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The Second Seminole War and the Limits of American Aggression
The Second Seminole War (1835-1842) was the last major conflict fought on American soil before the Civil War. The early battlefield success of the Seminoles unnerved US generals, who worried it would spark a rebellion among Indians newly displaced by President Andrew Jackson's removal policies. The presence of black warriors among the Seminoles also agitated southerners wary of slave revolt. A lack of decisive victories and a series of bad decisions--among them the capture of Seminole leader Osceola while under the white flag of truce--damaged the US Army's reputation at home and abroad. Desertion was rampant as troops contended with the subtropical Florida wilderness. And losses for the Seminoles were devastating; by the war's end, only a few hundred remained in Florida.
In this ambitious study, C. S. Monaco explores the far-reaching repercussions of this bloody, expensive campaign. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Monaco not only places this protracted conflict within a military context but also engages the various environmental, medical, and social aspects to uncover the war's true significance and complexity.
By examining the Second Seminole War through the lenses of race, Jacksonian democracy, media and public opinion, American expansion, and military strategy, Monaco offers an original perspective on a misunderstood and often-neglected chapter in our history.
In this ambitious study, C. S. Monaco explores the far-reaching repercussions of this bloody, expensive campaign. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, Monaco not only places this protracted conflict within a military context but also engages the various environmental, medical, and social aspects to uncover the war's true significance and complexity.
By examining the Second Seminole War through the lenses of race, Jacksonian democracy, media and public opinion, American expansion, and military strategy, Monaco offers an original perspective on a misunderstood and often-neglected chapter in our history.
- GenresHistoryAmerican History
289 pages, Hardcover
Published March 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2022
When picked up some books about the Seminole Wars from my local library, the provocative title gave me pause. However, since it was published less than five years ago by a university press I thought I should go ahead and read it.
This book is a bit unorthodox in its arrangement. Only 4 of 11 chapters (less than half of the main text) covers a purely chronological narrative of the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). Besides the usual chapter about events leading up to the war, an entire chapter looks at the complicated issue of African-Americans in Seminole society and in the war. Monaco questions some of the common assertions about this subject. Later chapters deal with medical issues (especially malaria and PTSD), soldiers grappling psychologically with the difficult Florida geography, Osceola's role as a political symbol and icon even in his own lifetime, the overblown political controversy regarding the use of bloodhounds, and abolitionists use of the war to further their cause.
The tangential issues were some of the most interesting ones for me, especially those on Black Seminoles and Osceola in public perception. I would have liked the latter to have continued that study of memory well past the end of the war. I think Monaco would have been better off dispensing with the narrative all together and simply writing a collection of essays about different aspects of the war.
The page count is misleading; 30% of that are taken up by the extensive endnotes, bibliography, and index. The main text is 201 of the 289 pages. The relatively short coverage of the war narrative results in some surprising omissions, including the Battle of Dunlawton, the attack on Cape Florida Lighthouse, and the Indian Key Massacre.
Monaco has a very modern mindset (some might use the term "revisionist"), best exemplified by frequent uses of the term "settler-colonialism". Viewing the war through that lens is his central thesis. If you're the type of person who rails about liberal academics I expect this book will trigger you in places. The writing style certainly felt academic, including my pet peeve of very long paragraphs, sometimes close to or exceeding an entire page. There is certainly a strong awareness about how the war became wrapped up in Democrat-Whig politics. I also appreciate that Monaco is willing to openly question the biases and limitations of some sources. I would have liked for him to include a more extensive analysis of the historiography of the war.
I think this is a useful supplementary work about the Second Seminole War, but I wouldn't recommend anyone start here if interested in the subject.
This book is a bit unorthodox in its arrangement. Only 4 of 11 chapters (less than half of the main text) covers a purely chronological narrative of the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). Besides the usual chapter about events leading up to the war, an entire chapter looks at the complicated issue of African-Americans in Seminole society and in the war. Monaco questions some of the common assertions about this subject. Later chapters deal with medical issues (especially malaria and PTSD), soldiers grappling psychologically with the difficult Florida geography, Osceola's role as a political symbol and icon even in his own lifetime, the overblown political controversy regarding the use of bloodhounds, and abolitionists use of the war to further their cause.
The tangential issues were some of the most interesting ones for me, especially those on Black Seminoles and Osceola in public perception. I would have liked the latter to have continued that study of memory well past the end of the war. I think Monaco would have been better off dispensing with the narrative all together and simply writing a collection of essays about different aspects of the war.
The page count is misleading; 30% of that are taken up by the extensive endnotes, bibliography, and index. The main text is 201 of the 289 pages. The relatively short coverage of the war narrative results in some surprising omissions, including the Battle of Dunlawton, the attack on Cape Florida Lighthouse, and the Indian Key Massacre.
Monaco has a very modern mindset (some might use the term "revisionist"), best exemplified by frequent uses of the term "settler-colonialism". Viewing the war through that lens is his central thesis. If you're the type of person who rails about liberal academics I expect this book will trigger you in places. The writing style certainly felt academic, including my pet peeve of very long paragraphs, sometimes close to or exceeding an entire page. There is certainly a strong awareness about how the war became wrapped up in Democrat-Whig politics. I also appreciate that Monaco is willing to openly question the biases and limitations of some sources. I would have liked for him to include a more extensive analysis of the historiography of the war.
I think this is a useful supplementary work about the Second Seminole War, but I wouldn't recommend anyone start here if interested in the subject.
May 18, 2024
Fascinating analysis of this conflict, with attention paid to the legacy of settler-colonial narratives about the war and the impact of ecological factors on limiting American expansionism.
November 12, 2022
A new, well-written account of one of America's forgotten wars. The author gives a chronological account of the war in the first section before turning to a closer examination of certain issues in the following sections. The existing literature on the subject is analyzed and challenged when necessary. Well worth the read.
August 22, 2025
I enjoyed this in-depth look at the Second Seminole War and enjoyed looking at the war's political and social context, as well as further utilizations of the war's narrative in American empire-building.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews