Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-09-25
From the Atlantic Monthly for September.
THE STORY OF THE SEMINOLES.

\ cruel story this, Mr.. Gddings tells us, Too
Cruel but 1t is full Of pathetic and trag'
ic interest, and mels and srs the heart at once
with pity for the sufferers and with anger, that sins
not, at their mean and ruthless oppressUrs. Every
American citizen should read it for i. is an indict-
ment which rec.tes crimes which have been com
mitted in ais name, perpetrated 10y troops and OIL
fcia5 in his service and all lone at his EXPENSE
The whole nation is responsible at the bar of the
world and before the tribunal OF posterity for these
atrocities. devised by members of its Cabinet aud
its Congress, directed by its Presidents. and exc.
cuted by its armies and its courts.
SO carefully has the truth Of this story been GOV
ers up with lies that probably very few indeed OF
the people of the free states have any just idea OF
the origin character and purpose of the Seminole
wars, Of the character Of the race against which
they were waged. And yet there is no episode in
American history more full OF romantic interest OF
heroic struggles and of moving grefs. We have
been taught to believe that these wars we're pro-
yoked by iucursons Of the savages of Florida on
the frontier, and, the truth could not be conceal
ed tina; an incidental motive Of our war Of exNr'
minatOn against them was to be found IN the satc'
tuary which the fugitive slaves of the reighborng
states found in their Businesses. The general i'm
preston has been that these mainly run
layays Of rece..t date, who had made their escape
from contemporary masters. low many OF our
readers know that for more than three quarters OF
a century before the purchase OF Florida there had
been nation of negroes established there, enjoy
ing the wild freedom they loved, mingling and be
coming identified with the Indians who made II
their city Of refuge from slavery also For the
| Shareholders Uf Carolina had no more scruples
against enslaviDg Indians any more than Africans
until il was discovered that the untamable naue Of
the red man made him an Improbable and dan.
gerous servant. These Indian slaves fled into the
wilderness, which is tha state of Georgia,
pushing their way even to the Peninsula of EOri-
da and were followed, in their flight and to their
assy um, by many of their black companions in
bondage For nearly seventy.fve years this little
e nation lived happy and contened, till the state oil
b Georgia commenced the series of piratcnl incur
r sions into their country then Spanish dependen'
= cy from which they were never afterwards free ,
the nation last taking up the Shareholders quar-
. rel, and prosecuting 1t to the bitter and bloody
Il end.
;, This whole story is told, and well told, by Mr..
u Giddings And most touching picture 1t is. FIRST
the original evasion of the slaves into that peninsu
lar wilderness, which they reclaimed as lar as the
supply of their simple wants demanded. They
c planted, they hunted, they multiplied their cattle
thew intermarred with their Indian friends and al
. lies their children and their chllrens children
u grew up around them knowing OF slavery only by
q traditonary legend. The original founders OF the
u tribe passed away, and their sons and grandson'
e possessed their corn,6eds nd their hunting
: grounds in peace. For many years no fears dis
: turbed their security. Under the Spanish rui'
they safe and happy then comes the gradna
I, gathering Of the cloud en- the edges Of thei
wilderness, It's urst Hllul anu h"ohoo
it closes over their heads and bursts dpon them IL
" universal ruin and devastation Their herUl
resistance to the invasion Of States troop
II follows, sublime from its very desperation. mor
&c luneuua contest was never fought. On one siu
ie one of the mightisst lowers on EARTH with endes
. stores of men and money at its beck ana on IN
T.! olher handful of outcasts lighting tor their nome
e and the Liberties lin no metaphorlcai sense) o
r themselves their wives and their children an'
10 protracting the fight for as many years as tn
u American Revolution lasted.
% . Then succeeded the victory of slavery, and tn
m reduction to hopeless bondage of multitudes VIII
n, had been Free on claim Of pretended descendant
N of imaginary owners. by the decision OF petit
I rovernment officials without trial real examir
Ky, ation More than five hundred persOns, some c
- them recent fu ugtives but mostly men horn Tree
were thus reduced to slavery at cost to us OF tort
"a millions of dollars or eighty thousand dollars io
40 eoch recovered slave, Then comes their remove
~ to the Cherokee lands, west Of Arkansas, unde
~ the nledee of the faith of the nation, plighted b
no. General Jessup its authorized agent, that the
er should be sent to the West, and settled IN Vllas
senarte from the Seminole Indians, and that in Il
of mean time they should be protected, should Il
,ly be separated, "nor any of them sold TO whie mi
n or others'. This, however, was not leSltma
ms issue of a war waged solely for the reduction
Mt these ex les to slavery and so the doubts OF Pre-
he ident Polk as to the construction OF TINS trea
,he were solved by Mr.. John Y. Mason OF virglnl
nst who was sandwiehed in between the two tree'sa
ust Attorney Generals for this single piece OF dir
est -
.The Eniles Of Florida ny Joshua n. Giddngs cOumb
-" Ohio Follctt, Foster Co ls5s