The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-27
The story Of the Negro Fort.
nv GEORGE CARY EGGLsToN.

~ 4
During the war of lSl2-l4, between
Great Britain and the United States,
the weak Spanish Governor OF Florida
Tor Florida was then Spanish territory
-permittcd tn. British TO make Pensa
cola their base Of operations against Us
This was a gross outrage an1 we were
at peace with Spain at the tune ana
General Jackson, acting on ms y res
poponsibiiity, invaded florlda IN retail
alton.
Among the British at that time was
an eccentric Irish oflcer, Colonel III
ward Nichols, who enlisted AMI tired 10
made SOL iIrrs OF a large nunbcr OF the
seminole indians. In 1913 alter the
var was over, Colonel Nicfpi, again US
tied the Seuinoles, who were ilsp'eei
IN be oStile 10 the United States, a
G, lone, Nichols himself was. and male al
astonishing treaty with them, u W lich an
alliance offensive and defensive. tetw en-
Great Britain and the Semlnole> was
areed UPON. We had made peace With
Great Britain a few months before. anu
ct thi, astonishing Irish Colonel sign
cd a treaty binding G.eat Britain ~
fybt us whenever the Semlnoleo n the
spanish territory Of Florira should see
f. RI made a war Ii thi, e%xIraorlin
~ performance had been all, 1t would
not have mattered 50 much, because
the British government refused to ray
e the treaty; but it was not all. Coo
mel Nichols. as il determined to give us
much trouble as he could, butt a strong
fortress on the Appalachlcola River,
and gave it to his friends the Semlnoles'
naming it 1.-The British Post on the
ADpalachicola,' where the British had
not the least right to have any post
whatever. Situated on a high b.ntf,
with TANKS securely guarded by the river
on one side and a swamp on the other,
this fort, properly defended, was cal'a
BILE of RESTING the assaults of almost
any force that could approach 1t: and
Colonel Nichols was determined that It
should be properly defended, and 81 I'D
be a constant menace and source OF dan
ger to the United States. lie armed IT
with one 32-pounder cannon, three =
Founders, and eight other guns. lnthe
matter Of small arms he was even more
liberal. He supplied the fort with 200
muskets, 500 carbines, 400 pistols, anG
500 spords. In the magazines he stored
800 quarter casks of rifle powder and
7G3 barrels of ordinary gun-powder.
When Colonel Nichols went away, his
Semipoles soon wandered Oft, leaving
the fort without a garrison. This gave
an opportunity to a negro bandit and
desperado named Garcon to seize the
place, which he did, gathering about
him a large band of runaway negroes,
Choctaw Indians, and others lawless
persons, whom he organized into a
strong company OF robbers. Garcon
made the fort his stronghold. and be
gan to plumber the country round about
as thoroughly as any robber baron or
Italian bandit eve did, sometimes ven
turine across the border into the United
States.
All this was SO annoying AM SO
threatening to our frontier settlements
in Georgia, that General jackson de
manded of the Spanish authorities that
they should reduce the place, aud they
would have been glad enough to do so,
probably, if it had been possible, be
cause the banditti plundered Spanish an
well as other settlements. But the
Spanish Governor had no force at com
mand, and could do nothing. and so the
fort remained, standing a to the
American borders.
Matters where in this position IN the
! spring of 1916, when General Gains was
sent to iortify our frontier at the point
where the Chattahoochee and Flint
rivers unite 10 form the Aappalachicola.
In June of that year some stores for
General Gaines forces were sent by
" NJ. nlD1 Tho x-aSSal-
carrying them were to go up the APP
palachicola. and General Gaines was not
sure the little fleet would be permitted
to ass robbers stronghold, which had
ONE to be called the Negro Fort. Ac
corGiogly he sent Col. Clinch with asmalI
force down the river, to render any as
%sistance that might be necessary. On
the way Colonel Clinch was Joined by a
baud Of Sen j loies, who wanted to re
capture the fort on the fort on then
own account, and the two bodies ueterm
lned to act together.
Meantime the Two schooners with sup
,lics and the Two gun boats set to guaro
diem had arrived at the mouth OF the
river; aud when the commandant trler
t, hold ii conference with Garcon, TIL,
,hi;'s b at, bearing a white flag, WIS
lrt,i VI ON
Running short of water while lying OF
tlie river mouth, the officers OF the tiee'
sent out Il boat to procure a supply
.hi> boat wa arlu, u with IA swivel ant
nu- 1t t.. ani Was uIanded by Mli
hin man L~utfburuu-h. The boat wen
INTO the mouth OF tie river, and seeing
a negro on shore, Mid>hipman Luff-
borough landed to ask for waite
supplies. Garcon with some OF his mel
LAY IN ambush at the spot, and while
the officer talked with the negro tn
? concealed men fired upon the boat
killing LuffDOrough and two of his men
One man got away by swimming, an'
was picked up by the fleet; two other
were taken prisoners. and, as was alter
wand learned. Garcon coated them wit
tar and burned them to death.
1t would not do to send more boat
ashore, and SO the little squadron la
together awaiting orders from Colone
Ciinch. That officer, as he approach
eli the font, captured a negro, VIII
wore a white mans scalp at his bell
and from him he learned ofthe massacr
of Luffnorough's party. There was n
lInGllleE bCCdSlDH iol houpI q W wa
was to be done. Colonel Clinch q,
termrned TO reduce the fort at any cos
!, although the operation promised to
~ Ia very difficult one.
Placing his men in line cf battle, b
sent a courIor to The fleet, ordering tt
Gun boats to come up and help in til
attack. The Scmiuoles, made man
demonstrations against the works, an