Fort Foster was built in December of 1836 to protect&nbsp;the Hillsborough River crossing and the settlers that traveled on the river&nbsp;from&nbsp;attacks by Seminole warriors. &nbsp;It was also created to serve as a storage depot. &nbsp;When the fort&nbsp;was built, the United States had just recently become&nbsp;engaged in a war with the Seminoles, a Native American nation that lived in Florida. &nbsp;Foster had been built to replace&nbsp;an earlier fort, Fort Alabama,&nbsp;a&nbsp;structure that had been&nbsp;constantly attacked by enemies. The fort saw a few skirmishes, but the worst fight was in February of 1836, when a group of Seminoles tried to set fire to the structure. &nbsp;The attack became so bad that the lieutenant in charge of the fort ended up sending a message to a nearby fort to ask for reinforcements. &nbsp;Over one hundred and fifty Marines showed up and the Seminoles abandoned their attacks on the Hillsborough River. &nbsp;The fort&nbsp;was garrisoned several times from 1836 to 1849, when&nbsp;it was finally abandoned. The current fort is a&nbsp;replica of the original. &nbsp;It is open for tours on the first and third weekend of every month. &nbsp;Reenactors often perform demonstrations, portraying 19th-century fort life.&nbsp;&nbsp;Special Events are hosted at the fort as well, such as a Fort Foster Rendezvous in January and a Candlelight Experience in December. &nbsp;There is also an interpretive center with over one hundred artifacts from the fort's days of active service on display.&nbsp;

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Daniel T. Penton. "Fort Foster," National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places. 6-13-72.

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Fort Foster was constructed during the Second Seminole War as a means of defense against enemy Seminoles.  The Second Seminole War lasted from 1925 to 1832, and the fort was open for much of that time.  The fort was eventually abandoned and decayed over time.  The land, however, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and a replica was built on the site in 1980.  Tours and special, historically themed events are held at the fort throughout the year.

Fort Foster

This tour roughly follows the line of Major Dade's march from Fort Brooke to Fort King and includes some other early Second Seminole War highlights. 

Early Second Seminole War Tour 

Fort Brooke was established after the Moultrie Creek Treaty was signed in 1823. In this treaty, the Seminole had agreed to move into a reservation located in the central part of Florida. Colonel James Gadsden, who was one of the agents who signed the treaty for the United States government, was doubtful that the Seminole would respect it and pushed for the establishment of a military post in the Tampa Bay area, so the United States could demonstrate “power and disposition to compel obedience.” On November 5, 1823, the Adjutant General Office issued an order to Colonel George M. Brooke to secure a military post with four companies of the 4th infantry at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. The four companies established the fort without issues. The health conditions were good, and each company cultivated a large garden. Colonel Brooke, however, noted that the Seminoles grew more and more displeased at the treaty and frequently trespassed across the reservation lines. He expected some difficulties to come and informed his superiors that there always should be a sufficient active force at the fort in the event of hostilities. Neither side fully observed the Moultrie Creek Treaty. Tensions between the Seminoles and white settlers kept on growing. Finally, on December 23, 1835, Major Francis L. Dade with one hundred and ten men left Fort Brooke heading to Fort King (modern-day Ocala). The troops walked along the King Highway for three days, passing through Seminole territory. On the morning of December 28th, the Seminoles ambushed and killed all but three men of Dade’s command. Two men, including private Ransom Clark, managed to walk back to Fort Brooke and to inform the army of the battle. This event marked the beginning of the Second Seminole War which lasted for seven years. During this conflict, about 3,000 soldiers were stationed at Fort Brooke, and the location served as the major military outpost on Florida’s west coast. It not only received supply and troops, but its port also served as a deportation hub for the Seminoles’ relocation journey. They traveled across the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans and then to Oklahoma. The Second Seminole War turned out to be the deadliest and the costliest Indian war the United States ever fought; 1,468 soldiers and countless Native Americans lost their lives. Without any clear victory, on August 15, 1842, the United States declared the war to be over. After the war, the army did not maintain Fort Brooke well, and in October 1848, a hurricane leveled most of the buildings. The fort was then reduced in size, but it remained open and served again as a headquarters for Indian emigration, especially during the Third Seminole War (1855-1858).  During the Civil War, the Confederates occupied Fort Brooke. It only briefly saw combat in October 1863, when two Union ships bombarded it. Following this attack, the Union troops burned two boats, and a small inconclusive skirmish ensued. After this encounter, the Union troop left the area but returned and captured the fort and Tampa on May 6, 1864. For the four years after the conclusion of the War, the United States Army used Fort Brooke as a military base to control the Tampa area. They also leased part of it, including the pier, to James McKay, a cattle rancher. Conditions in the fort deteriorated, but in spite of this neglect, in 1877, troops stationed at Key West used the buildings to avoid a Yellow Fewer epidemic. The last roll call of soldiers occurred in 1882, and in 1883, the U.S. Army decommissioned Fort Brooke. About 20 soldiers buried in the adjacent cemetery were transferred to Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, and then the Federal Land Office opened the space covered by the fort to homestead applications.  In 1885, Fort Brooke was incorporated as a town, but it was annexed by Tampa twenty two years later. Today, there is nothing left of the fort, only two historical markers: one which locates the Officers’ Quarters and one which marks the cemetery. This cemetery was rediscovered in 1980 when the city built a parking garage at the location. The bodies of one hundred and two soldiers and civilians were moved to Oaklawn Cemetery, and forty-two Seminoles were returned to the Seminole tribe.

