The Exiles of Florida: or, The crimes committed by our government against the Maroons, who fled from South Carolina and other slave states, seeking protection under Spanish laws.Giddings, Joshua R. (Joshua Reed)
Philosophy
The Exiles of Florida: or, The crimes committed by our government against the Maroons, who fled from South Carolina and other slave states, seeking protection under Spanish laws.
Giddings, Joshua R. (Joshua Reed)
Maroons; Seminole War, 1st, 1817-1818; Seminole War, 2nd, 1835-1842
These feelings operated upon President Jackson in ordering the
withdrawal of General Scott; and General Jessup sought to appease this
hostility by obeying the dictates of the slave power. Indeed, whatever
appears like a violation of pledged faith, or bears the evidence of
treachery on the part of General Jessup, may probably with great justice
be attributed to the popular sentiment of the Territory. He had
assiduously captured, and delivered over to bondage, hundreds of persons
whom he had most solemnly covenanted to "_protect in their persons and
property_."
General Taylor discarded this entire policy. His first efforts were to
make the Indians and Exiles understand that he sought their emigration
to the Western Country, for the advancement of their own interest and
happiness. Owing to these circumstances there was scarcely any blood
shed in Florida while he had command. The army was no longer employed to
hunt and to chase down women and children, who had been reared in
freedom among the hommocks and everglades of that Territory.
There were yet remaining several small bands of Indians upon the
Appalachicola River, and in its vicinity. Most of the Exiles who had a
few years previously resided with these bands, had been captured by
pirates from Georgia, and taken to the interior of that State and sold,
as the reader has been already informed. Those of E-con-chattimico's and
of Blunt's and of Walker's bands were nearly all kidnapped; but of the
number of Exiles who remained with the other remnants of Indian Tribes,
resident upon the Appalachicola River, we have no reliable information.
We are left in doubt on this point, as General Taylor drew no
distinctions among his prisoners; he neither constituted himself nor his
officers a tribunal for examining the complexion or the pedigree of his
captives. He denied the right of any citizen to inspect the people
captured by the army under his command, or to interfere in any way with
the disposal of his prisoners. He repaired to the Apalachee towns with
a small force about the first of October. Neither the Indians nor Exiles
made any resistance; nor did they oppose emigration. They readily
embarked for New Orleans on their way westward. Their emigration was not
delayed in order to give planters an opportunity to examine the negroes.
Under the general term of "Apalachees," two hundred and twenty persons
were quietly emigrated to the Western Country; but, as we have already
stated, how many of them were negroes, we have no information. These
people were also delivered over to the agent, acting for the Western
Indians, and settled with their brethren upon the Cherokee lands.
General Taylor now entered upon a new system for prosecuting the war, by
establishing posts and manning them, and by assigning to each a
particular district of country, over which their scouts and patroles
were to extend their daily reconnoisances.
[Sidenote: 1839.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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