Seminole Wars Authority

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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SW0108 US Army Scores Rare 2SW Victory in Battle of Camp Monroe with Dragoons, Stubborn Defense, and a Timely Assist from a Navy Gunboat

 
One hundred eight-five years ago, at Camp Monroe, the Seminole nearly scored a second rout of soldiers akin in decisiveness to the Dade Battle of late December 1835. Nearly. But the fierce battle on February 8, 1837, produced a more favorable outcome to the Army.  The Seminoles amassed a huge armed contingent to attack the U.S. encampment on Lake Monroe. It was a close-run battle. Had the troops obeyed their commander to replace their flints with wooden chips for training purposes the next day, had the troops NOT obeyed their commander to construct a breastworks the day before, had the men shown less discipline in their firing, had an Army lieutenant not manned a six-pound gun on a nearby Navy riverboat, the day might have belonged to the Seminole.
Instead, the U.S. Army repulsed the Seminole for one of its rare clear-cut victories in the Second Seminole War. The Museum of Seminole County History is commemorating the 185th anniversary of the Battle of Camp Monroe. Bennett Lloyd, museum director described the commemoration for us in a previous podcast. In this podcast, he rejoins to narrate a chronology of the battle and how the Army fought off the Seminole advance.
 
(Above) The innovative Cochran Repeating Turret Gun kept Seminole at bay in this battle. But design flaws causing an accidental chain-firing from all chambers with one pull of the trigger led the Army to adopt the Colt revolving chamber gun over the repeating turret gun. (Below) Three books and pamphlets cover the battle and forts at Lake Monroe: Camp Monroe, Camp Mellon, Fort Mellon. 
 
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!
 

SW0107 Marines Escape Andrew Jackson’s Wrath with Timely Florida War Deployment; Show Great Value on Land/Swamps in Second Seminole War

Paul Westermeyer, Historian with Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, returns for the second episode of our two-part program on the Marines in the Seminoles Wars. The Marines Corps suffered from a contentious relationship with President Andrew Jackson, who wanted the Corps absorbed into the U.S. Army. A timely suggestion from the Marine Corps Commandant, A. Henderson, led to Marines employment on land in the Second Creek and Seminole Wars. and "firmly" on Florida swamp in the Second Seminole War. The views Paul Westermeyer presents are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any government organization.
 
Courtesy art (left) and Don Troiani art (right) The Marines wore a blue uniform but in Florida were more likely to don the white summer dress the Corps offered. This was a more bearable uniform for duty in the swamps and in the humid environment. 
 
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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SW0106 Marines Earned Sea Legs in the US Frigate Navy; Engaged British, Pirates, Creeks and Seminole on Florida’s Early 1800s Gulf Coast

Marines earned grudging respect from the British for their defense of the Capitol in the Battle of Bladensburg, Md., in 1814.
 
We know from the Marine Corps Hymn that the Corps has traveled to the hall of Montezuma and the shores of Tripoli. Many of our listeners may not know that the Marines also sloshed around in the swamps of Florida in the Seminole Wars. Joining us for this episode, the first of two parts, is Paul Westermeyer, historian at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia. He weaves the story of how the Marine Corps established a permanent institutional footing after a false start in the Revolutionary War. The Marines then performed heroically at sea and on land in the Barbary Pirate Wars and the War of 1812. They came ashore again along the gulf coast in the First Seminole War. Paul Westermeyer returns for the second part of this podcast series to look at the Marines in the Second Creek and Seminole Wars. The views Paul Westermeyer presents are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any government organization. 
 
Marines performed heroically at sea aboard U.S. Navy frigates, helping capture prize ships and counter the British navy's offensive operations off American coasts. Future Marine Corps Commandant Archibald Henderson served with distinction aboard the U.S.S. Constitution in the War of 1812. 
 
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!

SW0105 Sanford Living Historian Offers Glimpse into Arduous Lives of Florida Women Pioneers

Women clustered around a laundry station for bleaching clothing in potash. Mia Goodwell, Hailey Orr, Brigitte Stephenson, Jaime Svendsen
 
Pioneer life was tough all around. In Florida in the 1830s and 40s, it was doubly hard because the US Government was at war with the Seminole Indians and the pioneers lived on the same grounds as the Seminole. Eventually the soldiers left and the pioneers themselves were called upon to defend their lands and themselves. Defending the home fell to the matriarch back on the homestead.
That became just one more task for the women of the time. In addition, they cooked and cleaned and spun and sewed and washed and raised the children. How did they do it? What did they wear and why? And how did they keep the family intact when a drunken husband threatened to drink all their savings away. Some took to the good book. Others joined temperance movements, the 1830s being the time of the greatest per capita consumption of alcohol in the nation’s history.
Joining us to explain the role of women in Florida pioneer society is Brigitte Stephenson, curator of the City of Sanford Museum. She is an expert in clothing and social mores of the era.
Brigitte Stephenson, Sanford Museum Curator
 
 
 
Above, shivering under a blanket by the campfire. Darya Greenstone, Mia Goodwell. Below, most laundresses in this period were the wives of soldiers deployed in service. Brian and Brenda Burback
 
 
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!
 

SW0104 Fort Pierce Black Seminole Heritage Informs Specialist’s Outreach Connects Tribal Members with Educational Opportunities

A nagging legacy of the Seminole Wars has been the poor educational opportunities available to tribal members on and off the reservation. That’s changing today. The Seminole Tribe of Florida has made it official. Its Center for Student Success and Services, or CSSS has renamed itself to more clearly show its intent. Hence, the tribe’s CSSS is now simply the Education Department. More customer-service oriented and data-driven than previously, the department is striving to develop and maintain a trust relationship within the Seminole Tribe community. This can be difficult to establish or maintain because seeking assistance or guidance from non-tribal members can be off-putting. More tribal members are being hired to staff the department and all of its members are having conversations with tribal members about educational opportunities through face-to-face engagements. This was difficult during the Covid-19 pandemic but is now a high priority for the department as the tribe emerges.
The Education Department serves about 900 students in K-12; 210 in higher education; 200 are in tutoring programs; and about a dozen are currently under the Tribal Professional Development (TPD) umbrella. The department itself has about 50 staff members.
 
 
The Department’s quality assurance analyst, tribal member and Black Seminole Rollie Gilliam III, is overseeing overreach for staff to meet and greet tribal families with information about programs and services the tribe makes available. Outreach, Gilliam states, is more than handing out scholarship applications.
 
 
Rollie Gilliam III joins us this week to discuss how the department is managing its outreach, what programs are available to members, and what it means to him to be a black Seminole from Fort Pierce, Florida, within the Seminole Tribe of Florida as he ensures quality in the programs used to educate all members of the tribe.
 
 
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!

SW0103 Silent Stone Sentinels and Replica Wooden Structures Stand as Testaments to Florida’s Frontier Fort Past

   
 
The Florida coastline has long been dotted with concrete or stone behemoths pointing to the sea to protect a designated port or area. These are a legacy of Old Spanish and Modern American times. In between, there are the wooden forts from the territorial and early U.S. statehood period in Florida. These were Army forts and they sprouted up quickly from the landscape before quickly wilting when no longer needed. Today, replica forts replace some of these but overall the forts are gone and even their former locations are suspect.
In this episode, the author of Florida Forts: On the Edge of Empire, Zach Zacharias, presents a stirring tale of some of the state’s great fortifications still standing, everything from Pensacola to the Dry Tortugas. How many forts?, you ask. Zach tells us that Florida had approximately 400 forts! His book, blessedly, details only the roughly 13 forts you can still visit as a tourist. Zach is the Senior Curator of Education and History at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Florida and has taught Florida history topics for over 25 years.
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!

SW102 Jake Tiger, Descendant of Billy Powell (aka Asi-Yahola), Kindles Seminole Nation Spirit

Jake Tiger is featured on the cover of a new book on the Seminole for school-age children. 
 
The Seminole Wars podcast goes West today. We cover Seminole resistance to removal, of course. But we owe it to the memory of those Seminole removed to keep their story alive. For many, that story continues in Oklahoma. What became of those Seminoles? How are they faring today? How do they maintain their unique cultural identity?
Joining us is Jake Tiger. Jake is a cultural outreach specialist for the Seminole Nation in Wewoka, Oklahoma. He hand-sews traditional Seminole garments and wears them to public events to promote Seminole culture and to remind everyone the Seminole are still around. He has the heart of a true living historian, willing to speak to even only one person at an event if it furthers awareness of the Seminole. Usually, of course, he speaks to many, many more. He is young, full of charisma, and he is our guest today.
 
 
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!

SW101 Pirate and Heritage Festival Features Pre-Seminole Wars Character Reenactors and Crafts

 
To be a pirate it almost goes without saying that one must be flamboyant and charismatic – at least if one is the captain of the swashbuckling enterprise. In the pre-Seminole Wars era, few were as flamboyant as William Augustus Bowles. He was a pirate, a leader, and an organizer. He was a charming con man who earned the ears of leading Seminole and Creek leaders and their bands.
This April 1 and 2 at Three Rivers State Park, the first Pirate and Heritage Festival is being held near the city of Sneads, Florida. To produce this family-friendly spectacle, the park teamed up with the Jackson County Tourist Development Council, the city of Sneads, and Dale and Rachael Cox’s TwoEggTV.
The park overlooks beautiful (and appropriately named) Lake Seminole. Families will learn the fascinating history of pirates in Sneads. Who knew, or even suspected, after all? Then they can witness a boat regatta, stare into an Aux Arc (pronounced Ozark) keel boat, inspect antique firearms and weapons, attend lectures and living history presentations, and see a live living history demonstration. There is even a “dress like a pirate contest” involved. And, of course, the festival brings to life the story of William Augustus Bowles, the loveable rogue with the big ambitions for Seminole and Creek Indians.
Joining us to promote the event and explain the details is historian Dale Cox, author of numerous books on the 1st Seminole War and the unpleasantness that preceded it in the Florida panhandle region prior to Spanish cessation of the land to the United States in 1819.
 
(Above) William Augustus Bowles was a colorful character. Dale Cox portrays colorful characters at living history events.
 
 
(Above) Darrel Hager being an American from the early 1800s. (Below)  Farris Powell aka Blue Heron portrays Seminole leader Thomas Perryman with Bowles State of Miccosukee flag. 
 
(Above) Rachael Conrad Cox on the Aux Arc (pronounced Ozark) Keelboat with Ed and another friend. 
(Below) Rachael Conrad Cox with Three Rivers State Park officials Jessy Kinnett (Three Rivers Park Service Specialist), Philip Skyckboer (Three Rivers Park Manager) and Sneads City Manager Lee Gardner, who are thrilled to showcase their park at this event. 
Antonio Wright, portrays a member of Bowles' crew. Dale Cox portrays a Native American. (Courtesy photos)
 
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!
 
 

SW100 Foundation President Details Back Story to Convocations, Publishing, and Member Bennies

 
I invoke host’s privilege this week to invite Steve Rinck, President of the Seminole Wars Foundation, to discuss the many things the Foundation is doing to raise awareness of the Seminole Wars. The Foundation does this by, among other endeavors, publishing printed materials and, yes, digital ones as well  online with this podcast.
But the Foundation is much more than that. The not-for-profit Foundation is operated for charitable, educational, and civic purposes. Steve, a retired educator and long-time Seminole Wars living historian and aficionado, informs us of just what the Seminole Wars Foundation is all about – and how listeners can join our circle to march with us.
Most immediately, Steve explains the Convocation of Seminole Wars Historians coming up in Jupiter April 1-2-3. Dick Kazmar spoke with us about the Convocation. Steve brings us to the history of the convocation and what the Foundation aims to achieve by holding them every other year.
 
 
Seminole Wars Foundation supports reenactments, such as Battle of Okeechobee. SWF works with reenactors to preserve historical memory of the battles and those who fought in them (below, photo by Andrew Foster)
 
 
 
Steve Rinck (above) often appears as a 1920s citizen at the time the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park was acquired by Florida.  Debbie Harper, Foundation treasurer, discusses the Foundation's "wearable art" tshirt featuring images painted by Jackson Walker. (Photo by Andrew Foster)
 
 
Foundation members received a discount on books purchased from the Foundation Book store at seminolewars.org
 
 
Membership levels are listed below. 
 
 
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!