Dade's Last Command - Hardcover

Laumer, Frank

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813013240 ISBN 13: 9780813013244

Publisher: University Press of Florida, 1995

Synopsis

Dade's Battle in December 1835 precipitated the Second Seminole War. It was the first American war fought over the issue of slavery and it occurred principally because of white determination to protect the institution. This is an account of the battle.

About this title

Review

"The definitive account of the march and annihilation of Major Francis Dade's column of 108 men in December 1835.... Extensive knowledge of the soldiers, the Seminoles, and the terrain is woven into the text. There does not exist a more vivid, but at the same time historically accurate account of a single action in U.S. military literature." - From the Foreword by John K. Mahon "Combing letters, diaries, newspapers, and government documents, Laumer provides us with excellent biographical sketches of both the Seminole leaders and their white adversaries. His painstaking research and vivid writing allows us to enter and recreate the world of the Seminoles, officers, and enlisted men." - Georgia Historical Quarterly "Frank Laumer, with the persistence of lead prosecutor, continued to follow the trails provided in his first book, determined to find the whole truth of the story of Dade's Last Command. And now, with this book we have the rest of the story." - Florida Historical Quarterly"

From the Back Cover

Dade's Battle in December 1835 precipitated the Second Seminole War. It was the first American war fought over the issue of slavery, Frank Laumer writes, and it occurred principally because of white determination to protect the institution. In their search for runaway slaves, white citizens of Georgia and Florida invaded Seminole land and were met with resistance; violent encounters followed that led to Dade's Battle. As a result, Laumer says, the escape hatch was closed, Native Americans were removed from the land, and Florida was made "safe" for white expansion. Coupling thirty years of research with a passion to understand the fate of Dade's command and the motivations of the Seminoles, Laumer has written a vivid account of the battle that changed Florida's history. After walking the Fort King Road (the route followed by Dade) from Tampa to the battlefield north of the Withlacoochee River - in the complete woolen uniform of an enlisted man, carrying musket, canteen, pack, bayonet, and haversack - he can describe not only the clothing and weapons of the soldiers but also the tension and fear they surely felt as they marched through Seminole territory. He also assesses the position of the Seminoles, sympathizing with the choices faced by their leaders. Laumer also describes the backgrounds of the soldiers who marched under Dade and discusses the role of the much-maligned black interpreter Louis Pacheco, and he offers new insights on the mistakes made by the commanders who ordered the march. More than the account of a single military action, Dade's Last Command is the story of good and decent men "who died violent and terrible deaths to perpetuate a political and social evil".

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813013240
• ISBN 13: 9780813013244
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 312