Fort Brooke was built at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, by Colonel George M. Brooke, in 1824. According to the American understanding of the terms of the Treaty of Moultrie Creek (1823), the Seminoles lost the right to stay in this area. The US Army established the fort to enforce this provision. Fort Brooke played a significant role in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). It was not only the December 1835 departure point for Major Dade’s command, whose ambush marked the beginning of the war, but it was also the principal port where Seminoles started their forced relocation to Oklahoma (the Trail of Tears). Fort Brooke played a role in the Third Seminole War but saw little action during the Civil War. The U.S. Army decommissioned the fort in 1883, and it was opened for homestead applications. Today, there is nothing left of the fort. In the 1980s, during the building of a parking garage in Tampa, the site was excavated leading to the discovery of artifacts and remains of US soldiers and Seminoles.

Fort Brooke 

<h4>The First Seminole War&nbsp; and American-Indian Relations Leading Up to the Dade Massacre</h4>
After the First Seminole War that took place because of the Seminoles giving shelter and protecting runaway slaves that became known as Black Seminoles. U.S. authorities wanted to get the runaway slaves back ked the Seminoles to give them back, but they refused and kept them safe. To show their disapproval, U.S. raided and destroyed garrisons that sheltered runaway slaves. To retaliate against the U.S. actions, the Seminoles raided U.S settlements on the Florida – Georgia border, starting the First Seminole War in 1817 and ended in 1818.&nbsp;On the morning of December 28th, 1835, Major Francis L. Dade gave a speech to 107 of his cold, tired men, saying, “Have a good heart; our difficulties and dangers are over now, and as soon as we arrive at Fort King you'll have three days to rest and keep Christmas gaily.” Major Dade and his men were marching from Fort Brooke in Tampa to Fort King near modern-day Ocala.&nbsp;The eventual tragedy that would overtake Dade and his men that day can be traced back to Andrew Jackson’s election to the US presidency in 1828 (though tensions between Florida tribes and settlers date back to Spanish colonization). Nevertheless, under Andrew Jackson American-Indian relations suffered greatly. First, there was Indian Removal Act of 1830, which&nbsp;proposed the removal of over 72,000 Indians who lived east of the Mississippi River. Although the Moultrie Creek Treaty of 1823 gave Florida Indians 20 years to emigrate, under orders by the US Government,&nbsp;a new treaty at Payne’s Landing in 1832 shortened this deadline to 1835.
On March 27th, 1835, Andrew Jackson sent the following address to assembled Florida Indian Chiefs:
<blockquote>“My children…The game has disappeared from your country," he wrote, "your people are poor and hungry…The tract you ceded will soon be surveyed and sold and immediately occupied by a white population…You have no right to stay…I have directed the commanding officer to remove you by force…Your friend A. Jackson.”</blockquote>
Throughout 1835, several small skirmishes erupted, furthering already disintegrating relations. Over several encounters, both militiamen and Native Americans dealt blows. Jackson and the US government remained over-confident of the Native Americans prowess in military matters. Jackson even claim that “he could take 50 women and whip every Indian that had ever crossed the Suwannee.” It was, in part, this overconfidence that led to Dade’s orders through potentially dangerous territory on December 28th, 1835. 
<h4>The Dade Massacre and the Second Seminole War</h4>
On the first day of the march from Fort Brooke to Fort King, Dade and his men were joined by Captain George Gardiner as well as a slave, Louis Pacheco, who could speak four languages fluently. Due to his linguistic skills, Pacheco was sent ahead of Dade’s army to scout.
After a few days of marching, Dade and his army made camp about four miles above the Little Ouithlacoochee river. On the morning of December 28th, a Seminole camp not too far away from Dade’s camp was full of excitement. Warriors danced to keep warm; Seminole leader Halpatter Tustenuggee (also know as “Alligator”) later reported that they had been “preparing for this for more than a year.”
While the Seminole’s prepared, the unsuspecting Major Dade failed to deploy flanking guards as normal. Sometime between 8:00 am and 10:00 am (there are various accounts of the attack), about 180 Seminoles hiding behind palm trees and palmettos ambushed the US soldiers in a coordinated volley. Many of the officers, including Major Dade, and half of the soldiers were killed. A haphazard defense was quickly set up, but it proved to be ineffective. Over the course of several hours, the Seminoles killed every man except for three.
Louis Pacheco later gave an account of the events:
<blockquote>“About 10 o'clock, while I was with the advance guard, Captain Frazer and I turned aside to examine an old gray horse we found by the road, and finding it worthless, had returned to the road, and had nearly overtaken the advance guard, when I heard a single rifle shot, and I looked back to see if someone was shooting game, but just in time to see Major Dade fall just in front of me, shot in the breast. Although this was perfectly open country, and I had just looked carefully for Indians ahead, the country was now filled with large numbers of them on our left, coming for us with the war-whoop; I immediately threw down my gun and laid down behind a tree, very much frightened. As I could speak the Seminole language, I begged each one for my life, as they leveled their guns at me, and they were not a few, telling them I was a slave and was doing what I was bidden, etc. Finally Jumper, the chief in command, interfered and ordered as well as he then could, that I should not be shot, but even after this, one Indian was determined to kill me, but fortunately another Indian got his rifle ball stuck in his gun and ran, when the other Indians seeing this one run, became frightened, and all ran, when Jumper again took me and put me under guard. The same Indian, though, still assured me that when he came back he would kill me yet, but, luckily for me, he was shot by the whites. The battle lasted from about 10 o'clock in the morning until nearly sunset.”</blockquote> The Second Seminole War took place with the Seminole Indians starting off strong at the beginning of the war by using surprise attacks and ambushing U.S. troops in the early years in the war. This was all thanks to the Seminole chief, Osceola. October, 1837 is when the tide of the war stated to change in the favor of the American soldiers. General Thomas Jesup captured the Osceola, heavily crippling the Seminole forces. After the significant amount of losses of the Seminole Indian warriors in the major battles at Lake Okeechobee and Loxachatchee River due to being outnumbered by U.S. troops, the war ceased in August 14, 1842 with thousands of Seminoles moving to Creek reservation in the west (Britannica). As stated before, the Dade’s Battlefield Historic State Park was the first battle in the Second Seminole War and was important to preserve the land to share the history behind the massacre.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<h4>Preservation and History of the Dade Massacre Site </h4>By 1897, there were&nbsp;attempts to preserve the site of the Dade Massacre and include it into the national park system. These earlier efforts proved unsuccessful until 1921, when the Florida state legislature appropriated funds to preserve the site as a memorial.&nbsp;A century after the massacre, in 1935, Lake County judge J.C.B. Koonce promoted the idea to celebrate the centennial with a ceremony. At first, the organizers planned a reenactment of the battle and invited Seminoles to join and formally sign a peace treaty with the US government. These plans eventually changed to include a picnic, a barbecue, and the full reenactment.&nbsp;
Today, visitors to the site can discover a museum on the site, a replica of breastworks, and a section of the Fort King Road, among many other amenities.&nbsp; 
<h4>Dade Battlefield Society Reenactments&nbsp;</h4>
One of the more popular events at the Dade Battlefield Historic Memorial is the annual reenactment of the massacre, sponsored and conducted by the Dade Battlefield Society. During the Saturday and Sunday reenactments, visitors can listen to survivor Private Ransom Clarke’s narration of the events while volunteers act out the events of the massacre. After “Taps,” the reenactors speak with the public about the event and how it altered the course of Florida history.&nbsp;

The Dade Battlefield Historic Memorial is the location of a massacre and skirmishes between the Seminoles and American troops after the Native American's resistance to leave the area and head to reservations. Tensions between the United States and the Seminoles began when the US acquired Florida from Spain in 1821. 

