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The Seminole Wars: America's Longest Indian Conflict
"In this insightful book the conflicts known as the Seminole Wars are placed in the larger context of American history. Twenty-first-century Seminole Indians and all other Floridians have been shaped in part by those nineteenth-century events."--Jerald T. Milanich, Florida Museum of Natural History The Seminole Wars were the longest, bloodiest, and most costly of all the Indian wars fought by this nation. Written for a popular audience, this illustrated history is the first book to provide a comprehensive overview of all three wars. John and Mary Lou Missall examine not only the wars that were fought between 1817 and 1858 but also the events leading up to them and their place in American history. In particular it sheds new light on the relationship between the wars, the issue of slavery, and the prevailing attitudes toward Native Americans. While fought in Florida, the Seminole Wars were a major concern to the nation as a whole. In addition to the issue of slavery, a culture of national arrogance and religious fervor fostered an attitude that allowed the conflicts to happen. The first war, led by General Andrew Jackson, was part of an attempt to wrest Florida from Spain and had international repercussions that led to a lengthy congressional investigation. The second, which lasted seven years, took the lives of more than 1,500 soldiers and resulted in the forced removal of more than 3,000 Seminole Indians from Florida and the deaths of countless others. During 1836 and 1837 it was the predominant story in national newspapers, and public support for the war was fueled in part by fear among slaveholders that black Seminoles might inspire a general slave uprising. The third war, fought on the eve of the Civil War, was an attempt to remove the final remnants of the Seminole Nation from their homes in the Everglades. The authors describe the wars as both a military and a moral embarrassment--a sad chapter in American history that has been overshadowed by the Civil War and by Indian wars fought west of the Mississippi. The conflicts were the nation's first guerrilla wars. They offered the country its first opportunity for aggressive territorial expansion and highlighted the dangers of an inflexible government policy. Analyzing events of the wars against larger issues, the authors "It often seems as if the Seminole Nation was the nail being pounded by the hammer of American policy. What interested us most was why the hammer was swung in the first place." Based on original research that makes use of diaries, military reports, and archival newspapers, this work will be of interest to general readers as well as historians of Florida and Native American life and to those who study the antebellum South and the early American Republic. John and Mary Lou Missall serve on the board of directors of the Seminole Wars Historic Foundation, Inc.
A volume in the Florida History and Culture series, edited by Raymond Arsenault and Gary R. Mormino
A volume in the Florida History and Culture series, edited by Raymond Arsenault and Gary R. Mormino
280 pages, Hardcover
First published May 28, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 13, 2020
Generally speaking, I got a relatively decent history education in high school. Sure, there were obvious gaps and pointed omissions - some the result of implicit bias, others due to my AP American History teacher's obsessive preference for the minutiae of westward expansion over other minor details like the Vietnam War - but if you were halfway awake it was pretty easy to fill in the blanks and pick out the real assholes (spoiler: the Confederacy, the British East India Company, and Andrew Jackson, maybe not in that order). So it was lowering, though not terribly surprising, to pick up John and Mary Lou Missall's The Seminole Wars: America's Longest Indian Conflict and discover that the war I'd always seen represented as an interesting blip in Florida's history was actually a brutal guerrilla conflict spanning nearly four decades which not only changed the very nature of the nation's military but kickstarted the political careers of two U.S. presidents. I may never forgive Mrs. Rammage for this - or for all the Frederic Remington trivia.
An extension and expansion of Mary Lou's master thesis, the Missalls' Seminole Wars attempts to not only outline the three major instances of conflict (1817-8, 1835-42, 1855-8) but to describe the social and historical context which gave birth to them. That's a fair amount of ground to cover in less than 250 pages, ranging from Major General Andrew Jackson's illegal incursion into the Spanish Territory of Florida in 1814 to the final treaty removing all but a handful of Seminoles from their last stronghold in the Everglades in 1858, with a whole lot of not-terribly-well-executed jungle warfare and antebellum expansionist politics in between. The breadth of scope necessitates a step back, so the authors offer mostly a birds-eye-view of the action enlivened by the occasional wrenching personal account or detail - for instance, illustrating the devastating effect on officer morale of seven grueling years of the Second Seminole War through the story of a Col. John F. Lane, who after a particularly difficult march went into his tent and ran a sword through his eye and into his brain. (The official cause of death? "Disease unknown.")
