Fort King, Florida-- Part 2: Thompson, Dade and Osceola

I am writing about the Seminole Indians in Florida and the U.S. Army in this blog even though it took place after the War of 1812 because it is directly related to the war.  All the main Americans participated in the war, though I have been unable to find out much about their service.  But, the Indians were definitely one aspect of the war.

From Exploring Southern History.

To say that Wiley Thompson and the Seminoles, and especially warrior Osceola, didn't like each other would be an understatement.  At one point, Thompson had Osceola clapped in irons and held for a period of time.  Osceola decided to have his revenge.

On December 28, 1835, as Francis L. Dade was leading his troops to Thompson's relief, as Wiley Thompson and associates went for a walk, Osceola and his warriors ambushed him and Thompson was shot 14 times and scalped along with six others.

That same day, a larger force of Seminoles attacked Dade and killed him and over 100 others.

This caused the second Seminole War to take place.

--Brock-Perry

General Wiley Thompson: Seminole Indian Agent Killed By Osceola

From Wikipedia.

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that Francis Dade and his men were ambushed and massacred by Seminoles while on his way to help Gen. Wiley Thompson at Fort King near present-day Ocala.

September 1781 to December 28, 1835.  He died the same day as Dade and his men, all killed by the Seminoles.  Thompson was a U.S. Representative from Elberton, Georgia who served as a major general in the Georgia militia from 1817 to 1824.  I could not find out any reference to his War of 1812 service, but imagine he did have some sort of involvement in it.

He served in the U.S. Congress from 1821-1832.

Appointed Indian agent to the Seminoles and in 1834, directed their removal from Florida.  This angered Seminole warrior Osceola who killed him at Fort King, Florida on December 28, 1835.  Thompson is buried at his estate in Elberton, Georgia.

--Brock-Perry

St. Augustine National Cemetery-- Part 2

It was designated a national cemetery in 1881.  When Spain owned Florida, it was part of a Franciscan monastery and occupied by the military during British occupation.  When the United States took over, part of the old fort barracks was set aside as the post cemetery with the first internment coming in 1828.  Many of the early burials were of men killed fighting the Seminole Indians in Florida.

On December 23, 1835, Major Francis L. Dade and his company were ordered from Tampa to reinforce General Wiley Thompson's troops at Fort King in Ocala, Florida.  They got lost and were ambushed by the Seminoles with only one survivor.

The bodies of Dade and his men were buried a few months later by U.S. troops.  In 1842, after fighting with the Seminoles ended, the bodies were reinterred in St, Augustine.

--Brock-Perry