battle of Hatchee-Lustee , the Marine brigade, "succeeded in capturing the horses and baggage of the enemy, with twenty-five Indians and negroes , principally women and children." At the end of January some Seminole chiefs sent messengers to Jesup, and

17920-487: Was ever signed, the war was declared over on August 14, 1842 by Colonel William Jenkins Worth . Bands from various tribes in the southeastern United States had moved into the unoccupied lands in Florida in the 18th century. These included Alabamas , Choctaw , Yamasees , Yuchis and Muscogees (then called "Creeks"). The Muscogees were the largest group, and included people from the Lower Towns and Upper Towns of

18060-407: Was feared that they might be overrun by the Seminoles. There were three companies at Fort Brooke, with another two expected on the way, so it was decided to send two companies to Fort King. On December 23, 1835, the two companies, totaling 110 men, left Fort Brooke under the command of Maj. Francis L. Dade . Seminoles shadowed the marching soldiers for five days. On December 28 the Seminoles ambushed

18200-400: Was found to be suitable. They were to be settled on the Creek reservation and become part of the Creek tribe. The delegation of seven chiefs who were to inspect the new reservation did not leave Florida until October 1832. After the chiefs had toured the area for several months and had conferred with the Creeks who had already been settled there, on March 28, 1833, the federal government produced

18340-492: Was hailed as a great victory for Taylor and the Army. Taylor now joined the other columns sweeping down the peninsula to pass on the east side of Lake Okeechobee, under the overall command of General Jesup. The troops along the Caloosahatchee River blocked any passage north on the west side of the lake. Still patrolling the east coast of Florida was the combined Army-Navy force under Navy Lt. Levin Powell. On January 15, Powell, in

18480-406: Was killed and one wounded. In August 1835, Private Kinsley Dalton (for whom Dalton, Georgia , is named) was killed by Seminoles as he was carrying the mail from Fort Brooke to Fort King. In November, Chief Charley Emathla, wanting no part of a war, led his people to Fort Brooke, where they were to board ships to go west. This was considered a betrayal by other Seminoles. Osceola met Charley Emathla on

18620-502: Was nonetheless promoted to brigadier general May 17, and given command over the Union troops in Missouri May 31, 1861 as commander of the Department of the West . On June 12, 1861 Lyon (accompanied by Congressman Colonel Francis P. Blair Jr. ) met with Governor Jackson and Major General Sterling Price of the Missouri State Guard (who both traveled under a safe conduct from Lyon) at St. Louis' Planter's House hotel to discuss

18760-483: Was responsible for another massacre in Cokadjal, killing 75 to 100 people, albeit the number was likely double. After being reassigned to Fort Riley, Kansas , Lyon became staunchly antislavery. He did not support the radicalism of the abolitionists, and came to support the Republican Party while serving in the border wars known as " Bleeding Kansas ." In January 1861, he wrote about the secession crisis, "It

18900-442: Was the commanding general of the Army. Edmund Gaines and Winfield Scott had each taken to the field and failed to defeat the Seminoles. Thomas Jesup was the last Major General available. Jesup had just suppressed an uprising by the Creeks of western Georgia and eastern Alabama (the Creek War of 1836 ), upstaging Winfield Scott in the process. Jesup brought a new approach to the war. Instead of sending large columns out to try to force

19040-417: Was the turn of the 4th Infantry, 160 men augmented by remnants of the 6th Infantry and the Missouri volunteers. This time the troops were able to drive the Seminoles from the hammock and towards the lake. Taylor then attacked their flank with his reserves, but the Seminoles were able to escape across the lake. Only about a dozen Seminoles had been killed in the battle. Nevertheless, the Battle of Lake Okeechobee

19180-618: Was to build small posts at frequent intervals across northern Florida, connected by wagon roads, and to use larger units to search designated areas. This was expensive, but Congress continued to appropriate the necessary funds. In October 1838, Taylor relocated the last of the Seminole living along the Apalachicola River to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Killings in the Tallahassee area caused Taylor to pull troops out of southern Florida to provide more protection in

19320-533: Was to sweep down the peninsula with multiple columns, pushing the Seminoles further south. General Joseph Marion Hernández led a column down the east coast. General Eustis took his column up the St. Johns River (southward). Colonel Zachary Taylor led a column from Fort Brooke into the middle of the state, and then southward between the Kissimmee River and the Peace River . Other commands cleared out

19460-415: Was very short on supplies. After receiving seven days' worth of rations from General Clinch at Fort Drane, Gaines headed back for Fort Brooke. Hoping to accomplish something for his efforts, Gaines took his men on a different route back to Fort Brooke, intending to engage the Seminoles in their stronghold in the Cove of the Withlacoochee River. Due to a lack of knowledge of the country, the Gaines party reached

19600-459: Was very small at the time, with fewer than 7,500 men manning a total of 53 posts. It was spread thin, with the Canada–U.S. border to guard, coastal fortifications to man, and especially, Indians to move west and then watch and keep separated from white settlers. Temporary needs for additional troops were filled by state and territory militias, and by self-organized volunteer units. As news and rumors of

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