Though successful in providing a general overview and a list of suggested readings for those interested in more in-depth academic looks at the individual conflicts, Seminole Wars falters in its tone. The Missalls - who do laudable work linking the eruption of these conflicts not only to the nation's general imperialist tendencies but with the fear and cupidity of Southern slaveholders regarding Black Seminoles in particular - perform some serious mental gymnastics in places to Both Sides their narrative in a way that seems a bit disingenuous given that they admit in their preface to a lack of any Native American sources. Their attempt to split-the-baby apparently pleases no one; other reviews call them out for being too politically correct, while I'm over here doing spit-takes at their description of Andrew Jackson as a "superpatriot, very much like Osceola" or their insistence that the U.S. commander who repeatedly violated the flag of truce to capture or kill Seminoles was "a very honorable man." History is full of nuance, and I've no doubt that there were very complicated individuals in both camps, but concluding that everyone was doing what they thought best at the time seems a bit pat given the genocidal outcome.
Overall, Seminole Wars was a bit like my high school history classes: good for a general introduction, but possibly a bit blind in spots and offering the occasionally questionable perspective. Now it's up to me to go ask more questions and fill in the gaps.
An extension and expansion of Mary Lou's master thesis, the Missalls' Seminole Wars attempts to not only outline the three major instances of conflict (1817-8, 1835-42, 1855-8) but to describe the social and historical context which gave birth to them. That's a fair amount of ground to cover in less than 250 pages, ranging from Major General Andrew Jackson's illegal incursion into the Spanish Territory of Florida in 1814 to the final treaty removing all but a handful of Seminoles from their last stronghold in the Everglades in 1858, with a whole lot of not-terribly-well-executed jungle warfare and antebellum expansionist politics in between. The breadth of scope necessitates a step back, so the authors offer mostly a birds-eye-view of the action enlivened by the occasional wrenching personal account or detail - for instance, illustrating the devastating effect on officer morale of seven grueling years of the Second Seminole War through the story of a Col. John F. Lane, who after a particularly difficult march went into his tent and ran a sword through his eye and into his brain. (The official cause of death? "Disease unknown.")
Though successful in providing a general overview and a list of suggested readings for those interested in more in-depth academic looks at the individual conflicts, Seminole Wars falters in its tone. The Missalls - who do laudable work linking the eruption of these conflicts not only to the nation's general imperialist tendencies but with the fear and cupidity of Southern slaveholders regarding Black Seminoles in particular - perform some serious mental gymnastics in places to Both Sides their narrative in a way that seems a bit disingenuous given that they admit in their preface to a lack of any Native American sources. Their attempt to split-the-baby apparently pleases no one; other reviews call them out for being too politically correct, while I'm over here doing spit-takes at their description of Andrew Jackson as a "superpatriot, very much like Osceola" or their insistence that the U.S. commander who repeatedly violated the flag of truce to capture or kill Seminoles was "a very honorable man." History is full of nuance, and I've no doubt that there were very complicated individuals in both camps, but concluding that everyone was doing what they thought best at the time seems a bit pat given the genocidal outcome.
Overall, Seminole Wars was a bit like my high school history classes: good for a general introduction, but possibly a bit blind in spots and offering the occasionally questionable perspective. Now it's up to me to go ask more questions and fill in the gaps.
June 18, 2019
Still another coverage of the Seminole Indian Wars. This one takes the tale and approaches it with a more objective view. unfortunately weigh down with P.C. mess. Also, the nasty fingerprints of editor Gary Mormino can be found in this.
