Conflict in the Florida territory between U.S. settlers and Seminole Indians grew into violence in December 1835. When Seminole warriors murdered Wiley Thompson, a senior Indian agent, and the “Dade Massacre” which resulted in the death of U.S. Army Officer Major Francis Dade and 107 of the 110 Soldiers in his command, starting the Second Seminole War. In September 1837, President Martin Van Buren assigned a force to Major General Thomas Jessup, the Senior Army Commander in Florida, which contained Colonel Zachary Taylor’s 1st Infantry regiment. Colonel Taylor was given an area of operations near swampy Lake Okeechobee and 1,032 Soldiers to hunt and defeat Seminole resistance and move the tribes to the reservation land in Oklahoma. On 24 December …show more content…
Soldiers. At approximately 1230, the sun shining directly overhead and there was no wind, Colonel Taylor maneuvered his Soldiers squarely into the center of the swamp, and his plan was to directly attack Seminoles. The Soldiers sent forward first were the 132 Missouri Volunteers using European line formations. As soon as they moved within range, the Seminole using guerilla tactics opened with heavy fire. The Volunteers’ ranks were broken, and the commander Colonel Richard Gentry was fatally wounded and unable to rally them. The Seminoles then mounted a counterattack on the remaining soldiers. In the deadly assault some of the Soldiers were scalped. Colonel Gentry had suggested to Colonel Taylor during mission planning to use an encirclement strategy which he rejected, accusing Colonel Gentry of being afraid of a direct confrontation. This could have motivated Colonel Gentry to keep charging the Seminole positions despite the plan had the militia breaking contact at the first sign of enemy fire and reforming behind the regular army lines. This resulted in additional casualties because of the continued charge, when the Missouri Volunteers finally retreated to the rally point, they were too defeated and disorganized to reform as planned. Colonel Taylor followed the volunteers with a rank of