Second Seminole War and the Limits of American Aggression

Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4214-3634-0
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 500 g

A major study of a costly and influential Jacksonian-era war.

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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Monaco, C S

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Amerikanische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
1. Treaties and Reservations
2. Seminoles, Slaves, and Maroons
Part II
3. "It Came with the Suddenness of the Whirlwind"
4. The United States Responds
5. "Sacrifice of National Honor"
6. The Last Pitched Battles
7. "Never-Ending, Still-Beginning War"
Part III
8. Malarial Sword and Shield
9. Land of Darkness and Shadows
Part IV
10. Osceola as Settler-Colonial Icon
11. Bloodhounds, Abolitionists, and Freedom Fighters
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Monaco, C S
C. S. Monaco is a courtesy professor of history at the University of Florida. He is the author of Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer and The Rise of Modern Jewish Politics: Extraordinary Movement.