Battle reenactments two weeks away in Chattahoochee, FL

Scott 1817 event to feature amphibious battle on the Apalachicola.

by Dale Cox

Red Stick Creek warriors like these will join two days of
battle reenactments at Chattahoochee, Florida, on
December 7-8, 2019.

Soldiers and warriors are set to battle it out as the 19th-century comes to life at River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida on December 6-8, 2019.

The beautiful park on the Apalachicola River will host this year's Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle Reenactment, three days of living history events, demonstrations, battle reenactments, and more. Friday, December 6, is Education Day with more than 1,000 students coming from schools and home school groups throughout the region to learn about early 19th-century life. 

The authentic 38-foot keelboat Aux Arc ("Ozark") will be
part of the fighting as warriors attack her from the banks of
the Apalachicola River on December 7 & 8, 2019.

Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8, will be the main public days. The grounds will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern/8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central each day. Visitors can explore the living history camps to meet Creek, Seminole, Miccosukee, Yuchi, and Maroon (Black Seminole) warriors and their families. Then they will meet early frontier settlers, the soldiers of Jacksonian Guard, early boatmen aboard the authentic 38-foot keelboat Aux Arc (pronounced "Ozark"), and more!

At 12:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Central on Saturday and 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central on Sunday, the public is invited to witness full-scale amphibious battle reenactments along the banks of the Apalachicola River! 

Ed Williams, the captain of the Aux Arc, demonstrates the
firing of the boat's swivel gun. Original accounts indicate that
such a cannon was fired in the Scott Battle of 1817.
Photograph by Tim Richardson

The Scott 1817 event commemorates the first battles of the Seminole Wars, which took place along the Florida-Georgia border in November 1817. These began on November 21, 1817, with the first U.S. attack on the Creek village of Fowltown (please see First Blood at Fowltown), followed by more fighting in the town near Bainbridge on November 23 (please see Fighting continues at Fowltown).

The first two battles were launched by the United States. The third and most deadly fight, however, came when Native American and Maroon (Black Seminole) forces retaliated at today's River Landing Park on November 30, 1817. Several hundred warriors overwhelmed Lt. Richard W. Scott's command, which was making its way upriver to Fort Scott on present-day Lake Seminole. Lt. Scott, 34 soldiers, 6 women, and 4 children were killed in action, 5 other soldiers were wounded. Seminole/Red Stick Creek casualties are unknown.

Soldiers of Pensacola's Jacksonian Guard will take part in
the battle reenactments as musket, rifle, and cannon fire
flash across the Apalachicola River at Chattahoochee, Florida,
on December 7-8, 2019.

The dead of both sides will be remembered in a unique luminary service on Saturday night, December 7, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Central. Participants will light 400 luminaries along the Apalachicola River to honor the men, women, and children, who died in the fighting not only at the Scott Battle of 1817 but in other actions across the area in 1816-1819. Included will be 270 luminaries for the victims of the 1816 explosion that destroyed the Fort at Prospect Bluff or "Negro Fort" on the Apalachicola River.

In addition to the battle reenactments, visitors can visit a mobile museum, see exhibits, explore vendors, buy lunch, and much more. The soldiers of the Jacksonian Guard will provide military drill demonstrations and perhaps even teach a little old-fashioned dancing as well!

The Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle Reenactment is FREE to visit and open to visitors of all ages on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern/8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central, and during the luminary service on Saturday night. Please visit Scott1817.com or www.facebook.com/scott1817 for more information.

River Landing Park is at 500 River Landing Road, Chattahoochee, Florida. See the map at the bottom of this page for directions. Also, be sure to enjoy this quick 30-second video preview! Just click play:

Jacksonian Guard to bring history to life in Chattahoochee, Florida!

Noted Pensacola unit to represent U.S. troops at Scott 1817 event!

by Dale Cox

Soldiers of the Jacksonian Guard fire a salute during a Colors
Ceremony at Plaza Ferdinand in Pensacola. The celebrated
unit is coming to this year's Scott 1817 Seminole War event.

Pensacola's acclaimed Jacksonian Guard will be on hand as history comes to life at Chattahoochee's River Landing Park on December 6-8, 2019!

As promised in the wake of Hurricane Michael, the annual Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle reenactment and living history event is coming back to River Landing Park this year. Activities begin on Friday with education day for students from schools and home school organizations across the region Saturday and Sunday feature a wide range of activities for the whole family.

The Jacksonian Guard was established in 2016 to reenact soldiers of the United States and Spain during Florida's last days as a Spanish colony. This was the time of the First Seminole War (1817-1818) when the Scott Battle of 1817 was fought at the site of today's River Landing Park in Chattahoochee.

Drummers and fifers of the Jacksonian Guard portray the
youthful composition of the U.S. Army in 1817-1821.

Sponsored by Visit Pensacola and the University of West Florida Historic Trust, the Jacksonian Guard includes soldiers, fifers, and drummers who perform a Colors Ceremony on the third Saturday of every month in Plaza Ferdinand in Downtown Pensacola. That is where the actual change of flags took place on July 17, 1821, marking the official transfer of West Florida from Spain to the United States.

The Jacksonian Guard will be at River Landing Park on Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8, this year, to provide a variety of demonstrations including military salutes, the manual of arms, fife and drum music, musket firing demonstrations. The soldiers will even introduce visitors to dance styles of the early 1800s! They will also take part in a unique memorial service for the soldiers and civilians, Native Americans, and Maroons (Black Seminoles) who lost their lives in the Scott battle on Saturday night, December 7, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Central.

Soldiers of the Jacksonian Guards demonstrate arms and
uniforms of the U.S. Army in 1817-1821.

The soldiers of the Jacksonian Guard will board the authentic 19th-century replica keelboat Aux Arc ("Ozark") on Saturday and Sunday for the reenactments of the Scott battle. They will represent the soldiers of the 4th and 7th U.S. Infantry Regiments who fought under Lt. Richard W. Scott on November 30, 1817, in the first U.S. defeat of the Seminole Wars. The battle ultimately led to Spain's surrender of Florida to the United States.

The Jacksonian Guard's appearance is made possible by a travel grant from Two Egg TV.

This year's battle reenactments will take place at 12 noon Eastern/11 a.m. Central on Saturday and 2 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Central on Sunday (December 7 & 8). 

The Scott 1817 event will take place daily from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Eastern (8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Central) on Friday through Sunday, December 6, 7, and 8, 2019.

Friday is education day, with hundreds of school students from throughout the area scheduled to attend. Saturday and Sunday are the main public days, and families from throughout the region are encouraged to attend. All events are family-friendly. This is an alcohol-free event. There will be food concessions, vendors, exhibits, and much more for families to enjoy.

The Scott 1817 event is free to attend. Donations are welcome and encouraged!

This year's event is sponsored in part by the Focus Foundation and Two Egg TV with support from Chattahoochee Main Street and the City of Chattahoochee.

For more information, please visit scott1817.com or www.facebook.com/scott1817.