Seminole Wars Authority

SW0129 Martial Matters 6: Army Pursuit of Decisive Battle Proves Futile

SW0129 Martial Matters 6: Army Pursuit of Decisive Battle Proves Futile
In the Second Seminole War, Army commanders had an expectation that if they could just fix the Seminole in battle, they could settle the conflict right then and there. The Seminole, however, had other ideas and greatly frustrated Army leaders in this endeavor. Considering this, what was it in the U.S. Army's past that gave these leaders the idea that they had the capability for waging and winning one decisive battle to end a war.  
Jesse Marshall returns to provide the context and history. 
Withlacoochee Abyss by Jackson Walker
 
Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Fla. 
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SW0128 Martial Matters 5: Great Scott! Feuding Commanders’ Stubbornness Risked Catastrophe, Annihilation

  
 
SW0128 Martial Matters 5: Great Scott! Feuding Commanders’ Stubbornness Risked Catastrophe, Annihilation
 
In our fifth installment in Martial Matters of the Seminole Wars, Living Historian Jesse Marshall returns as we cast a critical eye on Feuding Commanders.
In its early stages, it was clear the soldiers were fighting the Seminole. But, what was not so clear, is that the generals were fighting amongst themselves.
In this episode, we will explore the animosity, anger, and asinine stubbornness that led two generals to undermine each other’s actions, in such a way, that the entire campaign may have failed. This is the story of Generals Scott and Gaines.
 
   
 
It is also the story of Militia General Richard C. Call and regular Army General Duncan Clinch.
 
   
And, it is the story of regular Army colonel William S. Foster who put pride in his back pocket and supported whole heartedly the volunteer colonels appointed above him -- despite believing he should have had the job commanding troops. He served ably under capable Militia Volunteer Col. Persifor Smith from Louisiana. 
 
        
Jackson Walker painting of Regular Army Col. William S. Foster in battle and an uncredited illustration of Militia Volunteer Col. Persifor Smith
 
Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Fla. 
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SW0127 Martial Matters 4: Manning the Militia for Seminole Wars Service Required Citizens Already Keeping and Bearing Arms

Militia were not formally uniformed as were U. S. soldiers nor were they necessarily armed by the federal government or state or territory when mustered for service. Many brought their own arms as codified in the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Living historians at Pioneer Museum of Florida in Dade City December 2021. Photos by Andrew Foster
 
In this fourth week of Martial Matters, we continue our discussion on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- with Jesse Marshall. We do this by further examining the words of the amendment to understand what the words meant and the right secured as addressed in the Seminole Wars. Three levels of Federalism are involved. The right secures the Free State. Shall not be infringed means...shall not be infringed. Using law cases, commentary, and military and civil history, Jesse Marshall outlines the case for why the people chose to codify this as an enumerated right in the U.S. Constitution and what it would mean if there was no such amendment. 
 
 
   
 
Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Fla. 
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SW0126 Martial Matters 3: Keeping and Bearing Arms with the Militia in Seminole Wars Era Proved Anything But Simple

 
Militiamen brought whatever arms they had to muster for use against the Seminole. This image is a re-enactment at Fort Cooper State Park in Inverness, Fla. Photo by Andrew Foster
 
In this episode, our Martial Matters guest, Jesse Marshall, gives us the ins and outs on the right to keep and bear in territorial Florida during the Second Seminole War and how that included militia service. Specifically, we will examine how US citizens used that right for their own protection and for service in the militia when called upon.
 
Living Historian Jesse Marshall "inspects" a militia formation at Dade Battlefield Historic State Park in Bushnell, Fla.
Various weapons a militia soldier might take to a muster include rifles, muskets and even swords. 
 
Quality and motivation among militiamen varied. 
Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Fla. 
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SW0125 Martial Matters 2: Muskets, Rifles, Bayonets Win Wars -- When in the Right Hands

Welcome to Week Two: Martial Matters of the Seminole Warswith our long-time guest, Jesse Marshall. 
In the 1830s, the politicians set the policy, often based on the law. The generals set the strategy. Officers set the tactics. And the troops? They focused on the Manual of Arms so they could fight as a coherent force. They practiced and drilled on everything associated with carrying, loading, and displaying their arms. They left out marksmanship firing, based on government parsimony and the muskets' inherent deficiencies that made target practice all-but futile. 
In this episode, Jesse Marshall discusses mechanical and tactical differences between muskets and rifles. He explains why the Hall's breech-loading rifle was a stillborn game changer in the war. And he'll address the ultimate weapon in wars of that era -- the bayonet, and why it was so. 
 
 
The Hall's 1818 breech-loading rifle was billed as a game change for combat precisely because of its breech-loading capabilities. Its offensive punch did not outweigh problems with extended field use in Florida. It did provide adequate defensive firepower to protect a fort or blockhouse. Courtesy images
 
Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 
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SW0124 Field a Standing Army or State Militia Volunteers to Remove Seminole?

This week we begin a series, Martial Matters, to discuss various soldierly aspects of the Seminole Wars.
When it came to waging war in the first half of the 19th century, the unresolved question focused on whether  the American Republic better defended and its interests advanced by a standing army or by militia called forth from the several states.
The Congress established the Army and Navy, but, as for the militia, it pre-dated the Constitution and simply existed. The U.S. Constitution gave Congress power to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia. But the militia always existed, whether Congress acted or not. No authorizing legislation, similar to that used for the Army and Navy, was required.  
And so the battle began as to which entity should defend the nation and the Constitution for the short and long haul. It pitted the competing interests of those who favored a standing army versus those who preferred an well-regulated militia. 
In this episode, autodidact and Seminole Wars historian Jesse Marshall explains why this distinction mattered when the Federal Government ordered the U.S. Army to forcibly remove the Seminole from the Florida Territory. Militia from Florida and volunteers from the several states aided the Army in carrying out this controversial task. Which was more effective in its operations? Which fielded better marksmen? Which employed better military tactics? Which had better all-around training. Which supplied their soldiers better? We'll find out. 
 
  Courtesy image
 
Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 
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SW0123 Unsung, Shush-less Librarians Organize Foundation’s Books into Central Access Repository

The 1500+ book collection comprises the cornerstone of research materials at the Frank Laumer Center for the Study of the Seminole Wars. Other items include hundreds of paper files that supported Frank Laumer's accounts of the Dade Battles, microfilm, tens of thousands of print and digital images, thousands of digital records, and assorted comicbooks and movie posters that put Seminole front and center. 
 
At the time of his death in late 2019, Frank Laumer had amassed a library of roughly 350 Seminole Wars-related books. In addition, his compendium contained another 450 books on American presidents and American history related in some way to these wars. This included donations from the late Dr. John Mahon, author of The History of the Second Seminole War.
These legacy books are the cornerstone for the Seminole Wars Foundation’s Frank Laumer Center for the Study of the Seminole Wars. Since Frank Laumer’s passing, and through aggressive, savvy canvassing, the Foundation has doubled its collection, to nearly 1,600 with some ties or references to the Seminole Wars. Some of the books are in-house purchases, but the vast majority are donations from members and friends of the Foundation, which provides a professional permanent home for the titles. 
Today, the Frank Laumer Center features scores of non-fiction, biographical and historical books on the Seminole – including dozens more with Osceola as a central character. It also carries shelves of titles on the Seminole Wars, Black Seminoles, the U.S. Army of the time, crackers, pioneers, militia, and even Florida’s environment. This library also carries many adventure novels -- featuring boys or girls avoiding, encountering, or working with Seminoles – as well as adult stories with a war setting that includes mystery and passion as key components. There are even several manuscripts of poetry with a Seminole Wars theme.
 
