Litchfield enquirer., 1841-02-18
THE FLORIDA WAR.

THE FLORIDA WAR.
The Everglades Of F1orida.-A writer in
the St. Augustine News, who recently &C
cumpanied Col. Harvey with his expedition
among the Everglades of Florida, has gwen
long and interesting account of that expe-
di1ion. The everglades seem to be sort OF
graSS-,cater, in which the travelling must be
by canoes and yet in this grass aDGter are
islands, which the Indians cultivate, and OH
which they live. mo country" says the
writer, that have ever heard OF bears any
resemblance to il; it seems like vast sea,
filled with grass and green trees, and ex-
prcss!y intended as retreat for the rascally
Indians, from which the white men would
never seek TO drive them" This expedition
consisted of 80 men and 16 canoes, and on.
the 4th of December started from Fort Dali
las and on the 18th, having accomplished
what was never before done by white men,
passed through the Everglades in their ca
noes, and reached the sea near Cape Sale.
The party was IL days and IL nights in eros
sing.
Col. Harvey, the commander of this expe-
dition, seems to be man of great gallantry
and perseverance. December 5, nearly all
the day the men of the expedition were pull
ling their boats through the mud and grass.
During the day, says the writer:
We insisted on John, our guide, carrying
! US to some high land, where we might en-
! camp and give the men IA little rest. The
officers had almost lost confidence in his
knowledge ofthe country, as, at one time he
could not tell us in which direction the sun
rose and as we concluded not to follow him
in the direction he was going any longer, ne
| insisted that he was right, and that his OBJECT
was to carry us where he could find the
greatest depth of water, and that he could
carry US q nearer way, but that it was very
shoal; which proved in tine end to be correct,
as he had not gone more than few miles
when it was with the greatest difficulty we
could move the boats. The Colonel called
on him to stop, as he would go no farther in
that direction but he insisted that the island
was not more than q mile distant, and the
Colonel suffered him to proceed. Sure
enough, contrary to the expectations of us
all, he in a short time halted at low tuft of
! bushes, about half mile in circumference,
which seemed TO US all TO be entirely flooded
with water, but after penetrating about 3OO
yards, we came to a magnificent little spot
in its centre, about $50 yards in circumfer-
ence; here we found an old Indian camp
which evidently had been deserted for some
months. 1t was encircled by a number of
shrubs of the wild Pappaw; and two large
and curious wild fig trees, about ten feet
|
markable tree it first makes its appearance
as the creeper, and seizes on the largest tree
it can find, continuing to encircle it in its
meshes until it deprives it of life, when it
| feeds upon the decayed matter and becomes
a beautiful tree. These had each attacked
palmetto, and one of them was dead, but
the top of the other was blooming in the cen
tire, although completely surrounded. We
hailed, with great deal of pleasure, the
touch of dry land. as we were wet to the
skin it having rained all day, and the wind
came dark, we kindled large fire--dried
ourselves-got good supper, eat it with
good deal of gusto-talked over what we had
undergone, and what we intended to do
stretched ourselves on our blankets, and slept
soundly and sweetly, till daylight warned us
to be up and doing.
Dec. 6.-Expecting to find some Indians on
one Of the islands. Colonel Harney took
four canoes. with Lieut.. Rankin, and went
ahead. having first painted and dressed him
| self and men so much like Indians, that they
could scarcely, themselves, detect the impo-
sition. This party had to wade through mud
and water three or four hundred yards, up
to their waists, before they gained dry land
There they found a cornfield of about an
acre, and the richest land they had ever seen,
being one black heap of soil. of endless
depth. But finding no Indians there, they
pushed on to another island about seven
miles of, where they had to wade 200 yards
before they gained footing. Here they
found only signs of where they had been.
The Journal of Dec. 9th, 10th and 10Th, is
however, so interesting, that we take it entire.
The chief, CHAKIKA, whom Hall, the pri.
waite killed weighed over 200 pounds, and was
considered the strongest man of his tribe
Several started in pursuit of him when he
ran, but owing to the suction of the bog, only
Hall could keep up.
No wonder that when the expedition reach
ed river that led to the sea, they gave
"thrce cheers" This exploring ofthe Ever
glades is considered ofgreat Importance, for
1t breaks the charm of the Indians security,
in showing that they are no longer inaccessi-
BILE to the white man. 1t proves that there is
passage across the peninsula, communica-
ting with the Atlantic and the Gulf. rt
Oh Dec.-Yesterday about IL o'clock,
when some were asleep and all were silent,
awaiting the time Of starting, the Colonel
called out from the top of a tree, that two
canoes were approaching the Island on the
south side. In moment, all were up with
their guns in hand the boats were silently
approaching, and we being on the north side,
Lieut.. Rankin was Immediately ordered to
man four canoes, and move slowly along to
meet them. The grass was so high that the
Indians did not discover him until within a
few hundred yards, when they Immediately
wheeled their canoes and made off with all
their strength. But there was no GLIDING
our snake-like boats, and our tried soldiers.