Three years later in 1824, under the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, the United States government decided to place Seminoles on a reservation. White settlers broke several elements of this treaty, including trespassing on public land in violation of the treaty as well as slave hunters trespassing on reservations looking for Black Seminoles without proof of ownership. Such actions led to the bloody Dade Massacre, when on December 28th, 1835, Seminoles attacked 107 US troops traveling the Fort King Road. All but three men were killed, including Major Francis L. Dade. The Massacre and the following Battle of Wahoo initiated the Second Seminole War. 

The site of the Dade Massacre would eventually be preserved as the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park. In 1973, Dade Battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1994, the National Park Service listed the park as a National Historic Landmark. Nowadays, the 80-acre Dade Battlefield Historic State Park offers hiking, playgrounds, and other amenities, including a Visitor Center 

Dade Battlefield State Park

The Second Seminole War started in 1835 and was set in motion by President Andrew Jackson's passing of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, giving the military power to forcibly remove Indians West of the Mississippi. Although this went against the previous treaty that had been formed after the First Seminole War, it was evident that neither side fully abided by the stipulations within that treaty. In the years that followed the Indian Removal Act, there were several attempts in diplomatically reaching out to the Seminoles but The Treaty of Fort Gibson that came from this work seemed to be a work of coercion and Seminole leaders denied having agreed to leave their lands. &nbsp;In 1834 General Thompson informed the Indians in Florida that the would be removed by military means after learning that they had no intention of leaving Florida. In response, Osceola emerged as a leader among the Seminoles and on December 28, 1835, more than 100 American soldiers were ambushed by Seminole forces and all but three were killed. This event was dubbed The Dade Massacre and marked the start of the Second Seminole War. On this same day, Osceola killed General Thompson. The Battle of Wahoo Swamp occurred on November 26th, 1836 when General Call's forces consisting of 2,500 regular troops and Tennessee militia marched on an encampment of approximately 600 Seminole Indians and African Americans who had joined with the Seminole in previous years. The Seminole fought ferociously during the onslaught and killed Major David Moniac during the fight. The Seminole's engaged the American forces from one side of a creek and due to this advantage in terrain were able to prevail and force the American Troops to retreat. General Call did not want his troops to be halted in the muddy creek nor did he have the provisions to continue the battle. In October of 1837, General Thomas Jesup set up a false peace negotiation in order to capture Osceola and dozens of his followers. The following December, General Taylor was able to lead a 1,000 men against a reported Seminole encampment at Lake Okeechobee. The devastating battle caused a Seminole withdraw. The final major battle of the war was in January of 1838 at the Battle of the Loxahatchee River. The remainder of the war consisted of small bands of Seminoles attempting to avoid being forced across the Mississippi River. The Second Seminole War officially ended in 1842.

The Battle of Wahoo Swamp occurred on November 21, 1836, during the Second Seminole War. This seven-year war was waged between the Seminole and Floridian settlers over control of central Florida. This particular battle was between General R.K. Call's army and several hundred Seminole Indians. The army was able to push the Seminole Indians south owing to superior firepower, but they were unable to pursue the Seminole Indians due to terrain and lack of supplies, thus forcing General Call to retreat. American forces suffered few casualties during the battle while it is unknown how many casualties the Seminole endured in the battle.

