Metadata
Title
David E. Hale to Sarah Josepha Hale
Date
1830/1839-04-26
April 26, [1830s]
Subject
Hale, Sarah Josepha Buell, 1788-1879
Medium
Manuscripts
Language
eng
Type
text
Collection
Sarah Josepha Hale Collection, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Identifier
46-M-174
Rights
http://www.philaathenaeum.org/rights.html
Text
Fort Doane April 26th
My dear Mother -
We reached this place last night
having marched from Fort King in the morning, a
distance of 22 miles with about 800 men under
the command of Gen. Clinch. The Campaign is
finished for this spring and we shall not commence
operations till next November owing to the difficulty
of acting during the sickly and rainy season which
commences about the 1[st] or 10[th] of May. We have done nothing
or worse than nothing for I think that our want of
success must embolden the Indians to continue the war
and to attack the settlements here during the summer.
I wrote to you from Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, by the way
of New Orleans: As this letter may reach you first I
will give you a short account of what we have done since
we left this place a month since. We marched with a force
of horse, foot, & two six pounders of about 2000 [men?]. We
had 1800 [bayonets?] as the Adjutant informed me. Gen. [?] - Gen. Clinch
were both with us. We crossed the Withlacochee after marching
about 30 miles. Our rear guard was fired on at 10 o'clock at night
by about 50 Indians. We struck their trail next day, left our
baggage train under a guard of 300 men & made a forced march
through swamps & thickets (called [hummocks?]) till we came up with the
Indians at sunset. They were seen on the other side of an open
prairie. We camped that night within a mile of them and
marched against them next morning. The fired first a volley
of about 100 or 150 rifles. We pursued them till they swam the
river late in the afternoon. We lost 4 killed -11 wounded.
Much blood was found & two dead Indians, we must have
killed a number, but as their invariable practice is to carry off
their dead at any risk we could not tell how many they
lost. we then marched 20 miles on the sand to Tampa Bay &
left a force of 300 volunteers under Maj. Cooper with orders to
build a stockage and fight the Indians. He had 15 days
provisions. We reached Tampa after [8?] day's; march [?] which is 120 miles
from Fort Doane. We found Cool. Lindsay there with 900 men
who had been operating within about 40 miles around Tampa.
He had 4 killed & 16 wounded - had killed 20 Indians & a chief.
Gen. Eustis was also there with 700 horse - [900?] foot - he had
march from [St. Augustine?] through the Country without [DE: ?]
meeting but a small part of [30?] Indians - had lost about the same
number as we had (i.e. 4.k & 7.w.) and had done nothing but burn
a village & take some cattle & kill a chief and a few Indians. The whole army of more than
4000 [?] at Tampa was re-organganised & sent off on the 14 April.
Six hundred La. Volunteers south to Charlott's [Charlotte's] harbour, did nothing
[DE: ?] as [their?] Time was out went back to N. [Carolina?]. - Gen. Eustis will
[DE: ?] went south with Gen. [?] [DE: ?] [?] returned without
meeting the enemy to St. Augustine & Col. Lindsay went
on the road to Fort King reached the W. river & was met there
by [6th?] Army under Gen. Clinch six days since which had returned back on the road
we came & had relieved Maj. Cooper, who had been [stunned?] and
fought to his heart's content. He ha [had] 14 days fighting with about
200 Indians he had sallied out twice killed 6 for certain &
I have no doubt the the six pounder commanded by Lt Brooks
(a Boston boy) did great execution. After leaving Col. Lindsay
at the Withch. we went the same road passed over by Maj. Dade
& afterwards by Gen. [Gerines?] who buried those [DE: ?] who were massacred.
We saw their graves, the dead horses & [exam.?] the broken
carriage of the six pounder - but the gun itself which
was put at the head of the Officers' grave, had bee [been?] [carried] off
by the Indians. We picked up many caps shot through,
bullets, catridge [cartridge] boxes [etc?] relics of the bloody action. I saw
the [DE: spot] places where the different officers were found as they fell [ED: page torn]
was at the head of the column, was shot through the breast -
and was found alive & sitting against a tree at the end of
the first action by a sergeant who spoke to him. I have
been informed of many interesting particulars of the fight which
I have not room to mention. All the Officers & most of the men were
scalped & three men alone escaped whom I have seen.
When we arrived here we learnt that Gen. Clinch's plantation,
(or Fort Doane) had been attacked by the Indians - cattle & horses
& negroes carried off last night - McIntosh's plantation six
miles from here was burned & [?] bales of cotton $5000 dollars
worth of property. And this in the face of [?]00 men whom
They knew we were within a day's march. It shows their
boldness & discourages me completly [completely]; for I know that
it will cause a large force to be stationed in the [Interior?]
where it is sickly during the summer. Our regiment will
be stationed on the Sea. Coast at St. Augustine - Smyrna (healthy
stations).
Mr. D.E. Hale
in Florida
[ED: postmark]
CITY OF WASHINGTON
MAY
10
Mrs. S.J. Hale
Boston
Mass.
[Politeness?] of
Lt. Blair
I intend to serve my time in Florida till next Spring unless
I am put at a sickly post for I consider it my duty - &
could not get away if I wanted. No furloughs are to be granted.
Resignation are pouring in. Things may alter. I will write soon
The volunteers will be discharged in a short time, the regulars left
in Florida.
I will send $50 at the first safe opportunity if you wish it
D E Hale
My dear Mother -
We reached this place last night
having marched from Fort King in the morning, a
distance of 22 miles with about 800 men under
the command of Gen. Clinch. The Campaign is
finished for this spring and we shall not commence
operations till next November owing to the difficulty
of acting during the sickly and rainy season which
commences about the 1[st] or 10[th] of May. We have done nothing
or worse than nothing for I think that our want of
success must embolden the Indians to continue the war
and to attack the settlements here during the summer.
I wrote to you from Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, by the way
of New Orleans: As this letter may reach you first I
will give you a short account of what we have done since
we left this place a month since. We marched with a force
of horse, foot, & two six pounders of about 2000 [men?]. We
had 1800 [bayonets?] as the Adjutant informed me. Gen. [?] - Gen. Clinch
were both with us. We crossed the Withlacochee after marching
about 30 miles. Our rear guard was fired on at 10 o'clock at night
by about 50 Indians. We struck their trail next day, left our
baggage train under a guard of 300 men & made a forced march
through swamps & thickets (called [hummocks?]) till we came up with the
Indians at sunset. They were seen on the other side of an open
prairie. We camped that night within a mile of them and
marched against them next morning. The fired first a volley
of about 100 or 150 rifles. We pursued them till they swam the
river late in the afternoon. We lost 4 killed -11 wounded.
Much blood was found & two dead Indians, we must have
killed a number, but as their invariable practice is to carry off
their dead at any risk we could not tell how many they
lost. we then marched 20 miles on the sand to Tampa Bay &
left a force of 300 volunteers under Maj. Cooper with orders to
build a stockage and fight the Indians. He had 15 days
provisions. We reached Tampa after [8?] day's; march [?] which is 120 miles
from Fort Doane. We found Cool. Lindsay there with 900 men
who had been operating within about 40 miles around Tampa.
He had 4 killed & 16 wounded - had killed 20 Indians & a chief.
Gen. Eustis was also there with 700 horse - [900?] foot - he had
march from [St. Augustine?] through the Country without [DE: ?]
meeting but a small part of [30?] Indians - had lost about the same
number as we had (i.e. 4.k & 7.w.) and had done nothing but burn
a village & take some cattle & kill a chief and a few Indians. The whole army of more than
4000 [?] at Tampa was re-organganised & sent off on the 14 April.
Six hundred La. Volunteers south to Charlott's [Charlotte's] harbour, did nothing
[DE: ?] as [their?] Time was out went back to N. [Carolina?]. - Gen. Eustis will
[DE: ?] went south with Gen. [?] [DE: ?] [?] returned without
meeting the enemy to St. Augustine & Col. Lindsay went
on the road to Fort King reached the W. river & was met there
by [6th?] Army under Gen. Clinch six days since which had returned back on the road
we came & had relieved Maj. Cooper, who had been [stunned?] and
fought to his heart's content. He ha [had] 14 days fighting with about
200 Indians he had sallied out twice killed 6 for certain &
I have no doubt the the six pounder commanded by Lt Brooks
(a Boston boy) did great execution. After leaving Col. Lindsay
at the Withch. we went the same road passed over by Maj. Dade
& afterwards by Gen. [Gerines?] who buried those [DE: ?] who were massacred.
We saw their graves, the dead horses & [exam.?] the broken
carriage of the six pounder - but the gun itself which
was put at the head of the Officers' grave, had bee [been?] [carried] off
by the Indians. We picked up many caps shot through,
bullets, catridge [cartridge] boxes [etc?] relics of the bloody action. I saw
the [DE: spot] places where the different officers were found as they fell [ED: page torn]
was at the head of the column, was shot through the breast -
and was found alive & sitting against a tree at the end of
the first action by a sergeant who spoke to him. I have
been informed of many interesting particulars of the fight which
I have not room to mention. All the Officers & most of the men were
scalped & three men alone escaped whom I have seen.
When we arrived here we learnt that Gen. Clinch's plantation,
(or Fort Doane) had been attacked by the Indians - cattle & horses
& negroes carried off last night - McIntosh's plantation six
miles from here was burned & [?] bales of cotton $5000 dollars
worth of property. And this in the face of [?]00 men whom
They knew we were within a day's march. It shows their
boldness & discourages me completly [completely]; for I know that
it will cause a large force to be stationed in the [Interior?]
where it is sickly during the summer. Our regiment will
be stationed on the Sea. Coast at St. Augustine - Smyrna (healthy
stations).
Mr. D.E. Hale
in Florida
[ED: postmark]
CITY OF WASHINGTON
MAY
10
Mrs. S.J. Hale
Boston
Mass.
[Politeness?] of
Lt. Blair
I intend to serve my time in Florida till next Spring unless
I am put at a sickly post for I consider it my duty - &
could not get away if I wanted. No furloughs are to be granted.
Resignation are pouring in. Things may alter. I will write soon
The volunteers will be discharged in a short time, the regulars left
in Florida.
I will send $50 at the first safe opportunity if you wish it
D E Hale