The word \u201cSeminole\u201d is derived from the Muscogean word\u00a0siman\u00f3-li<\/em>, or \u201crunaway,\u201d reflecting a common heritage, as Upper Creeks from Alabama, Lower Creeks from Georgia, other affiliated tribes and escaped African slaves all sought sanctuary in Spanish Florida. There they mixed with one another, adapted to their surroundings, traded with Britain, Spain and the United States and came to be collectively recognized as one of the Five Civilized Tribes (along with the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Creek\/Muscogee) of the American Southeast. Not civilized enough for some, apparently, for when the United States acquired Florida in 1821, it began herding the Seminoles, through a succession of treaties, to progressively smaller and less desirable parts of the state. Ultimately, in 1834 federal officials set Jan. 1, 1836, as a deadline for removal of the Seminoles<\/a> from Florida to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). When a 110-man detachment of the 4th U.S.\u00a0<\/sup>Infantry under Brevet Maj. Francis L. Dade set out for Fort King to oversee that final removal, however, it was ambushed by 180 Seminoles led by Halpatter Tustenuggee (Alligator) on Dec. 28, 1835. The ensuing slaughter of all but two of Dade\u2019s men marked the\u00a0beginning of the longest campaign fought between the U.S. Army and American Indians, a mix\u00a0of pitched battles and guerrilla warfare.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Seminole Warrior versus U.S. Soldier: Second Seminole War, 1835\u2013<\/em>42 (No. 61 in Osprey\u2019s\u00a0Combat<\/em>\u00a0series) military historian Ron Field compares the tactics, arms, equipment and fighting techniques used by both sides. In addition to what whites termed the \u201cDade massacre,\u201d re-examined here through a more impartial lens, Field relates two other major engagements\u2014at Lake Okeechobee, on Christmas Day 1837, and the second of back-to-back clashes at the Loxahatchee River, on Jan. 24, 1838.\u00a0<\/p>\n Set in what might be more appropriately called the \u201cWild South,\u201d the Second Seminole War was something of a learning process for both sides. Several notable future U.S. Army figures had their first taste of Indian warfare and, for that matter, their first combat experience during the\u00a0conflict, lessons they would\u00a0apply during the Mexican War. The Seminoles likewise developed guerrilla tactics they would employ as scouts during the Army\u2019s later run-ins with other tribes on the Great Plains. Backed by Osprey\u2019s usual fine array of illustrations and maps,\u00a0Seminole Warrior versus U.S. Soldier\u00a0<\/em>offers\u00a0Wild West\u00a0<\/em>readers a peek at the dress rehearsal for Indian campaigns to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n Second Seminole War, 1835\u201342<\/p>\n By Ron Field, Osprey Publishing, 2022<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.historynet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/91xdazMwZL._SL1500_-1-753x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nSeminole Warrior vs. U.S. Soldier<\/h2>\n