The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1910-03-25

shore, Qhe highest ground in Florida
east of the st. Johns river, the many
miles of luxuriant orange groves that
cover its Sloping banks, and its placid
nd-locked waters. Its northern, cas-
tern and southern shores are low, but
upon them, as we'll as upon the banks OF
the creeks and streams that empty into
the lake, are many marked scenes OF
tropical beauty. Here grow side by side,
the massive cypress, the red cedar, and
the live oak, with here and there state
| Nv palm, and TO complete the picture,
all are drapped, by the hand of the |
| Great Artist, with Spanish moss and |
wild vines, intermingled with miStletoe |
and gorgeous flowers.
All localities have history that is |
worthy of record, and the region around |
Lake Crescent is no exception TO this |
rule. Ii is my purpose, this evening, to |
relate two events that occurred on the |
banks of this lake, that have made this |
section locally famous, and are also re-
markable because of coincidence in |
their termination. History records one |
of these events, but its cold records con |
tain no details, and is therefore largely |
shorn of its interest. have sought the |
aid of tradition, however, 10 supply that
in which history is silent, and | am thus
enabled to write, for the first time, the |
whole of the story.
Following the revolt of the Seminole |
Indians against the authority OF the
United States in 1885, many expeditions
were sent by the government for the
purpose of subduing them, but all had
ended in failure. Gen. Thompson had
| Loo.. I,;IIoI No; noda apd .hic whole |
command had been mastered, except
one man who had succeeded in hiding
himself beneath the bodies of the slain. !
Gen. Clinch, Gen. Scott, Gen. Gaines
and Governor Call all failed of success. |
The frequent raids made by the Semi |
noleS and the horrible atrocities they
committed had driven the settlers IRON
their homes. Most of them had sought |
refuge in St. Augustine, Jacksonville |
| and other large towns. Wearied by |
their continued acts of barbarity, PreSi- |
dent Van Buren,, in the fall of 1887 or |
dered Col Zachary Taylor, with force |
of over 1000 men, to proceed against |
the Seminoles, and Subdue them at any |
cost Accordingly on beautiful morn
ing in early December Col Taylor LETT |
St. Augustine fully equipped for long |
campaign, and with the deternination
to pursue the Seminoles into the Ever |
glades, if necessary, and never let up I'M
til he forced them into submission. Ills
destination was Fort Drane, about 10
miles southwest of st. Augustine, where |
the Seminoles were supposed TO be con
centrated. The renowned chief, Osceo-
la, having been seized and imprisoned by |
the u. S. authorities in 1887, was sue
ceeded by Chief Micanopy, who was
noted for his extreme cruelty and mar
velous cunning. Micanopy being ap-
prised of the movements of Col. Taylor,
conceived the idea of meeting him and
entrapping him in an ambuScade. Ac-
cordingly, the old chief, with about
half thousand followers, made rapid |
march northward, reaching Haw Creek,
one of the tributaries of Lake Crescent,
few hours in advance of Col. Taylor'S
forces. Here among the almost impene-
trable vines, dwarf palmetto and dense |
foliage, he decided TO form his ambuS-
cade. The place selected was about
ne.half mile from Lake Crescent, at the |
point where the trail along which Col. |
TAYLOR was advancing, crossed the creek. |
Here the creek was from 80 to 40 feet
deep, and about 100 feet wide. The |
crafty old chief knew that Col. Taylor |
would find it necessary TO construct a |
pontoon bridge, and that considerable |
lime would be required for his whole |
command to cross. His plan was 10
make the attack while the army was in |
the act of crossing.
Col. Taylor had secured the aid OF
the best scouts known 10 the service,
and one of them, who was several hours
in advance of the army had discovered
the ambuScade, without revealing his |
presence to the Indians. This was
promptly reported to Col. Taylor, who
at once decided upon plan that would
not only thwart the purpose of the
| Seminoles, but was also designed to use
their own well conceived plan 10 &C
compIish their utter defeat and rout.
| Therefore, he detached half Of his COM
mand before he entered the jungle
which covers the approach TO the creek
| for half mile on both sides of it-with
instructions TO march up the creek
about two miles, then cross TO the south
side, make a wide detour and surprise
the enemy from the rear, while he Col.
| Taylor) with the balance of his forces
would approach the north bank of the
creek opposite the ambuScade, cut down
trees and make preparations for build
ing and laying pontoons. This he did
| for the two-fold purpose of deceiving
the SeminoleS into the belief that they
had not been discovered, which would
doubtless prevent them from detecting
the flank movement, and at the same
time guide the thanking party by the
noise of falling trees and ringing axes to
the exact spot in the rear of the ambuS-
cade. The thanking party, after they
had crossed the creek, which they were
fortunately enabled TO do on the trunk
of fallen tree that Spanned il, passed
through the Jungle on the south side
and there found wide prairie covered
with high grass, which helped them to
steal noiSelesSly and unseen TO the rear
of the Seminole position. AT a given
signal simultaneous attack was made
all along the line, completely surprising
the Seminoles and sending them in a
haSty and diSorganized retreat to the
southwest.
Col Taylor, after caring for the
wounded, sent them back TO St. Angus
tine. He then buried the bodies of his
dead soldiers, together with those of the
fallen SeminoleS, in one grave under
the shades of the cypress on the vine
clad banks of Haw Creek. After he
had accomplished this he took up the
trail of the retreating SeminoleS, fol-
lowed them to Lake Okeechobee, where
on Christmas day, he completely de
feated them in hard fought battle in
which he lost 1879 of his men. He con-
J tinued the pursuit into the Everglades,
hunted them in their lairS, and finally
forced them TO surrender and enter into
treaty of peace in the latter part of 1882
, When, during the Civil war, Jackson
Vile fell into the hands of the Federal
authorities, it was ordered that the St
Johns river be cleared of all hostile
craft. Accordingly, number of gun