This is an easier to digest history as the authors better connect events than others have done that I've read. There's also a welcome relation of war events and what is going on otherwise in the U.S. and world.
Problems are early on and could lose readers. There are the constant references to "whites". "Whites"? What the hell are "whites"? The author seek to ball all of any skin color of lightness (whatever that is) into something they called "white". This goes on throughout the book. They mean Americans, but refuse to use the term and don't explain why. Is this a Mormino edit? Does sound like his kind of inanity.
There's another line of "...religious fervor, speculative greed and racism" involving the Americans continuing historical man's efforts to conquer. They write this as if it was only an American ideal. Worse they never throughout the book recognize the "...religious fervor, speculative greed and racism" were exactly the issues the indians had, too. There's a line against "nationalism" involving the Americans. Yet, that is, also, exactly what the indians sought, too. This last is the stuff of Mormino, who refuses to recognize that "...religious fervor, speculative greed and racism" is what drove the Spanish conquistadors...to ultimate evil violent ends.
There's much good of the book, outside of treading old territory. The objective views are very helpful. The grave exceptions being the addition of the temporary viewpoints of the time of the writing that will change and change again.
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.
This is an easier to digest history as the authors better connect events than others have done that I've read. There's also a welcome relation of war events and what is going on otherwise in the U.S. and world.
Problems are early on and could lose readers. There are the constant references to "whites". "Whites"? What the hell are "whites"? The author seek to ball all of any skin color of lightness (whatever that is) into something they called "white". This goes on throughout the book. They mean Americans, but refuse to use the term and don't explain why. Is this a Mormino edit? Does sound like his kind of inanity.
There's another line of "...religious fervor, speculative greed and racism" involving the Americans continuing historical man's efforts to conquer. They write this as if it was only an American ideal. Worse they never throughout the book recognize the "...religious fervor, speculative greed and racism" were exactly the issues the indians had, too. There's a line against "nationalism" involving the Americans. Yet, that is, also, exactly what the indians sought, too. This last is the stuff of Mormino, who refuses to recognize that "...religious fervor, speculative greed and racism" is what drove the Spanish conquistadors...to ultimate evil violent ends.
There's much good of the book, outside of treading old territory. The objective views are very helpful. The grave exceptions being the addition of the temporary viewpoints of the time of the writing that will change and change again.
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 5 out of ten points.
December 30, 2023
The Missalls have written a concise account of the 3 major Seminole wars in Florida during the 19th Century: First Seminole War 1817-1818, Second Seminole War 1835-1842, and Third Seminole War 1855-1858. Most readers may only be vaguely familiar with the Second Seminole War(by far the largest and longest of the 3), but probably only in the broadest strokes of recognizing the name of Osceola. The Missalls readily admit they are largely amateur historians at best; however, they do an admirable job of relating the highlights of the 3 wars and overall conflict. It is a fairly brief account for covering 40 years of warfare. Details on even major engagements like the Dade Massacre and the Battle of Okeechobee are minimal. Interestingly, they do relate a number of minor events that are frequently neglected in more traditional war narratives. Overall, for anyone wanting a brief overview to learn more, it is a great introduction. For more serious historical readers, it may not provide the depth normally sought.
November 18, 2022
Was leary of reviews, however I found it to be an incredibly well-written book that provided an education on what I had previously only had a cursory knowledge of. The authors presented the material like a story around a campfire and in context of other events happening around the country, and time was taken to provide as fair and balanced a perspective of both sides as possible, considering only one side of the war had the advantage of a written tradition. I look forward to learning more about this time period after reading the Missalls' excellent overview.
