The next affair of importance, which transpired in Florida, was the battle of Lake Monroe. Brevet Col. A. C. W. Fanning had been stationed at that place, and his camp there bore the name of the lake. Early on the morning of the 8 February, 1837, about 300 Seminoles commenced firing upon Col. Fanning's camp with great spirit. Their right rested on the lake above the fort; their left on the shore below, and another line extended around their front. They were taken rather by surprise, many of whom, being new recruits, scarcely knew what they were about; but after wasting a good share of their ammunition, being bent on making a noise by some means, they were got under some sort of regular modus operandi, and the action became sharp. Meanwhile, Lieut. Thomas received orders to man a steamboat, lying in the lake under cover of the fort, and to serve a six-pounder, which was on board of her, upon the right of the Indians. This he was enabled to effect, and they were immediately driven from that position; but they hung upon the right and front for near three hours, before they would give up the contest. The brave Capt. Mellon was killed near the beginning of the fight, and 15 others were wounded, some mortally. PADDY CARR was here with his Creeks, and was among the foremost in all danger; and Col. Fanning gives the names of many of his officers who distinguished themselves.

Thus, only ten days before the time assigned to treat with Gen. Jesup, did the Seminoles give a demonstration of the value they set upon a peace with the whites; but, perhaps, the party which attacked Col. Fanning were unacquainted with the arrangement. However, through the mediation of the Creeks, the general got a hearing with HOLATOOCHEE, nephew of Micanopy, JUMPER, ABRAHAM, LITTLE CLOUD, and several others, at Fort Dade, on the 5 March. Micanopy sent as excuse for his non-appearance, that he was old and infirm. Jumper was inquired of respecting the time the Indians would be ready to remove, and from his answer, all the world, if they had heard it, might have known that all the Indians were after, was to gain time; for he replied, that they could not be ready till fall. The general as promptly replied, that "that was out of the question," insinuating also, that if they wished to gain time by such a manoeuvre, they were mistaken. Jumper showed some indignation at being thus suspected, and after considerable other talk, the council was adjourned to the next day.

Accordingly, they met again on the 6th, with augmented numbers on the part of the Indians; among whom were representatives of Alligator, Coachochee or Wild Cat, (Philip's son,) his nephew, and Pease Creek John, and a treaty was drawn up and signed. It purported, that hostilities should from that time cease; all the Seminoles to remove immediately beyond the Mississippi; to give hostages to secure its observance; all the Indians to go immediately south of the Hillsborough; Micanopy to be one of the hostages; and, by the 10 April, all were to be ready to remove. To these articles four chiefs put their marks, with Gen. Jesup; and we shall see how they were observed.

To keep up the deception, and make sure of the promised rations, the Indians began to frequent the general's camp, as though in good earnest to fulfil the treaty. By the 26 March, there were there, or had been there, the chiefs, Yaholoochie, (Cloud,) Jumper, Abraham, and Tigertail; and the principal chiefs on the St. John's, Tuskinnia and Emathla, (Philip,) had sent word that they would emigrate if Micanopy said so, and Abiaca (Sam Jones) had been invited by Philip to go to Micanopy to arrange for a removal. Abiaca being chief of the Mikasaukies, his acquiescence was thought of no little consequence. About this time, it was reported that Yaholoochie was commander-in-chief at the battle of the Wahoo Swamp, and that Osceola had been deposed for cowardice in that action. On the 18 March, Micanopy signed a written acknowledgment of, and acquiescence in, the treaty of the 6th; and Gen. Jesup seemed quite sure the war was at an end. Nevertheless, about this time a circumstance occurred which much alarmed the Indians, and whether feigned or real, answered the same end. A report was circulated among them, that as soon as Gen. Jesup had got a sufficient number into his power, he would handcuff and ship them for Arkansas. Thus matters were retarded and moved slow. And, besides, Philip, chief of the

wished to have a talk with Gen. Hernandez, and stated that he was but a few miles from there. He had not even ventured thus far, had not the snare been laid by the commander-in-chief of the whites, who, it must ever hereafter be allowed, displayed as much of the Indian in the matter, as Coacoochee had done before, in the abduction of old Micanopy and others, when the general had them nearly ready for Arkansas. For this act of Coacoochee, the general had determined to be revenged; and he declared, "if he (Coacoochee) had been a white man, he would have executed him the moment he came into his hands." Now we have seen that he did, some time before this, fall into his, or Gen. Hernandez's hands. He was the one sent out, or, as the general says, allowed to go out, at the request of old Philip, his father. He it was that brought about this overture of Osceola, which proved so fatal to him, as in the sequel will be seen.

The Indians, having come as near Fort Peyton as they dared, sent word for Gen. Jesup to come out and talk with them; he returned them no answer, but ordered Lieut. Peyton to get them into the fort if he could, and then to seize them. But in this he could not succeed, and Gen. Hernandez was sent out with 200 men, and commenced a parley with them. Gen. Jesup remained in the vicinity of Fort Peyton, and ordered the lieutenant of the fort to proceed to the treaty-ground, to learn whether the Indians "answered Gen. Hernandez's questions satisfactorily or not." He soon returned, and reported that the answers were "evasive and unsatisfactory;" whereupon he ordered Maj. Ashby to capture them, which, with the aid of Hernandez, was done, without the discharge of a gun on either side. Seventy-five Indians were, by this manœuvre, taken with loaded rifles in their hands, disarmed, and confined in the fort; and thus ended this “brilliant" affair, which took place on the 21 October, 1837.

The names of the principal chiefs "grabbed" in this "haul," were, as the interpreters gave them, Yoso-YA-HOLA (Osceola,) COAHAJO (Alligator,) PowAS-HAJO, JOHN CAVALLO, who had been a hostage with Gen. Jesup, No-coSO-SIA-HOLA, EMATHLA-CHAMY, CO-HI-LO-LUE-HAJO (Doctor,) and HASTON 9

MICO.

Severe animadversions have been indulged in, upon the conduct of Gen. Jesup, in thus seizing Osceola and his companions. We have not time nor space for an examination of what has and may be urged for and against the measure. We have followed the general's own account of the affair, and must leave our readers to judge for themselves upon its justness. One remark, however, may not be unimportant, as it may assist in a just decision of the question. The general has said, that, inasmuch as the Indians had grossly deceived him on a former occasion, he would use any means to get the chief actors in that deception into his hands; and we have seen how the matter was managed to effect that object. Now, when Indians fight Indians, whatever advantage is gained by circumvention, of one party over another, is just, according to the laws which govern their modes of warfare; but it is a rare circumstance that a party is attacked when coming to another with the offer of peace. We are now considering the whites on equal footing with the Seminoles; for we see no other ground that this act of seizure can, in any way, be justified. The general asserts, what we do not clearly discover, that Osceola did not come to treat of peace, but came under that pretence, "falsely," expecting thereby to get some white officer into his power, with whom he might purchase the liberation of Philip. But, as has been observed, we do not see sufficient evidence of such a plot, to authorize the “grab game,” as some of the classical editors termed it, which was played by the general. Much, however, might be added in extenuation of his conduct; he had been a long time in Florida, exerting himself to the utmost to accomplish the wretched business forced upon him; he had been baffled and foiled by the Indians, and derided and shamefully treated by some of his own countrymen. He was now determined to do something, and he performed this signal act when nobody expected it, and his enemies were at once out upon him, because he had acted like the people he was among. No blood was shed; but a very important service was performed. On the whole, we cannot condemn Gen. Jesup, but rather the policy that placed him where he

was. Of this we have distinctly spoken in an earlier page, and must waive a further examination.

On the 23 October, 29 "Indians, squaws, and negroes," were captured near Fort Peyton; and, on the 25th, a family of 5 more were taken. They were conveyed to St. Augustine, and imprisoned, where there now were 147 in all, in confinement. Great preparations had been made to pursue the Indians with vigor, and forces had come in from various quarters, so that by the first of December, there were at the various posts in Florida, 8,993 men, of whom 4,637 were regulars, 4,078 volunteers, 100 seamen, and 178 friendly Indians. Amid all these preparations and watchings, the noted chief Coacoochee (Wild Cat) made his escape from St. Augustine, with 17 warriors and two squaws. Thus the fellow whom Gen. Jesup looked upon with such distrust, had, somehow or other, outwitted his keepers, and joined Sam Jones in his unknown retreat.

The next event which comes within the line of our design, was one of the most sanguinary which has happened since this war began, with the exception of that in which Maj. Dade and his command were cut off. This was the battle of Okeechobee Lake, between a large Indian force under Abiaca and Alligator, and Col. Z. Taylor at the head of about 600 men; the particulars of which are as follows:

Col. Taylor marched from Fort Gardner on the 19 December, 1837, and, following the meanderings of the Kissimmee River, arrived on the third day at a point on its banks, 15 miles above its entrance into Lake Okeechobee, which name is said to mean Big Water. Here he learned from a prisoner, who had fallen into his hands, that Alligator, "with all the war spirits of the Seminoles, Sam Jones, and 175 Mikasaukies,” was encamped about 25 miles off, on the east side of Lake Kissimmee. Crossing the river, the colonel left Capt. Monroe, with his company, the pioneers, pontooneers, and a large portion of his Delaware warriors, who declined proceeding, from lameness, occasioned by their feet and legs being badly cut with the saw-palmetto. The next day, taking the captured Indian as a pilot, he moved on with the rest of his force. After passing several cypress swamps and dense hommocks, he reached the vicinity of the Indians' encampment, on the morning of the 25th. Here they were found in one of the strongest places, as well as most difficult of access, of any before known in Florida; but between 12 and 1 o'clock the conflict commenced. The main body of the Indians were posted in a hommock, from which they poured such a destructive fire upon the volunteers, that they were obliged to fall back. They formed in the rear of the infantry, who, coming now into action, "sustained one of the most destructive fires ever experienced from Indians." But they pressed forward, and gained the hommock; the struggle continuing more than an hour, which was sustained with difficulty on the part of the whites, the Indians at one time nearly breaking their line; they were, however, finally routed and driven at every point, leaving 10 of their dead on the field, and numerous traces of blood where others had been dragged away. It was reported afterwards, by the Indians themselves, that they lost 20 in all; and yet this story of blood is not half told. Col. Taylor had 28 killed, and 111 wounded! Every officer of four companies, with one exception, and every orderly sergeant of the same companies, were killed, and the sergeant major was mortally wounded. Col. A. R. Thompson, of the 6th U. S. infantry, received three mortal wounds nearly at the same time; Adjutant J. P. Center, Capt. Vanswearingen, and Lieut. F. J. Brooke, of the same corps, were killed outright; Col. Gentry, of the Missouri volunteers, was killed by a shot through the body, the same ball wounding his son in the arm. Such was the issue of the disastrous battle of Lake Okeechobee, which served two ends; one of which was to reduce the number of Indians in opposition, and to teach the survivors that the whites could and would fight. No prisoners were taken, but some 200 horses and cattle were found.

Skirmishes on a smaller scale continued. Gen. Nelson, of the Georgia volunteers, fell in with a few Indians on the Suanee, on the 26 December, at a place called Wacusape, and we presume, judging from indirect informa tion, came off second best. His horse was killed under him, and he lost his