The Seminole Wars

Despite this book's kid-like appearance, it is actually quite valuable, and I would have kept it if I had bought it, and not checked it out from the library. When it comes to the Seminole Wars, most books (which there are not many) focus on only one of the three wars, or a specific aspect, etc. Only two that I have found completely cover the entire conflict from start to finish. This is the good one. The other one was written and arranged in a very confusing manner that made the sequence of events hard to follow. This book is neither long, nor hard to read, but it covers all aspects of all three wars to satisfy any curious history buff. Anyone living in or near Florida should read this and I would recommend it to anyone else, also, as the Seminole Wars were THE major event in Florida of the 19th century and had a profound impact on the rest of the country as well. The book can be purchased on Amazon here. Also see the several Seminole War sites I have visited here.
The Seminole Wars
John and Mary Lou Missall
280 pages
2004 University Press of Florida

Shall not have died in vain...

Just a couple shots of the flag over the cemetery at San Marcos.

Fort Gadsden

This is another little known fascinating site, just a while south of Tallahassee. During the War of 1812, the British recruited Native Americans and runaway slaves in an attempt to use them against the Americans. Here on the banks of the Apalachicola River they built a fort to shelter them and make a base for operations against American shipping on the river. The British left in 1815, but the fort continued to harass American shipping on the river. In spite of the fort being in what was still Spanish territory, the United States ordered it destroyed.
Alerted to the threat from the US, the local Natives and runaways took shelter in the fort and awaited an attack. Col Duncan Lamont Clinch with 116 men in riverboats met with Major John McIntosh and 150 friendly natives. On July 23, 1816 word was received that four men sent to the river for water had been killed by men from the fort. That was the excuse needed to attack, and on July 27, they approached by land and on the river with the gunboats.
The gunboats opened fire, and on the fifth salvo, an explosive shot landed in the fort's magazine, which exploded, killing over 300 of the people in the fort. Clinch reported that "the explosion was awful and the scene horrible beyond description." When the fort surrendered, the Native Chief and leading runaway were captured and executed for the murder of the four men who went to the river. In the above photo, small wooden posts mark the corners of the fort's magazine. In the center is a flagpole flying the British flag.

While this dramatic episode occurred after the official end of the War of 1812, and before the official beginning of the First Seminole War, it has often been considered a battle of both wars.

In 1818, after the official start of the First Seminole War, Andrew Jackson sent a group of men down the Apalachicola River to destroy Seminole Villages. Upon encountering the site of the old fort here, he was so impressed by the location, that he ordered a new fort constructed. The new fort was smaller, but on the same spot. The above model shows what the new American fort would have looked like.

Lt. James Gadsden, who would later negotiate the Gadsden Purchase in Arizona and New Mexico, was put in charge of building the new fort. Jackson was so impressed by Gadsden's enthusiasm that he named the fort for him. Above is a portrait of Gadsden.

The new fort was not occupied for long, and the site was virtually forgotten until the Civil War. With the Apalachicola River leading to vital plantations in southern Georgia and Alabama, the Confederates realized its importance and occupied the Fort Gadsden site until 1863 when Malaria drove them away.

Today little remains of the American fort, and almost no trace exists of the British fort. The site is a National Historic Landmark, and is well maintained by the Apalachicola National Forest.

In this site, locally known as the "Renegade Cemetery," the remains of many of the persons killed in the explosion of the British Fort were buried. The brick burial vault dates from the late 19th century. Grave Robbers, though to be workmen building a nearby railroad, broke into it in the early part of the twentieth century. Archaeological excavations revealed that the wet acid soils had destroyed all physical remains of the persons buried here. Only the numerous shallow depressions mark the resting places of those killed in the terrible explosion.

The brick vault in the cemetery
In 1838 the Steamship Irvington, carrying 200 bales of cotton on a downstream run, burned and sank four miles upstream from here. This 15 foot sidewheeler was constructed in 1836 in Madison, Indiana. These boilers and parts were dredged from the river about where the Irvington went down. The ship's short life on the river came during the early part of the Apalachicola steamship period. Later over 200 ships worked the river from the Gulf to as far north as Columbus, Georgia.
More parts from the Irvington
View of the Apalachicola River

Near the parking lot for the site is a large encased booth with many excellent artifacts found here and displays including the fort model and Gadsden portrait. Above are Native and British items from the time of the first fort.

Remains of a British musket and bayonet

Items from river steamboats found in the area

I'm not sure what this is, unless it's just a baby tree.

Florida Forts

This is a book I no longer have and really wish I still did. Though with moving to Connecticut soon, maybe it doesn't matter so much. Anyway, this book by local author Alejandro De Quesada is an excellent guide to the forts of Florida. The book is arranged in time periods, from the earliest colonial settlements to the defensive sites of the Cold War. The book covers all existing forts and several forts that are long gone, with a fascinating historical text, along with descriptions and photos of the sites today. Several are National or State parks, some are cared for by other agencies, and some are simply neglected and left to the raveges of nature. This book is excellent for a history of the state or for someone wanting to see historic places in Florida. Also good because it has good information about topics that are otherwise hard to find, such as the Seminole Wars and the early colonial disputes. Overall and excellent book, highly reccomended for anyone living in or near Florida. It can be found on Amazon here.
A History of Florida Forts
Alejandro De Quesada
218 Pages
2006, History Press

San Marcos de Apalache

This is one of the most fascinating little known sites in the country. Located where the Wakulla and St Marks rivers converge near the Gulf Coast, this is the site of a fort owned by the Spanish, British, Muskogee, Confederates, and US. It's history begins earlier, though, with the doomed expedition of Panfilo de Navarez, who came north from Tampa in 1528. When he failed to find gold and riches, he built rafts near here to return to his ships, but the ships and two of the rafts were destroyed in a storm. After a long overland trek, only four men survived the ill-fated expedition. Hernando De Soto passed through here on a much more succesful expedition in 1539.
By 1679, the Spanish began construction on a wooden fort on this spot, the logs covered with lime to look like stone. This ruse only lasted three years before the fort was burned by pirates. It was not until 1718 that Captain Jose Primo de Ribera began to build another wooden fort.
Artist's concept of the early Spanish fort.
The first stone fort here was begun in 1739, but construction was slow, and it was only half finished when the fort was transferred to the British in 1763. By 1787 Spain occupied the fort again as a result of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution. Seen here are the remains of the Spanish Bombproof, or magazine. It was built with limestone from about a mile downriver, and had four rooms with arched ceilings and strong doors. Its roof served as a firing position for troops on the north wall of the fort. Much of the stone fort was destroyed by a hurricane in 1851. Stones from the bombproof were used later to build a lighthouse and Marine hospital. When Confederates occupied the fort, they placed a battery of canon here.

This piece of mortar from the Spanish Bombproof shows the finger markings of a construction worker in the upper left corner. Someone also very obviously formed their name or initials with stone chips in the mortar.

This is the keystone from the Bombproof. The keystone was placed in the entrance arch of forts and magazines to hold the doorway together, and as a symbol that it is finished.

The original moat of the Spanish stone fort. In 1800, a former British officer, William Augustus Bowles, united groups of Creek and Seminole Indians into a nation they called Muskogee. This nation made a capital near modern tallahasee and eventually captured the fort here at San Marcos. Not long after, the fort was retaken by the Spanish and Bowles was taken as a prisoner to Havana, Cuba, where he died.

The remains here are what is left of the north wall of the Spanish fort. In 1817, prompted by Indian raids into Georgia, and by slaves running away to Spanish Florida, the United States began the First Seminole War. As part of this, Andrew Jackson was ordered to invade Spanish held Florida. In April 1818, Jackson siezed the lightly defended San Marcos, where he believed the Natives were getting war supplies. He wrote "To prevent the recurrence of so gross a violation of neutrality, and to exclude our savage enemies from so strong a hold as St Marks, I deem it expedient to garrison that fortress with American troops until the close of the present war. This measure is justifiable on the immutable priciple of self defense, and can not but be satisfactory, under existing circumstances, to his Catholic Majesty the King of Spain." In addition to attacking Spanish and Indians here, he found a Scottish agent, Alexander Arbuthnot, who he accused of selling arms to the Indians. Later in his campaign, he found another British agent named Robert Ambrister. Both men were given a military tribunal here, and were executed. Britain had serious discussions about war over the incident, but cooler heads prevailed. The US House of Representatives stated "The House of Representatives of the United States disapproves the proceedings in the trial and execution of Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert C. Armbrister. This House disapproves of the seizure of the post of St Marks and Pensacola, contrary to orders, and in violation of the Constitution." More importantly, as a result of Jackson's succesful campaign and Spain's weak control over Florida, the territory was sold to the United States in 1821.

In 1857-58, a Marine Hospital was built near the fort, using stones from the Spanish Bombproof. This facility provided care for local yellow fever victims. The modern park visitor center, seen here, is built on the foundation of the hospital.

In 1861, Confederate forces took control of the fort, renaming it Fort Ward. During the war, the river was blockaded by the Union Navy, but the local blockade runner The Spray was one of the most successful of the war, delivering salt as cargo. In 1864 a Union raid destroyed many nearby kettles and furnaces of salt. In 1865, a Union invasion was stalled by running aground while trying to avoid the fort. The soldiers disembarked the ships, and result was the Battle of Natural Bridge, that stopped the invasion. Seen here is the large earthen magazine built by the Confederates.
Looking down the Confederate magazine into the Spanish moat. The last soldiers to occupy the fort were Union Colored Infantry under Col Joseph Shaw. They left in 1866, and the fort became a part of history.

Here is the surviving portion of the out wall of the Spanish stone fort. In 1996, the State Park Service built a wooden covering to protect the wall from the river, which had been eroding it.
Here is a canon in the visitor center. Based on its condition I am guessing it is authentic, probably one of the Spanish canon by its design.

This appears to be a grave, located atop the Confederate magazine. I have no idea the story behind it. If anyone does, please tell me!
This cemetery is near the visitor center, and is where several unknown soldiers from Jackson's army are buried.

Marker at the cemetery

Marker for Luther Tucker, near the site of the original fort.

Marker at the original fort site

Marker in memory of Malee Francis, whose story can be read in depth here.

Odometer reading: 224.4

Chesser returns

Ok, so last Friday, what I expected to be a quick trip to add a view historic markers to the Folkston post turned into a more substantial and interesting trip. We begin a few miles south of Folkston, at the old Sardis Church, pictured above, marker below. Built sometime before 1821 and certainly reflecting the construction of the time period, it is the oldest church in Charlton County. But despite what the marker says, I didn't find anything that was obviously a bullet hole.

Inside the Sardis Church
These little butterflys are everywhere!
Burial section for the Chessers (remember them?) and the Roddenberrys, another early local family.
This section has only small stone markers without labels. Normally only seen in mass military graveyards, there is nothing here to indicate why this section is marked this way.

This area is the Crews family, another major family in the area. The most legendary was Lydia Stone Crews, the "Queen of the Okeefenokee", although she is buried elsewhere.
This seems to be the oldest section of the cemetery
Another local bug, a cricket, maybe?
Just up the road from the Sardis church, are these three markers. Actually, it looks kind of funny driving by because they are all clustered in a group.

Well, I didn't see the mill pond, but this is where the British were attempting to attack in 1815.
This here is about the location of Trader's Hill and Fort Alert. Off the highway on acountry road, it is now the Trader's Hill Recreation Area, providing a campground and access to the brackish St Marys River.


According to the historic marker, this shelter, which is the only thing labeled as a Methodist Church in the area, is where Fort Alert was. It is located just outside the rec area, about half a mile from the river. And turning down another dirt road, a very short distance away is the mentioned cemetery.

Perhaps the most interesting find of the day, Erasmus Tracy, leader in the Seminole War and active in Georgia politics.
Tracy family plot
This marker is made of wood. Any markings that may have been on it are long gone.
Some very fancy plots for the Jones family
Here we again see the Chesser family, but a much larger group of them. They also have a unique form of headstone, a sort of low triangular shape that looks more like it is painted than carved.