 The Seminole Wars Foundation media collection includes a separate antiquarian book section with fragile or old volumes published during the Seminole Wars about those unfortunate conflicts. Open on display in this image (left) is a first edition of John T. Sprague's The Florida Wars. (Right) The war, although obscure, nevertheless resonates in American popular culture. This wall at the Foundation homestead sports posters and programs from a number of 1950s Hollywood productions that showcase Seminoles. On the half-book shelf below it are comic books that use Seminole in their story narratives. 
In an interview with the Florida Historical Society, Frank Laumer himself said he wanted his collection of research files AND his books to be available for scholars to peruse. This is all well and good. The challenge, however, became cataloguing, labeling, and sorting the collection into a recognizable and standardized order so titles can be found and reviewed easily on the shelves.
That is where three generations of librarians come in. Eileen Goodson and her adult daughter Erin Lewis have experience in Sumter County as librarians, media specialists, and school teachers. Erin’s daughter Jayley, a high school student, mature and insightful beyond her years, brought online savvy and tenacity to the endeavor. Each brought special skills to this project and together they’ve created and refined a most valuable search tool for accessing this collection just as Frank Laumer desired.
In this episode, Eileen, Erin, and Jayley describe their organizing process and reveal, because of the breadth and depth of this library -- what they learned about the Seminole Wars. They explain how they used LibraryThing.com, a social cataloging web application. It permits the Foundation to store and share its extensive book catalog for public inspection and review before they make an appointment to visit the Center in Bushnell to see the physical books themselves.
 
 
Jayley Lewis and Eileen Goodson crosscheck spreadsheet entries. Eileen said the library presents ample space to spread out. At Eileen's feet is the enormous Foundation floor logo that caught her eye (and in a good way).  (Right) Eileen Goodson and Erin Lewis discuss how best to line up spreadsheet catalogue numbers with the computer-printed multi-label sheet. 
(Below left) Researchers can stretch out (or relax) on this work bench directly below a Jackson Walker painting, The Battle of Camp Izard. To its right is a display Halls rifle 1817, mentioned frequently in newspaper- and book-published accounts of the Florida War as they called it at the time. (Below right) By popular demand, the Foundation floor logo amidst the library shelves. 
  
 
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. 
Subscribe automatically to the Seminole Wars through your favorite podcast catcher, such as iHeart or Stitcher or Spotify, DoubleTwist, or Pandora or Google podcasts or iTunes, or ... Check it out so you always get the latest episode without delay where and when you want it. Like us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube!
 

SW0122 At Foundation’s Archive, Grad Students from UCF Discover Dead Men Do Indeed Tell Tales

State of the gravesite of Ransom Clark and (left) his father, Benjamin Clark in 1977 before the exhumation. 
 
The trope that dead men tell no tales is demonstrably false -- at least, when applied to a document archive. Letters, diaries, and hand-written notes tell many tales. 
This summer, two graduate students from the University of Central Florida learned this first hand when they paid a visit to the Frank Laumer Center for Seminole Wars Studies, at the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 
The Public History interns learned one big tale here -- and a series of smaller ones -- from a long-dead soldier from the Second Seminole War and his more recently deceased muse. The soldier was Private Ransom Clark, one of only three soldier survivors of the Dade Battle of December 28, 1835. His muse was Frank Laumer, a land developer with a sideline as Seminole Wars historian and a dedicated chronicler of Clark's life and military service.  
In his dogged research to tell Clark's story, the late Frank Laumer followed the trail wherever it took him. That led him to a cemetery in upstate New York and permission from Clark's descendants to see if he could verify the wounds that Clark said he sustained in the battle.
How did Frank Laumer go about this? Well, he is no longer with us but his copious correspondence tell his tale for what he was looking for and why.
In this episode, Lisa LaPenna and Olivia Aldrich, the two UCF Public History grad students, join us to discuss the revelations they found in the Foundation's archives about the exhumation of Ransom Clark. They tell what they learned about the Seminole Wars via Clark's story, and how they went about examining this scholarly first-hand source. 
   
Frank Laumer helped with the exhumation.
 
     
 Forensic Pathologist Amir A. Djavaheri exhumed and examined Clark's remains. 
Skull of Ransom Clark. (below) One of dozens of photographic slide images of the process. 
   
 
       The late Frank Laumer wrote a novel about Ransom Clark, Nobody's Hero (and an unpublished sequel, Somebody's Hero). He petitioned the Veterans Administration to install a new military-standard headstone for Ransom Clark's grave. He also purchased the legacy headstone from Clark's descendants and donated it for display at the Tampa Bay History Center to help tell the tale of a Seminole War Survivor. At his request, Laumer, who died on the same day as Clark, November 18, requested his ashes be scattered on Clark's grave. His request was granted one year to the day after his 2019 death. 
 
 
Olivia Aldrich and Lisa Lapenna, two public historian grad students from University of Central Florida in Orlando set out to catalog the paper archives of the Seminole Wars Foundation collection, in Bushnell. The archives consist of the research files of the late Frank Laumer, who dedicated more than half of his life to raising awareness of the Seminole Wars. They briefed their UCF Public History assessment panel via Zoom call in this screen capture.   
 
 
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. 
Subscribe automatically to the Seminole Wars through your favorite podcast catcher, such as iHeart or Stitcher or Spotify, DoubleTwist, or Pandora or Google podcasts or iTunes, or ... Check it out so you always get the latest episode without delay where and when you want it. Like us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube!
 
 
 

SW0121 Master Florida Artist Jackson Walker Depicts Grit and Determination in Seminole Wars

The Forlorn Hope of the Fort King Road and Do Your Best depict the Dade battle of Dec. 28, 1835.
 
In a previous episode, Florida-born artist Jackson Walker described how he makes his living with careful craftsmanship and a burning desire to paint the best and most historically accurate work of which he is capable. His paintings span the length of Florida history since first European contact.
In this episode, Jackson Walker hones in on his Seminole War collection of paintings. What went through his mind as he gazed at an empty canvas to begin his big battle scenes, such as those at Okeechobee, Camp Izard, Prospect Bluff, Micanopy, the Wahoo Swamp, and of course that with Major Dade’s Command? How has Jackson Walker depicted Seminole as subjects in their own right? What inspired his moving The Capture of Osceola canvas and what problem did The Gentry Line unexpectedly create? Jackson Walker tackles all these questions and more.   Jackson has been most generous with his time and paintings to the Seminole Wars Foundation, of which he is both past president and life member.
 
 
Seminole Wars scenes include Battle at Camp Izard (which hangs at the Seminole Wars Foundation homestead) and Withlacoochee Abyss.
 
 
 
Eyes to the Okeechobee (above) and The Americans at Barrancas portray Col. Zachary Taylor and Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson.
 
 
 
The Capture of Osceola and the Return to Big Cypress display Jackson Walker's prowess in painting Seminole. 
 
 
Jackson Walker's The Gentry Line, portraying Col. Richard Gentry and his Missouri Volunteers at the Battle of Okeechobee, stirred controversy for unexpected reasons. 
 
See more from Jackson Walker at thejwstudio.com and find his wearable art at seminolewars.org
 
 
 
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. 
Subscribe automatically to the Seminole Wars through your favorite podcast catcher, such as iHeart or Stitcher or Spotify, DoubleTwist, or Pandora or Google podcasts or iTunes, or ... Check it out so you always get the latest episode without delay where and when you want it. Like us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube!

SW0120 Legendary Artist Jackson Walker Speaks About His Big Canvas Legendary Florida Scenes

The Flower Hunter, naturalist and traveler William Bartram in late 18th century Florida. 
 
Since the 1980’s, native-born and self-taught artist Jackson Walker has gathered subjects from the long saga of Florida history. With thorough research, consulting with historians and experts on any given subject, and with painstaking attention to detail, he renders stories in his traditional realistic style. Jackson Walker pays particular attention to the Seminole Wars (1818-1858) through which his many depictions represent the terrible human cost of those conflicts. However, his interests range wider, leading him to tell Florida's history with paintings portraying Ponce de Leon's landing 500 years ago, the free black forts at Fort Mose and Prospect Bluff, and continuing through the 20th century.   In this episode, Jackson describes the process he employs to paint his stunning artwork. And he explains the concept behind his series of "wearable art" t-shirts featuring his most compelling canvases and available exclusively from the Seminole Wars Foundation at seminolewars.us  Jackson has been most generous with his time and paintings to the Seminole Wars Foundation, of which he is both past president and life member.
 
 
Jackson Walker's interests and subjects range wide and includes iconic Florida writers Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Rawlings (above) and a U-123 submarine attack off the Florida coast during World War II.
 
 
See more at his website: https://thejwstudio.com/
 
 
 
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. 
Subscribe automatically to the Seminole Wars through your favorite podcast catcher, such as iHeart or Stitcher or Spotify, DoubleTwist, or Pandora or Google podcasts or iTunes, or ... Check it out so you always get the latest episode without delay where and when you want it. Like us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube!