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| Volume XXV, Number 2 | February 6, 2004 |
By Nery Mejicano
BIG CYPRESS — Under a rainy and cloudy sky, surrounded by cypress trees and swamps, and after a fast and furious battle, a band of Seminoles defeated a well armed company of the U.S. Army, along with some irregular volunteer troops.
Under the smoke of loud cannon vollies and the smell of black powder, the crowd watched as a skillful and brave troop of Seminoles fought to defend their land and defeated the invading army.
This battle was part of the 6th Annual Kisimmee Slough Shootout & Rendevous held at the Big Cypress Reservation on Jan. 30 – Feb. 1.The rain did not dampen the spirit of the participants and visitors and the crowd enjoyed the food, crafts and activities offered by this annual event.
The Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Chairman Mitchell Cypress and the President Moses Osceola, welcomed the visitors to this historic re-creation. Billie Cypress, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum Executive Director narrated the action at the battle site. Brian Zepeda, who organized and planned this event, also participated in this colorful re-creation.
According to Cypress, this battle is based not on one particular fight between Seminoles and government troops, but is a depiction of the struggles of resistance of natives against the government policies of removal and aggression during much of the last half of the 19th century.
In 1845, Florida became the 27th state, and Congress gave Florida full rights to the state rivers and lands. This legislation was designed to take the land given to the natives in 1838 and exile all the Seminoles to Oklahoma.
In early December 1855, Lieutenant George L. Hartsuff, a topographical engineer, along with six mounted men, two foot soldiers and two wagons drawn by mules, entered Big Cypress country in what he described as “an exploratory mission.”
On his second day, he came across several “deserted” Seminole villages, and entered Billie Bowlegs Town. Not seeing any of the village residents around, the soldiers cut some banana bunches from plants near the chikees and destroyed crops belonging to Bowlegs.
This act of disregard for native land and property infuriated the Indians, who on Dec. 20, 1855, surrounded and attacked Lt. Hartsuifs troops, killing four soldiers and wounding four others, including Hartsuff. After this brief battle, the Seminoles retreated to the safety of the Big Cypress swamps. Soon after this incident, the third Seminole war started.
The re-creation of the Kissimmee Slough Shootout gives visitors an appreciation for the dangers that both sides faced during these bloody encounters, where men faced each other at close quarters and in an environment that provided safety for the defenders and nightmares for the aggressors.
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