September 18, 2022
I decided to read some recent works on the Seminole Wars and started with this one. The book grew out of a thesis by one of the two authors, and admits up front it is more of a synthesis of the topic than trying to be groundbreaking. It does try to put the war in better context than many past works on the subject, and also gives more coverage to Black Seminoles. The writing is better than many university press books (UF Press in particular has published its fair share of well-researched, but very dry history books), but it's a fairly lightweight book at 226 pages of main text. The authors are trying to be a bit more evenhanded on the subject, with some success.
The simple maps are okay for the level of depth provided. There are endnotes and a bibliography, as expect for a university press book.
One thing that struck me as odd: in a couple places, the author directly addresses the reader, which is not something typically done, especially not in more scholarly works.
A more serious issue: references to the Whigs as the "conservative" party and the Democrats as the "liberal" party. Yes, it's technically correct, in the sense that some prominent Whigs self-identified as "traditional conservatives" and the Democrats as "classical liberals." (Not that self-identification means much; the many countries that declared themselves a "Democratic People's Republic" for one example.) However, it's extremely misleading for modern readers who will be far more familiar with modern definitions of conservative and liberal, by which the two parties would be reversed. Whigs were the bigger federal taxers and spenders of their day, while the Jacksonian Democrats were low taxes, small federal government, states rights, and far more pro-slavery. While the conservative and liberal terms are only mentioned a few times, there is no effort to address the meaning of the terminology in context of the times or acknowledge it is reversed from today. Any author using "conservative" and "liberal", especially regarding American history, needs to be sure to clearly define their terminology.
As a modern introductory work to the Seminole Wars, this is probably the best one available.
The simple maps are okay for the level of depth provided. There are endnotes and a bibliography, as expect for a university press book.
One thing that struck me as odd: in a couple places, the author directly addresses the reader, which is not something typically done, especially not in more scholarly works.
A more serious issue: references to the Whigs as the "conservative" party and the Democrats as the "liberal" party. Yes, it's technically correct, in the sense that some prominent Whigs self-identified as "traditional conservatives" and the Democrats as "classical liberals." (Not that self-identification means much; the many countries that declared themselves a "Democratic People's Republic" for one example.) However, it's extremely misleading for modern readers who will be far more familiar with modern definitions of conservative and liberal, by which the two parties would be reversed. Whigs were the bigger federal taxers and spenders of their day, while the Jacksonian Democrats were low taxes, small federal government, states rights, and far more pro-slavery. While the conservative and liberal terms are only mentioned a few times, there is no effort to address the meaning of the terminology in context of the times or acknowledge it is reversed from today. Any author using "conservative" and "liberal", especially regarding American history, needs to be sure to clearly define their terminology.
As a modern introductory work to the Seminole Wars, this is probably the best one available.
November 27, 2023
As a reader who loves history and one who was looking for ridiculous historical anecdotes, I enjoyed reading this book. While I think the work could be greatly expanded and improved, it was a good introduction to a conflict for which I had no prior familiarity.
My favorite aspect of the work was the overarching narrative and the balance between zoomed-in details and grand, overarching paradigms. I learned a lot, and the work gave me a good framework for understanding the 3 wars and their contexts from 1818-1858.
Other reviewers have fairly pointed out the authors' "ethnocentrism" and potential bias as American aspiring academics writing for a mostly American audience for a work published in 2004. However, this reinforces the importance of reading the prefaces in academic works, as the authors acknowledge most of the shortcomings of the book themselves, especially the lack of Seminole perspectives (xviii). Reviewers have also fixated on the language of the book, which is problematic by modern standards, but which I believe was used deliberately by the authors to contextualize the arguments being made as the relevant actors of the time would've understood them.
The most problematic, specific part of the work I encountered was the ending conclusions referencing everyone's relative moral culpability. I prefer authors who trust their prior arguments well enough to allow the readers to draw their own conclusions and not reduce their work to simplistic moral conclusions.
I also wish the work had better maps.
All in all a great read. Would like to know more about everything!
