SW012 Florida Historical Society Sources Seminole Wars Studies

If something has been written related to the Seminole Wars, whether that be a memoir or letter, or a first-edition history, one can likely find a copy -- and sometimes an original! -- at the Florida Historical Society in Cocoa. 

In this episode, we speak about such written materials with Ben DiBiasse. Ben is the Florida Historical Society’s archivist and director of public outreach. He shares his insights on the key place the Seminole Wars hold in Florida’s overall history. He regales us with fascinating tales extracted from Seminole Wars documents in the Society’s collection, and how interested listeners can easily access them.

For instance, Ben reads a passage from a first-hand chronicle describing joyous citizen reactions when the Army paraded the famed Seminole War leader Osceola down the streets of Saint Augustine as a prisoner -- and his composed, manly forbearance with the ordeal. He also relays a gripping account from an Army's surgeon's journal of the grim and bloody task of cutting and sawing off limbs at the Second Battle of Loxahatchee. These are just two of the many compelling recollections contained in the Florida Historical Society's vast primary- and secondary-source collection on the Seminole Wars. Have a listen now to learn about what else beckons the public to explore in Cocoa. 

Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a combat veteran and of the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kosovo, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. A military historian, he holds masters degrees in Public History, Communication, and Homeland Security, and is a graduate of the US Army War College with an advanced degree in strategic studies. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 

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