The Battle of Wahoo Swamp

** This entry is courtesy of the UCF/NCA Veterans Legacy Program and was authored by Holly Baker. Find the original entry <a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html" target="_blank">here</a>. <h2>David Moniac (December 25, 1802–November 21, 1836)</h2><h3>Early Life of David Moniac</h3>David Moniac was born in 1802 near Pinchona Creek in present-day Montgomery County, Alabama. Moniac’s family included several prominent Creek leaders. Moniac’s parents were Samuel Takkes-Hadjo Moniac, a tavern owner of Creek and Dutch ancestry, and Elizabeth Weatherford Moniac of Creek and Scottish ancestry. David Moniac’s mother Elizabeth was the sister of Creek leader William Weatherford, also known as Red Eagle, from the Upper Creek settlement of Tuskegee. Elizabeth and William’s mother was a Creek woman named Sehoy of the Creek Wind Clan.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt1" target="_blank">1</a> David’s uncle, Creek leader Alexander McGillivray, alongside other prominent Creeks, negotiated the 1790 Treaty of New York, a peace treaty signed by Creek leaders and US federal officials. The treaty included a secret provision that allowed for the education of four Creek youths paid for by the United States government. It is likely that the clause in the treaty permitted David Moniac’s entrance into the US Military Academy at West Point in New York at the age of fifteen years old. The 1819 Register of the Officers and Cadets of the US Military Academy , seen here, indicates that West Point admitted Moniac on September 18th, 1817.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt2" target="_blank">2</a> <h3>Military Service: West Point to Wahoo Swamp</h3>In 1817, David Moniac became the first Native American accepted into the US Military Academy.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt3" target="_blank">3</a> In 1820, a Swedish visitor to West Point, Axel Leonhard Klinkowström, observed Cadet David Moniac and described him with interest: “I was very surprised to find a young Indian, 16 years old, among the students. As I entered the classroom he was demonstrating and analyzing the relation between cosine, sine, and radius.”<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt4" target="_blank">4</a> Klinkowström added, “This youth is a descendant of the Creek nation; his name is Moniac. In all probability he does not intend to go into the service of the United States, but to return to his people in order to give them the benefit of his achieved knowledge.”<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt5" target="_blank">5</a> During Moniac’s time at West Point, he received his highest grades in conduct and discipline. In August of 1821, Moniac traveled with two hundred cadets who marched from West Point to Boston where the cadets performed military drills for audiences. One spectator was former president John Adams who hosted the cadets in his home in nearby Quincy, Massachusetts. Adams requested a meeting with David Moniac, but Moniac was “too bashful” to meet him.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt6" target="_blank">6</a> After graduating from West Point in 1822, David Moniac became Brevet Second Lieutenant in the Sixth United States Infantry. He courteously accepted his appointment in a letter.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt7" target="_blank">7</a> However, Moniac resigned from duty a few months later after receiving a letter from his uncle David Tate Moniac urging him to return home due to his father Samuel’s heavy drinking and his family’s financial troubles. Tate advised Moniac “to get home as quickly as you can conveniently do it, as your presence is very much wanted at home.”<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt8" target="_blank">8</a> Moniac’s letter of resignation, found here, soon followed.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt9" target="_blank">9</a> In 1828, Moniac married Mary Powell, a cousin of Billy Powell—also known as Chief Osceola, the Creek leader of the Seminoles.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt10" target="_blank">10</a> David and Mary’s son, David A. Moniac born in 1833, went on to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War. He later became the sheriff of Baldwin County, Alabama.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt11" target="_blank">11</a> In 1836, the US Government organized a unit of Creek soldiers from Alabama to suppress the Seminoles in Florida during the Second Seminole War.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt12" target="_blank">12</a> David Moniac volunteered for duty and soon became a captain. On September 20, 1836, the Creek volunteers boarded steamboats headed for Tampa Bay. The Creek soldiers, led by Moniac, joined the Army of R. K. Call, the governor of Florida. In October 1836, David Moniac was promoted to Major.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt13" target="_blank">13</a> David Moniac died on November 21, 1836 at the Battle of Wahoo Swamp in present-day Sumter County, Florida. During the battle, Seminole warriors shot and killed Moniac as he led his Creek militia through the swamp near the Withlacoochee River.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt14" target="_blank">14</a> Moniac is memorialized in Section MD, Grave 1 of <a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/popups/fnc.html" target="_blank">Florida National Cemetery</a> near Bushnell, Florida, on the edge of the Withlacoochee State Forest.<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt15" target="_blank">15</a> The inscription on David Moniac’s headstone, written by Major General T.S. Jesup, reads: “He was as brave and gallant a man as ever drew a sword or faced an enemy.”<a href="https://vlp.cah.ucf.edu/biographies/BMD-0-1-F.html#ftnt16" target="_blank">16</a> Moniac is believed to be buried at St. Augustine National Cemetery beneath the Dade Pyramids.

This is a memorial to David Moniac (December 1802 – November 21, 1836), the first Native American graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, who was killed in the Second Seminole War. A Creek with some Scots ancestry who was related to major Creek leaders on both sides of his family, Moniac was the first cadet to enter West Point from the new state of Alabama. Moniac resigned his commission in 1822 to manage his family property in Alabama, where he developed a cotton plantation. In 1836, during the Second Seminole War, Moniac was commissioned as a captain and selected to command a Creek volunteer cavalry unit, the only Native American among the officers. He was killed at the Battle of Wahoo Swamp. Moniac is believed to be buried at St. Augustine National Cemetery.

David Moniac Memorial at Florida National Cemetery

<div>This fort was constructed in 1827 to provide shelter for troops that were sent to the area to enforce the terms of the 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek. This treaty forced the&nbsp;Seminole to abandon their lands for a&nbsp;large reservation in Central Florida. The fort was built both to enforce the terms of the treaty and protect Seminoles from area settlers who often attempted to use or claim land that belonged to the tribe according to the treaty. The fort was not used after 1829 as the United States removed troops from the&nbsp;area and abandoned the fort. Fort King stood abandoned for three years until May of 1832, when Andrew Jackson called upon the Seminole leaders to come to Payne’s Landing on the Ocklawaha River. Jackson compelled tribal leaders to sign new treaty that "opened" more land in central Florida for use by American settlers. With the new treaty, the United States Army returned to&nbsp;Fort King in June 1832.&nbsp; During these years, soldiers at the fort were engaged in the process of Indian removal- the name given to the forced relocation of Native peoples&nbsp;west of the Mississippi River. After two years of forced removal, a young war Chief named Osceola traveled to Fort King and demanded that the United Stated Army leave the Seminole people in peace. After a year of tensions and skirmishes,&nbsp;two companies of US soldiers were dispatched from Fort Brooke in Tampa by Major Francis Dade to help reinforce the troops at Fort King. These men were ambushed and killed by a group of Seminoles under the command of&nbsp;Micanopy on December 28, 1835. On that same day, Osceola and his followers shot and killed six men outside of Fort King including Indian agent Wiley Thompson. These attacks and the attacks on Native people that provoked them led to the Second Seminole War from 1835 to 1842. During this conflict,&nbsp;Fort King would prove to be an important asset to the United States Army.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div> From being abandoned only a few years prior, Fort King became the most important fort in the region for the army during the Second Seminole war due to its location and size. By the end of the war, every major general and regiment to the United States Army had been stationed at the fort or passed through it. After suffering heavy casualties and with little chance of success against the determined Seminole without devoting even more troops and resources to the fight,&nbsp;the army withdrew their troops from Fort King in May of 1836. The fighting continued with the Seminoles for seven years that featured&nbsp;guerrilla warfare and atrocities on both sides.</div><div> Celebrating the retreat of US forces, the Seminole torched Fort King. However, the United States army sent even more troops in 1837 as well as the resources to rebuild the fort and continue on with the war. These troops were better equipped and had experience about the&nbsp;fighting styles of the Seminoles and the vulnerabilities of their communities. The army waged a relentless war of attrition against the tribe&nbsp;by sending infantry units out on “search and destroy” missions. Fort King would play supporting role in the rest of the Seminole wars but was not the scene of a battle. </div><div>The Second Seminole War saw the devastation for the Seminole population with most of its people being killed or relocated to Oklahoma. The small remaining population of Seminole in Florida took shelter in the Everglades due to its pearls they knew the United States army would not attempt to follow them there.&nbsp; Fort King was abandoned for the final time in 1842 and the property was turned over to the newly formed government of&nbsp;Marion County. Marion County would go on to use the fort as an official public building and operated as the county's first courthouse.&nbsp;In 1846, the town of&nbsp;Ocala was being constructed and lumber was needed for development, so the lumber used to build the fort was used to construct the first public buildings of the new town.&nbsp;</div>

Fort King was originally built in 1827 during the first of three wars between American settlers and area Seminole tribes. The fort was named in honor of Colonel William King, the commander of the Fourth Infantry who fought in the First Seminole war. The original fort was disassembled and used for supplies following the establishment of Marion County. Given the historical value of the location, a replica was built in its place. Residents and visitors can learn about the history of Florida in the early 19th century as they tour the site, which offers a variety of interpretive signs that offer context about the wars between settlers and area Seminole tribes. Visitors to the fort should be sure to note the importance of geography as the fort is positioned on high ground between the river and nearby wetlands.	

Early Second Seminole War Tour

Fort Foster

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information