My favorite aspect of the work was the overarching narrative and the balance between zoomed-in details and grand, overarching paradigms. I learned a lot, and the work gave me a good framework for understanding the 3 wars and their contexts from 1818-1858.
Other reviewers have fairly pointed out the authors' "ethnocentrism" and potential bias as American aspiring academics writing for a mostly American audience for a work published in 2004. However, this reinforces the importance of reading the prefaces in academic works, as the authors acknowledge most of the shortcomings of the book themselves, especially the lack of Seminole perspectives (xviii). Reviewers have also fixated on the language of the book, which is problematic by modern standards, but which I believe was used deliberately by the authors to contextualize the arguments being made as the relevant actors of the time would've understood them.
The most problematic, specific part of the work I encountered was the ending conclusions referencing everyone's relative moral culpability. I prefer authors who trust their prior arguments well enough to allow the readers to draw their own conclusions and not reduce their work to simplistic moral conclusions.
I also wish the work had better maps.
All in all a great read. Would like to know more about everything!
September 17, 2017
I finished The Seminole Wars with a great deal of ambivalence about its contents. It's highly informative, especially in its outline of the birth of the Seminole nation and its discussion of the role of Black Seminoles. The Missalls also place the Seminole Wars in the context of other events of the first half of the 19th century, helping to illuminate the motivations of both sides in fighting the prolonged conflict that was the Second Seminole War.
Despite being an offshoot of Mary Lou Missall's Master's thesis, the book is not a particularly scholarly work. It is written in clear and accessible language aimed at the general reader. At times, the tone is that of a high-school textbook.
I felt there was too much editorializing from the authors. This is a poor substitute for thoughtful analysis, and the book suffers as a result. The ethnocentrism evident in the Missalls's depiction of the Seminoles also made me uncomfortable.
Despite being an offshoot of Mary Lou Missall's Master's thesis, the book is not a particularly scholarly work. It is written in clear and accessible language aimed at the general reader. At times, the tone is that of a high-school textbook.
I felt there was too much editorializing from the authors. This is a poor substitute for thoughtful analysis, and the book suffers as a result. The ethnocentrism evident in the Missalls's depiction of the Seminoles also made me uncomfortable.
July 22, 2017
The sources cited seem to indicate a well researched book and I appreciate that immensely as the topic is one of tremendous value and interest. However the book itself in so poorly written that it makes reading through a bit frustrating at times. Worse than this though is the casual racism which undergirds the entirety of the work.
July 24, 2024
Really enjoyed the last chapter how everything is wrapped up. Doesn’t take sides, tells it like it is. Very informative. I see the history of the Florida (swamp) lands a little different now. The authors go over their recommendations for further Seminole Wars reading, I think this book is a great place to start.
December 27, 2025
Picked this up at the library for research on my next book and actually read it cover to cover! Loved the information and how they touched on a lot of different crucial points within this time period. It was the perfect intro I needed and I gained a ton from it. I also look forward to reading more about this and all the other unfortunate conflicts between the settlers and the natives.
April 16, 2019
Great read about the history of Florida, not just the Seminole Wars. Had pleasure of meeting the authors a Second Seminole re-enactment at Okeechobee Battlefield, as they were narrators of event.
February 8, 2025
A clear, concise, and above all fascinating overview of the Seminole Wars.
January 6, 2014
A fascinating read on series of conflicts I knew very little about. Lots of facts and a good measure of personal accounts make for a good history book. It is interesting to note that at once time Florida was seen as a terrible hell-hole that might be better left to the native inhabitants than to try and add it to the body of the US. During several years in the 2nd Seminole war the US army would only campaign during the winter months, because most of the army would be too sick to move during the summer. This allowed the Seminoles to rebuild their strength and supplies with which they would need to carry on the struggle. It wasn't until later in the war when the US army would campaign in the summer as well that we see the war begin to grind towards the end. A very good book for anyone who may not know much about this portion of the Indian Wars, and would like to learn more.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews