Archaeology & History mark Seminole War Battle Anniversary

Today marks the 203rd anniversary of the Scott Battle of 1817. The first Native American victory of the Seminole Wars, this engagement took place on the bank of the Apalachicola River at what is now River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida. Click play above to learn more about the battle and a new archaeology project that is aimed at finding key evidence from the battlefield itself!

The Battle of Ocheesee in Calhoun & Liberty Counties, Florida

The longest sustained fight of the Seminole Wars

by Dale Cox

Red Stick Creek warriors attack from the bank of the
Apalachicola River during the annual Scott 1817 Seminole
War Battle Reenactment. The attack at Ocheesee Bluff
looked similar to this.

The Native American army of the Prophet Josiah Francis launched a massive attack against three U.S. ships on the Apalachicola River on December 15, 1817 – 202 years ago today.

The morning of December 15 found 800-1,200 Red Stick Creek, Seminole, Lower Creek, Miccosukee, Yuchi, and Black Seminole warriors positioned on both sides of Florida’s Apalachicola River. Their location was a twisting section between Ocheesee Bluff in what is now Calhoun County and today’s Torreya State Park across the river in Liberty County. Provisioned with corn and other supplies captured at William Hambly’s plantation at present-day Blountstown, they were prepared for a battle that would prove to be the longest of the Seminole Wars.

The sloop Phoebe Ann and the schooners Little Sally and General Pike were ocean-going vessels with captains and crews accustomed to long voyages at sea. The latter of these was one of the supply vessels involved in the American attack on the Fort at Prospect Bluff or Negro Fort seventeen months before.

The Battle of Ocheesee was fought on the Apalachicola River
in Calhoun and Liberty Counties, Florida. The battlefield is
seen here from Ocheesee Bluff.

The ships were slowly making their way up the Apalachicola River with cargoes of ammunition, regimental clothing, and other supplies for the 4th and 7th Regiments of U.S. Infantry. The men of these units comprised the bulk of the garrison at Fort Scott on today's Lake Seminole. They had marched overland from Fort Montgomery and Camp Montpelier in Alabama, but the majority of their heavy supplies was sent by ship. The Prophet Francis was determined to stop the necessities from getting through.

The Prophet's strategy reflected lessons learned from the Creek War of 1813-1814. Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson penetrated the heart of the Creek Nation and defeated the Red Stick forces at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, thanks to a long and tenuous supply line. Francis recognized that U.S. troops were helpless without their supplies and moved to cut off the main fighting force at Fort Scott from resupply. He planned to starve out the garrison and force its retreat.

Warriors rained down fire on the U.S. vessels from the top of
Ocheesee Bluff. The large tree at the top was toppled by
Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

The site for the main attack on the Apalachicola River was carefully chosen. The river flows around two sharp bends between Ocheesee Bluff and today's Torreya State Park. The high bluffs in the park offered sweeping views of the entire scene, while the surface of Ocheesee Bluff on the west bank was just high enough for warriors to fire down into the ships as they attempted to pass. The alignment of the bends allowed warriors to fire from all four directions.

The vessels were moving upstream by warping. This means that they sailed in a zigzag course so their sails could catch just enough wind to keep moving. The alignment of the river bends, however, allowed rifles and muskets to be aimed at the decks and rigging from all four directions. If the sailors could not work the sails, the ships would be dead in the water.

In addition to their crews, the Little Sally and Phoebe Ann carried a 110 man escort under Maj. Peter Muhlenberg. A son of Gen. Peter He was a seasoned veteran of heavy fighting on the Canadian border during the War of 1812 and was the son of Gen. Peter Muhlenberg, the famed "fighting parson" of the American Revolution. His soldiers were primarily drawn from the 4th Regiment, although 40 men from the 7th had come down on a keelboat with Lt. Richard W. Scott in late November. 

The keelboat Aux Arc ("Ozark") fires her swivel gun during
this year's reenactment of the Scott Battle of 1817. A similar
boat took part in the Battle of Ocheesee.

Scott was dead now, along with 34 men, 6 women, and 4 children. (Please see The Scott Battle of 1817).

The 40 men of his original command were still with Muhlenberg. Another 40 men were ordered from Fort Scott to assist the unfortunate lieutenant but passed the scene of his defeat in the darkness without seeing anything. They informed the men on the ships of the outbreak of war and of their failure to find Scott's command. Maj. Muhlenberg kept them and their keelboat to strengthen his force, which now numbered around 190 men.

The three vessels reached William Hambly's store at Spanish Bluff (today's Neal Landing at Blountstown, Florida) late on December 13, 1817. They arrived just hours after a Red Stick Creek and Seminole force under the Fowltown war chief Chenubby attacked the settlement, capturing Hambly and his guest Edmund Doyle, and killing the U.S.-allied chief William Perryman. (Please see A Battle of Blountstown, Florida).

The signs were ominous, but Muhlenberg knew that the supplies onboard the ships - especially the ammunition - were desperately needed at Fort Scott. He continued slowly upriver, reaching the spot selected by the Prophet Francis for his attack on the morning of December 15, 1817:

Warriors firing from Ocheesee Bluff and other points around
a double bend of the Apalachicola River were able to pin
down the supply ships trying to sail upstream to Fort Scott.

On Monday morning the transports were attacked by Indians from both sides of the river with a heavy fire of small arms. We returned their fire, the firing has continued ever since. We have lost two men killed and thirteen wounded, most of them severely. Whether we have injured them any I am not able to say. We are now compelled to remain here, as it is impossible for us to carry out a warp, as a man cannot shew himself above the bulwarks without being fired on. [i]

One of the severely wounded men died within the next few days.

The three vessels could not move forward or backward. Warriors were firing from all directions, and the sailors could not work the rigging and sails. The anchors were dropped, and the soldiers fired back as best they could.

The Phoebe Ann and Little Sally often sailed in pirate-infested waters and were undoubtedly armed with at least swivel cannon for their protection. A few small cannonballs have been found in the battlefield area, so the guns were undoubtedly used when possible. 

This massive old live oak atop Ocheesee Bluff likely survived
the Battle of Ocheesee. It later stood in the yard of the historic
Gregory House which can be visited today on the opposite
side of the river in Torreya State Park.

It was a chaotic scene. War cries and shouts from the warriors filled the air as the rattle of musket and rifle fire was punctuated by the occasional boom of a cannon. The sound of lead balls striking the bulwarks and masts of the ships was constant, as were the groans and cries of the wounded soldiers: 

…I can assure you that our present situation is not the most Pleasant not knowing how soon or whether we are to receive succor from above, the wounded are but in a bad situation owing to the vessels being much crowded, and it is impossible to make them any ways comfortable on board. Not having other means to communicate to you, I am compelled to dispatch the keel boat with instructions to make the best of his way to Fort Scott. I hope to hear from you soon with instructions how I am to proceed in my present situation. [ii] 

The keelboat was fitted with a protective cover before it left Fort Scott. This allowed Capt. J.J. Clinch and his men to break through the ring of fire and escape upriver by using their oars. The two larger ships had no such protection and were destined to remain engaged in the most prolonged continuous battle of the Seminole Wars.

The Battle of Ocheesee continued for two weeks to come.

The best places to see the battlefield are from Ocheesee Landing in Calhoun County and Torreya State Park across the river in Liberty County. The landing is at the east end of Ocheesee Landing Road off FL-69 between Blountstown and Grand Ridge, Florida. The state park is at 2767 NW Torreya Park Road in Bristol, Florida.

There are no interpretive signs to tell the story, but the fighting took place between the clearly visible bends of the river (see the map below). Ocheesee Bluff is also the site of a noted "ghost town" and was the county seat for one of Florida's lost counties! Click play to learn more:

  Editor's Note: Please consider these books by historian Dale Cox to learn more about the Battle of Ocheesee and the Seminole War in 1817-1818:

References:

[i] Maj. P. Muhlenburg to Lt. Col. Matthew Arbuckle, December 17, 1817, Adjutant General, Letters Received, National Archives.

[ii] Ibid.

400 Luminaries to light the Apalachicola River on December 7th

Massive Luminary Service by the river at Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle

by Dale Cox

A luminary service underway at the site of Fort Hughes in
J.D. Chason Memorial Park in Bainbridge, Georgia, in 2017.

Four hundred candle-lit luminaries will reflect off the waters of the Apalachicola River on the night of December 7, 2019. They will honor the men, women, and children of both sides who died in events surrounding the First Seminole War and the destruction of the "Negro Fort" or Fort at Prospect Bluff.

The memorial and illumination is part of the Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle Reenactment. The annual event takes place this year at River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida, on December 6, 7, and 8. The luminary service begins at 6:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Central, and the public is encouraged to attend.

The special event will include a 19th-century military ceremony by the Jacksonian Guard from Pensacola, Florida, followed by a Native American and Maroon (Black Seminole) observance organized by the Lower Chattahoochee Band of Yuchi Indians living history unit. Both groups are participating in this year's reenactments of the Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle.

The authentic keelboat Aux Arc ("Ozark") will visit from
Arkansas to recreate the actual boat attacked in 1817 at what
is now River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida.

That encounter took place at the site of today's River Landing Park on November 30, 1817, and the luminaries will be lit on the actual battlefield. The Scott Battle took place when several hundred Red Stick Creek, Miccosukee, Seminole, Yuchi, and Maroon (Black Seminole) warriors attacked a U.S. Army keelboat on its way up the Apalachicola River. The Native Americans were furious because soldiers had attacked the Lower Creek village of Fowltown, killing several men and women and igniting the First Seminole War.

The battle ended with the deaths of 34 U.S. soldiers, 6 women, 4 children, and an unknown number of Native American warriors. It led President James Monroe to order Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson's 1818 invasion of Spanish Florida and ultimately was the key factor in the cession of Florida from Spain to the United States.

The luminary service promises to be a beautiful and moving event that memorializes two crucial and connected parts of history. Approximately 136 men, women, and children lost their lives in the First Seminole War, and 136 of the luminaries will honor them.

Reenactors from the 7th Infantry Living History Association
conduct a memorial ceremony at Camp Recovery, site of a
hospital encampment during the 200th-anniversary event.

Two hundred seventy luminaries will memorialize the 270 men, women, and children killed on the lower Apalachicola River when the U.S. military destroyed the Fort at Prospect Bluff or Negro Fort on July 27, 1816. The remaining four luminaries honor the lives of four U.S. sailors who died in that campaign.

It will be the first time that all of the people who died in the fighting along and near the Apalachicola River from 1816 to 1819 will be remembered in a single memorial service. The luminaries will honor men, women, and children without regard to age, race, sex, or religious belief.

The sight of so many luminaries reflecting off the silent waters of the Apalachicola River should be unforgettable. The public is encouraged to attend.

River Landing Park is located on River Landing Road, Chattahoochee, Florida. Living history events will take place Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern/8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central. Battle reenactments are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Central on Saturday, December 7, and 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central on Sunday, December 8.

All events are free, and the public is welcome!

To learn more, please visit Scott1817.com or www.facebook.com/scott1817.

"The Scott Massacre of 1817" is now in print!

I'm pleased to announce that my latest book, The Scott Massacre of 1817, is now available as both a paperback and an instant download for Kindle at Amazon.com.

The book is the first in-depth study ever written of the Scott Massacre, the first U.S. defeat of the Seminole Wars. The battle took place on the Apalachicola River between the present-day towns of Chattahoochee and Sneads and resulted in a devastating 98% casualty rate for the army command of Lieutenant Richard W. Scott.

You can order through Amazon by following these links:

The Scott Massacre of 1817 (Book $19.95)

The Scott Massacre of 1817 (Kindle $9.95)

It is a little known fact that this bloody but almost forgotten battle on the eastern border of Jackson County led directly to the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States. Had it not taken place, we might still be under Spanish rule and the Seminole Nation might still reign supreme.

The book details how a war of words between U.S. Army officers and the Creek Indian chief Neamathla escalated into a shooting war when Major General Edmund P. Gaines ordered his forces to attack the chief's village of Fowltown in what is now Decatur County, Georgia. The Battle of Fowltown ignited what is remembered today as the First Seminole War of 1817-1818 and so outraged a loose alliance of Seminole, Red Stick Creek and African (Black Seminole) that hundreds of warriors converged on the Apalachicola River.

The first target of opportunity to present itself to them was a large wooden boat slowly making its way up the river. Commanded by Lieutenant Richard W. Scott of the 7th U.S. Infantry, the vessel carried 50 men, women and children. As it reached the stretch of the river just south of today's U.S. 90 bridge between Chattahoochee and Sneads, the boat was attacked by hundreds of warriors who had ambushed themselves along the banks of the river.

By the time the smoke had cleared, Scott was dead along with most of his command. Of the 50 people on board the boat when the attack was launched, only one man escaped without injury. The total U.S. loss in the battle was 43 killed, 5 wounded, 1 captured.

The massive defeat ignited outrage in Washington, D.C. and led President James Monroe to order Major General Andrew Jackson to the frontier with authorization to invade Spanish Florida. Jackson's 1818 campaign all but destroyed the Seminole Nation west of the Suwannee River and easily demonstrated that Spain could not defend its old colony. Within three years, Florida would become part of the United States.

The Scott Massacre of 1817 benefits the historic preservation efforts of the West Gadsden Historical Society. It is now available through Amazon.com and soon will be available at the society's normal book retailers throughout Gadsden County as well as at Chipola River Book & Tea in Downtown Marianna (same block as Watson's and the Gazebo Restaurant).

Battle of Ocheesee, Florida

This week marks the 192nd anniversary of the Battle of Ocheesee, an important Seminole War engagement fought on the Apalachicola River at the southeast corner of Jackson County.

The battle began on December 15, 1817, when hundreds (if not thousands) of Seminole and Creek warriors attacked a small flotilla of U.S. Army supply boats as it rounded the bend in the river between Ocheesee Bluff and Rock Bluff. These former location is in Calhoun County and the latter is now part of Torreya State Park in Liberty County.

Over the next four or five days, the warriors pinned down the soldiers on their boats in midstream, killing at least two and wounding another thirteen. The fire from both banks of the river was so bad that the soldiers aboard the boats could not even raise their heads above the bulwarks to fire back without being shot themselves.

The stalemate continued until December 19th, when General Edmund Gaines commanding at Fort Scott, Georgia (on today's Lake Seminole), sent a covered boat down with materials to be used in better fortifying the supply boats. The relief boat was also equipped with a special anchor that could be rowed ahead of the other boats and dropped. The soliders could then pull on the anchor rope to slowly move the boats forward. Eventually they managed to get moving again and the attack ended as the boats slowly gained headway.

I've launched a new webpage on the Battle of Ocheesee that you might enjoy checking out. Just follow this link to take a look: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ocheese1.

Remembering Scott's Massacre of 1817

The grave visible in the background here (near the fence) is that of Elizabeth Stewart Dill, the only female survivor of a fierce battle that took place on the Apalachicola River between Chattahoochee and Sneads in November of 1817.

Remembered today as Scott's Massacre, the devastating attack on a U.S. supply boat by a combined force of Creek and Seminole warriors was the action that prompted Washington to order General Andrew Jackson to invade Florida...

Remembering Scott’s Massacre: Forgotten Battle Took Place 191 Years Ago This Month

By Dale Cox


Apalachicola River – The deadliest battle in the history of Jackson County took place 191 years ago this month on the Apalachicola River between Sneads and Chattahoochee. Remembered by history as Scott’s Massacre, it was the event that led Andrew Jackson to invade Florida and eventually brought many of his soldiers to Jackson County as settlers.

In November of 1817, following a determined but peaceful standoff between the Lower Creek Chief Neamathla and Major David E. Twiggs, the commanding officer at Fort Scott (located on the Flint River arm of today’s Lake Seminole), Major General Edmund P. Gaines ordered the movement of nearly 1,000 U.S. troops to the fort. Supplies for the soldiers were sent via the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola River on boats escorted by troops from the 4th U.S. Infantry.
When he arrived at Fort Scott in person, General Gaines ordered Lieutenant Richard W. Scott to take 40 men down the Apalachicola on a boat to assist the supply vessels in reaching the fort. He then sent 250 men under Major Twiggs to Fowltown, the village of Neamathla, with orders to bring the chief to Fort Scott.

Neamathla and his warriors resisted and on November 21 and 23, 1817, the first and second Battles of Fowltown opened the conflict remembered today as the First Seminole War.
Infuriated by what he considered unprovoked attacks, Neamathla called for reinforcements from other Creek and Seminole villages across North Florida and ordered one of his sub-chiefs to stop the supply boats from reaching Fort Scott. Hundreds of warriors (some reports estimated as many as 2,000) flooded to the banks of the Apalachicola River in anticipation of a battle against the supply flotilla.

Unexpectedly, though, the commander of the flotilla did not keep all of Lieutenant Scott’s men to reinforce his own force. Instead he took only 20 of Scott’s men and then put 20 men that were sick with fever, 7 women (wives of soldiers) and 4 children on the lieutenant’s boat and ordered him to return upriver to the fort. Neither officer knew of the attacks on Fowltown or the outbreak of war with the Seminoles and Creeks.

Following his orders, Lieutenant Scott started back upriver but on November 28, 1817, was warned at present-day Blountstown by the friendly chief John Blunt and the traders William Hambly and Edmund Doyle that a large force was assembling upstream and it would be extremely dangerous for him to continue. He sent a letter overland to Fort Scott requesting help, but then inexplicably continued his journey up the Apalachicola.

On November 30, 1817, as Scott’s boat rounded the sharp bend in the Apalachicola River between today’s Sneads and Chattahoochee, he was suddenly attacked by hundreds of Native American warriors.

The Creeks and Seminoles had formed along the Gadsden County bank of the river at a point where they knew the current would force the military boat close to shore. According to the reports of survivors, they ambushed the lieutenant and his men from the cover of trees and brush, killing Scott and most of his able-bodied men with their first volley. They then waded out into the river and stormed the boat, fighting hand to hand with the rest of the soldiers and killing most of them with hatchets, knives and war clubs.

Only 6 of the 40 soldiers on the boat survived and four of them were wounded. They leaped overboard and swam across the river to the Jackson County shore and safety. Six of the women and all 4 children were also killed. In less than 15 minutes, the Creeks and Seminoles had taken their revenge for the attacks on Fowltown and killed 44 of the 51 men, women and children on Lieutenant Scott’s boat.

The six surviving soldiers made their way overland to Fort Scott with news of the disaster. The only surviving woman, Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart (or Stuart), was taken captive by the warriors and carried away to their villages. Her story became one of the most remarkable of the era and we will detail it in next week’s article.

Scott’s Massacre outraged authorities in Washington, D.C., and Major General Andrew Jackson was ordered to assemble an army and head for the frontier. His campaign would carry him through today’s Jackson County, where many of his soldiers were so impressed with the quality of the lands that they returned over the next few years as the area’s first settlers.

Editor’s Note: The story of Scott’s Massacre is told in-depth in Dale Cox’s book, The History of Jackson County, Florida: Volume One. The book is available at Chipola River Book and Tea in Marianna or for order directly from the printer at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

Site of Scott's Massacre - November 30, 1817

This photo, actually taken from the Gadsden County side of the Apalachicola River, shows the site of the bloodiest battle of the First Seminole War.

The river here forms the dividing line between Jackson and Gadsden Counties. Jackson County is on the right or west side of the stream and Gadsden County is on the left or east. On November 30, 1817, an army supply boat manned by 40 men from the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment made its way around the sharp bend seen here. Due to the strength of the current, the boat was forced to navigate close to the east bank of the river. Although they had been warned of the possibility of attack, the soldiers were not prepared when a large force of Creek and Seminole warriors opened fire from hidden positions along the shore.

The commander of the boat, Lieutenant Richard W. Scott, and most of his men were killed or wounded in the first volley. As the warriors stormed the boat, six men managed to escape by leaping overboard and swimming across to the Jackson County shore. The rest were killed. Search parties later found the bodies of 34 men at the site.

In addition to the soldiers, 7 women and 4 children (family members of soldiers) were on the boat at the time of the attack. All but one of these, a Mrs. Stewart, were killed. She was taken prisoner by the warriors, but was rescued the following year by troops under Andrew Jackson.

The attack on Scott's party was made in retaliation for U.S. Army attacks on the Lower Creek village of Fowltown in what is now Decatur County, Georgia. The village, home of the chief Neamathla (Eneah Emathla), was attacked on both November 21st and November 23rd, 1817, after the chief refused to come to nearby Fort Scott for a conference. Fowltown warriors were among those who carried out the retaliatory attack on Scott's command.