1835’s Deadly December: The Story of the Dade Massacre
Last Christmas, we reflected on the Battle of Okeechobee, a powerful example of the Seminole’s fight for survival on Christmas Day 1837. This year, we’re stepping back two years earlier to December 28, 1835. The Dade Battle of 1835 would stoke the flames of the Second Seminole War. It was also part of one of the bloodiest and costliest military campaigns during Indian Removal and in history.
The bloody battle, which was extensively written about in newspapers and letters of the time, was a resounding Seminole success. It also was the culmination of mounting pressures on the Seminoles, desperate to signal their unyielding resistance to removal. Today, join us to look back on this historic battle, why it happened, and the heartbreaking cost of survival during Indian Removal.
In our featured image you can see a postcard depicting the “The Dade Massacre” by Ken Hughs. The 1974 postcard is based on an original oil by Ken Hughs, held by the Historical Association of Southern Florida. (2014.6.2, ATTK Museum)
Mounting Pressure
Prior to the Dade Battle of 1835, Seminoles were under incredible pressure to cave to the demands of the United States to surrender to relocation. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act would give the United States the teeth it needed to actively campaign for removal and eradication. The Treaty of Payne’s Landing in 1832 would result in some bowing to this pressure.
If you recall from a previous blog post Fuche Luste Hadjo, the leader of Chocochatti at the time, was one of these leaders. Those in the Upper Creek/Seminole settlement distinctly remembered the painful beginning of the long war, when the Creek War shattered their communities and families. In an effort to escape the violence, Fuche Luste Hadjo and a few others were removed from Florida.
But most Seminole leaders continued their active resistance to removal. Amidst the organized military campaigns against them – Seminoles also contended with pioneer settlers. Often, the U.S. Army would offer bounties on Seminoles even during the so-called “peaceful” periods. Pioneers would be financially compensated for capturing or even killing Seminoles. On the flip side, Seminoles also had no legal recourse to protect themselves. All of these factors together would together result in the outbreak of war and force the Seminole onto the offensive.
Below, you can see a historic map of the Florida peninsula given to the Clewiston Museum by Claudia Wilson. She was a nurse in the Clewiston area who worked for the Seminole Tribe during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Featured on the map are a number of historic sites, including the Dade Battlefield, (1835), Okeechobee Battlefield Site (1837), Ft. Brooke, Ft. King, and Ft. Marion. (2018.21.753, ATTK Museum).
The Battle of Black Point
Although the Dade Battle is the “official” mark of the start of the Second Seminole War, this designation again points to the reductive narrative of many accepted histories of the Seminole War period. As we have mentioned many times in the past, for the Seminole the entire wartime period was one long war. Just 10 days before the Dade Battle a group of 80 Seminoles attacked a Florida militia supply train outside Gainesville. There were 14 white casualties, either killed or wounded.
The Battle of Black Point, as it became known, was a coordinated attack organized by Osceola, Halpatter Tustenuggee (Alligator), and other prominent Seminole leaders. They planned for over a year to pull off the attack. It was part of a larger “strategy involved raiding settlements for food and cattle and launching targeted strikes against federal forces.” These precious resources were not easy to acquire for Seminoles during wartime.
Although a new militia had quickly responded to the attack, Seminoles were known for their guerilla warfare tactics. They quickly vanished into the landscape. This, along with the Dade Battle and Osceola’s attack on Wiley Thompson were meticulously planned to maximize the Seminole survival. Outmanned and with limited resources, the Seminole leaders utilized their knowledge of the landscape, traditional knowledge, and intelligence to craft their resistance.
The Dade Battle of 1835
The Dade Battle of 1835 was one part of the coordinated Seminole attacks on U.S. forces, as devised by Seminole leaders. With mounting pressures from soldiers, militias, and pioneers alike the Seminole felt an offensive show of resistance was the only recourse. Thus, they crafted an intricate strategy of ambushes and raids aimed at disrupting supplies and reinforcements to U.S. soldiers.
The Dade Battle, like the Battle of Black Point only 10 days before, has been planned down to the detail for over a year. On December 23, 1835, Major Francis Langhorne Dade and two companies of men left Fort Brooke to travel to Fort King on a resupply mission. Although he was expecting the Seminole to attack, Dade miscalculated the location. He expected to be ambushed in the more open river crossings to the south, and once through these barriers he grew complacent in his confidence.
What he did not expect was the Seminole to attack in the pinelands, with his contingent five days into marching and almost near their destination. Seminole scouts had tracked their entire journey. Initially, they had intended to wait for Osceola to join them, with the leaders arguing to wait for him or to not lose their advantage.
Osceola was preoccupied at the time; Seminoles led by Osceola would attack Fort King the same day, to assassinate Indian Agent Wiley Thompson. He succeeded. Twenty-five miles to the south, the other leaders decided to no longer wait for his return. Concealed by the palmettos and pinelands a group of 180 Seminoles would attack Dade’s soldiers. They killed all but three of the over 100. Dade, on horseback, was brought down by the very first shot, by Chief Micanopy himself in a pre-planned start to the battle.
Halpatter Tustenuggee’s Account (Alligator)
There is a rare Seminole account of the Dade Battle, corroborated by one of the few surviving soldiers. Halpatter Tustenuggee, along with Osceola and other leaders, was one of those who devised and implemented the Seminole strategy of guerilla warfare and crafted their plan.
“We had been preparing for this more than a year… Just as the day was breaking, we moved out of the swamp into the pine-barren. I counted, by direction of Jumper, one hundred and eighty warriors. Upon approaching the road, each man chose his position on the west side… About nine o’clock in the morning the command approached… So soon as all the soldiers were opposite… Jumper gave the whoop, Micanopy fired the first rifle, the signal agreed upon, when every Indian arose and fired, which laid upon the ground, dead, more than half the white men. The cannon was discharged several times, but the men who loaded it were shot down as soon as the smoke cleared away… As we were returning to the swamp supposing all were dead, an Indian came up and said the white men were building a fort of logs. Jumper and myself, with ten warriors, returned. As we approached, we saw six men behind two logs placed one above another, with the cannon a short distance off… We soon came near, as the balls went over us. They had guns, but no powder, we looked in the boxes afterwards and found they were empty. The firing had ceased, and all was quiet when we returned to the swamp about noon.”
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park
Today, the site of the Dade Battle operates as a Historic State Park just outside of Bushnell, FL. It was established in 1921 to preserve and protect the battlefield, as well as to offer educational resources. The on-site visitor center offers a small museum with artifacts, interpretive materials, and exhibits related to the Seminole war period. It also features an award-winning 12-minute video about the battle, “This Land, These Men.” Visitors can hike the park and see a variety of flora and fauna. There are also regular events, with educational programs and community events scheduled throughout the year.
Each January the park, along with the Dade Battlefield Society, hosts a Battle Reenactment, attracting over 2,000 visitors. Next year’s reenactment weekend is being held January 4th and 5th, 2025. More than 100 reenactors portraying both soldiers and Seminoles will convene on the actual battlefield to reenact the pivotal battle. On both days, visitors can expect period soldier and Seminole camps, historic arts and crafts, tree cutting and barricade building, full-scale cannon firing, games and activities for children, and on-site vendors. Tickets are $5 per person, with children 6 and under free. Parking is $3.
The War Today
The war period is an incredibly traumatizing and painful part of Seminole history, one that reverberates through to today. It is important to recognize and acknowledge the Seminole perspective in this history, and not just those highlighted in history books. The factors that led to the Seminole wars were numerous, but at its core it was the active campaign of the United States against Indigenous peoples of the Southeast.
To resist removal, death, and extinction the Seminole fought against an enemy that most likely felt unending. Fresh U.S. soldiers were readily available, while the Seminole were fighting shoulder to shoulder with their loved ones. There were no reinforcements, no rest, and no recourse. By the ‘end’ of the Second Seminole War in 1842 more than 3,000 Seminoles were killed or abducted. That remaining thousand would be whittled down to mere hundreds by the final end of the wars in 1858. As we look back at history, it is important to center those who sacrificed, suffered, and survived. Today the Seminole Tribe of Florida is the legacy of those from before, building on their sacrifices to thrive.
Author Bio
Originally from Washington state, Deanna Butler received her BA in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Washington in 2014. Deanna moved to Florida in 2016. Soon, she began working for the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office. Deanna was the THPO’s Archaeological Collections Assistant from 2017-2021. While at the THPO, Deanna worked to preserve, support, and process the Tribe’s archaeological collection. She often wrote the popular Artifact of the Month series and worked on many community and educational outreach programs. She lives in Lakeland, FL with her husband, two sons, and dog.
