SW0109 Author and Explorer Doug Alderson Examines the Impact of Florida Rivers on Seminole Resistance and Soldier Removal Efforts

 

We cover a great deal of terra firma in this podcast, but not so much as on of the rivers and streams of the Panhandle and Florida peninsula along with the outlying islands. These bodies of water had an outsized impact on the conduct and campaigning of the Seminole Wars. As fortune has it, Doug Alderson has that covered for us. He podcasted with us previously about his Seminole Trail of Florida smart travel guide. He returns this week to connect river composition and range in its various arteries, veins and cataracts, to use by Seminoles and Soldiers in this long conflict. In Florida's Rivers: A Celebration of Over 40 of the Sunshine State's Dynamic Waterways, Doug examines the big rivers, the clear streams and the muddy waters of Florida.

 

In Florida's Rivers: A Celebration of Over 40 of the Sunshine State's Dynamic Waterways, Doug examines the big rivers, the clear streams and the muddy outcrops. In this podcast, he takes us to the rivers that featured so prominently in this war. We discuss the Apalachicola River and the hot shot that destroyed the Negro Fort at Prospect Bluff. We consider the Hillsborough River, where Major Dade and his men forded the waters after Seminole burned the bridge across its span, and travel to the peninsula’s tip to where Colonel Harney encountered Spanish Seminole Indians at the Miami River. He does this and still finds time to cover battles and skirmishes for most everything else in between. Then, Doug teases a look at the Florida coastline for further exploration on this topic.

 

Courtesy photos from Doug Alderson

 

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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