The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-07-07
LAKELAND EVENING TELEGRAM THURSDAY. JULY I, lei

He shortly fell in with another SOL
der, and they travelled together al
ways at night, hiding in the day time.
They soon discovered that Indians
were on their trail and separated.
Clarke said that soon after he heard
volley of shots fired that told of
his companions death.
Indians Astounded
tI&ai ta3.33 -!vo@ vcv-
aatoundcd and perhaps awed by the
fearful slaughter is evident from their
actions after the battle. But few of
the dead were scalped, or their cloth
ing taken. two things that were in
variably done after a successful bat
tie The officers were not robbed of
articles of jcwelry or personal adorn-
mcnt. Alligator says that they hasti-
ly left the battle ground and returned
northward into the swamp, where
late at night they were joined by the
chief Osceola and his band. fresh
from the murder of General Thomp-
son and Lieutenant Smith. ut Fort
King. Osceola had his band loaded
with loot from the suffers store at
Fort King. and the two hands celc
brated their bloody work until far in
the night many of them drunk OF the
liquor they had taken from the sut.
lrr's store. Ii is said that Osceola
placed the scalp of General Thompson
on pole, and many OF the Indians
made speeches to the departed spirit
of the general.
"For five weeks the bodies of tho
slain remained exposed to the vul
lures and the elements. General Ed
mund r. Gaines who had landed :;
Tampa Bay, with considerable
force of mon, marched against tn
hostiles and reaching Fort King Tra
advanced 10 the scene of the ma"3a
ere. arriving there in February, | -
Captain Ethan Allen Hitchcock, .
graduate of West Point. and ScryiE:
as inspector general of the Gainc:
command, reports that it was iadce,
a melancholy scene that greeted the
advance of the command. The bodies
of the slain were scattered along the
trail. the oxen, their yOkcS still upon
them, were lying as though they had
fallen asleep. The horses of the Of
licers lying dead and the ground lit
tered with the remains of boxes and
packages that had contained the am
munition and supplies of the dcatch
ment. Then they came upon the small
enclosure where the last stand was
made. and there found the skeletons
of thirty OF more men who were lynn;
in the position they might have occu-
Iicd during their last fight, their
heads the log brcastw 3rk3, L1dic:,
parallel with each other and arms
extended, showing that to the last
they had held their weapons directed
upon the enemy. They had evidently
died lighting to thC last. Passing the
enclosure other bodies were found,
aud then they came 30 the place where
the advance guard and most Of the
cfiit cls fell The bodies of all of the
fliccrs were identified as many OF
he nrliccrs with General Gaines were
friends and associates of those who
haG fallen. The little army of Gen
Cral Gaines was halted. the bodies os
the men Fathered and buried in Il long
trench and the officers in another,
and ihe proper and usual military
hOncIs paid to the dead. To this day
the outlines of the trenches may be
seen, The remains having been remov
cd therefrom many years ago, and
taken TO the National cemetery at ST.
Augustine, where they res under a
monument erected to the men and Of
i;ccrs q! the Florida Indian War The
siX-pGund gun was found in the pond
aear by. whore it had been thrown by
The Indians, and placed in an upright
POSITION At the head of the trenches.
Little Change in Spot
s'rTbp ~f nd VIII ~
persisted on that fa.cful December
Captain Fraser, Captain Gardiner,
Lieutenants Passenger, Henderson,
Nudge and Keale, and DR.. ID. Gatlin.
surgeon. The bodies Of ninety-eight
privates and non-commissioned Off
GERS were found andnterred. Two
men Of the command in addition IT,
Clarke, reached Tampa Bay after suf-
fcring great hardships on their peril
Gus journey.
There has been little change in the
spot in the cighty-six years, the same
open pine woods with the clumps of
palmettOes similar to the ones behind
which the Indians laid in wait. The
little pond to the east Of the trail is
still there and the tall pond grass and
the c!umps OF underground bring to-
mind the hiding places of the savages
a few cak trees have grown from
what is pointed out as the officers
burial trench, natures monument to
those who were slain
Assuming that the thousands of rel
atives and descendants CT this irl-fat-
"a band of American soldiers, Who are
now living in various sections of the
United States. would be glad to see d
correct list of these heroes published,
/ asked Mr.. Drane if it would be pos
siblc to obtain them. He informed me
that he would take pleasure in getting
the names from the archives of the
War Department. Below are the
names, as secured by him, of non-com
missioned officers and privates killed
in the Dade Massacre, December 2S,
1895:
Second Regiment Artillery: Edward
Bolton. Rufus Barton, Henry Bran