New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-05
TTOPT,A-TRE TNpIAY WAR.
IL. -. ID h. chnrle..Dr ,rnl.1l.

Corrr.-.ouI.u-- of The ChaIles-on standard.
OCALA, lFlaJ Tuesday, Dec. o. 1850.
The start ~ news has doubtle-- reached YOU that
an exploring party, under Lieut.. llarsuf, has been
cu on 10y thc lndiaus. The particular, a. Ear as W.
have received them. are a. follows: Lieut.. Georgt
l.. Hartsnff. IN command of detachment of the 81
Alticr. consisting Of one sergeant corporal aud
10y en- private were attacked 10y party of about
twenty five indians AZ daylight on the morning OF the
goth inst. about forty miles -outht at from For Myers
and Il j. supposed that The CoInmaudant ana al but
three # the men, and all the horse. belonging 10 the
expedition have been cut off. Only three of the men
have CONE IN 20 Fort Myers. This party was In the
REORGANIZATION Of Big Cyprcss swamp and upon the
Dew of the disaster. two compani' OF me "a Aery
were ordered 70 leave Fort Myer- Immediately for the
rescue Of such may possibly be IN condition 10 re-
cciNc assistance.
Il is scarcely necessary to say that the excitement
throughout all .he country is intense. II il known
flat beside The troops in the service Of the United
States which have been established at Fort Myers
and other points along the line OF territory occupied
by the Indians, there are several surveying partie.
sirebdv in the field whose position i, considered
extremely perious. One Of these i under W. G.
Mosely, son Of Gov. Mcsely another Is under W.
:. Harris. late Member to the Legislature from
Marion County; and another under Mr.. Daniels, aud
all Of them ore known 70 he 80 completely without
apprehension from the Indians that they are only
provided with few guns necessary for hunting
purposes. Thi- whole surveying force - under the
general .uperinendcnCe Of the SuryeyOr-Gcneral of
the State, DIR. Westcott, and Il cause NJ further
anxiety that he also 10 have been on the ground
prior TO the 25th inst. when it was agreed that the
several parties should meet and taking their Christ
dinner together should concert their plans Tor fur-
ther operations. The immediate cause of this collision
il not certainly Known The treaty concluded with the
Indians in I549 allowed them certain territory near
the southern point of the peninsula, over which they
were at Liberty to roam without molcSaton; and uGll
recently was not known that they had transcribed
the limits of this section. When recently, however, II
was determined by the General Government TO survey
and bring into settlement the territory month OF the In
- tl..tt ba,~ Ho1 x-auH
the border aud that many of them had erected habta
tjons and made Improvements upon the lands from
which they were excluded by the treaty.
Preparatory to sending surveying parties III the field
tle country wa raverSed by troops hut before these
the Indians all fed leaving their Improvements, and
manifested generally 20 little disposition to come into
collision that apprehended danger and parties
preparing for this field of operation considered no pro
vision, necessary for protection or defense.
The number of Indians still in Florida i variously
estimated and il has been impossible 10 approximate,
with anything like certainty, TO their precise force.
Some suppose that they can bring into the field 600
warriors: othcr- again assert that they have an ef-
fective force of 100. The truth, perhaps, Is
equi-dstant between the extremes, and that will give
number sufficient under all the advantage presented
by the Everglades to arrest the settlement OF the
country for many years to come. With respect to the
Leaders 81 this tribe, there j. also uncertainty
They are nonlinaly under the control OF Sam Jones
and Billy Bowlces; and Of Billy Bowlegs enough
is known 10 give assurance that he l. capa-
be of giving great trouble. He says him
self that he j. thirty years old though he must Mt least
be six or eight years older sam Jones, if alive at ALL
must be very old perhaps not far from 80 years but it
j. doubted if be be alive at all lie has not been
for many yaars, and though Billy Bowlegs still pro-
fesscs to act under his authority and gives reason
for bis failure to comply with his repeated promises to
move 10 the West that Sam Jones will not permit him,
and that lie will forfeit his life in the undertaking. yet
it il doubted whether he il not keeping alive the name
of sam Jones from considerations of policy, while the
former owner of it has already departed and whether
he is not in fact the party responsible for all the move
ments of the tribe.
This outbreak will probably be the occasion of ac
tive military operations in that quarter II j. to be
supposed that the Government will now find sufficient
reason for efficient to remove the Indians,
and the State it-ef will also bring its military
chinery to bear on the subject.
Three years ago the Legislature of Florida passed
an act authorizing the levy of two regiments OF cavalry
and elected Gen. Johnson to the command. number
of companies were raised and three officers commits
stoned bat no further steps taken for the reason
that the law only provided for their movement in
fine Indians should commence hoStilities. This out
break will furnish The condition upon which they are TO
move and these regiments will be Immediately ordered
oht.
This, in fact, will be the only efficient means of oper.
atng to advantage. The Government can scarcely
snare from the Western frontier sufficient number ol
tioop, TO effect a removal of the Indians; and indeed
oxenmcnt roop, are not the right material for such
nurpOSc The COW boys" will be far more efficient,
familiar n they are with the face of the country, and
with the habits and hiding paces II j. warfare in
which failure to Kill u captain amounts simply to
defeat and quiet cannot be restored until the sayages
are extc,minated or driven from the country.
" FLORIDA.