Halleck Tustenuggee

Halleck Tustenuggee: The War Would Not End Until His Capture!

Halleck Tustenuggee on the St. Johns River by John T. Sprague

A Miccosukee leader worthy of note in the last half of the Second Seminole War was Halleck Tustenuggee. Called by the whites, "The most active and vindictive of the hostile chiefs." He was very similar to another famous Miccosukee, Coacoochee (Wildcat). Both were about the same age, born around 1807. Both were handsome and had pleasant features. The difference with Halleck Tustenuggee was that he showed no kindness or friendship towards the whites. It was believed that he had very close ties to Sam Jones (Arpeika or Abiaka), maybe even in the same clan (Panther Clan), but it is unknown if they were related. During the whole war, Sam Jones remained behind the scenes as the most influential anti-removal leader in Florida. Many of Sam Jones' followers are known to have joined up with Halleck Tustenuggee during the war. Being one of the toughest anti-removal chiefs, he killed his own sister by cutting her throat when she talked about surrender.

The first time we see much mention of Halleck Tustenuggee was at the Battle of Okeechobee on Christmas Day, 1837. He organized the warriors under Sam Jones and took over for the aged chief after the battle had started.

In May 1839, The Commanding General of the Army, Major General Alexander Macomb, visited Florida and negotiated a treaty with the remaining Indians in Florida. Halleck Tustenuggee was one of the two chiefs who signed this agreement, and it was believed that the war was over. But attacks by other bands of Indians in south Florida continued, and the cease-fire ended.

A year later Halleck Tustenuggee went on a bloody rampage in north Florida. We are not sure what caused this scourge, but a battle near Fort King may be the answer.

The Commander of Fort King, Captain Gabriel J. Rains, had lost many men to ambushes and skirmishes in the previous months. He decided to show surprise and cruel vengeance towards the Indians. The captain ordered booby traps of exploding shells placed in the vicinity of Fort King. Soon after, on the night of April 27, 1840, the soldiers in the fort heard a large explosion two miles away. The next day Captain Rains took 18 men to investigate. They found no bodies, but much blood and scraps of clothing that would have been worn by a Seminole or Miccosukee warrior. Then without warning, the troops were ambushed by a large body of warriors led by Halleck Tustenuggee. Four soldiers and three Indians were killed. Captain Rains and Halleck Tustenuggee were both severely wounded; Captain Rains so badly wounded that it took until next month to write a report of the battle. Both forces broke off and went their separate ways. The Army declared a victory (probably because they survived, but in reality they were almost wiped out) and Captain Rains was declared a hero and received a commendation for the battle. Captain Rains is also known as father of the anti-personnel land mine, which he successfully deployed during the Civil War. It is obvious that he was already testing his experiments out on the Florida Indians.

On May 19, 1840, Indians wiped out an Army patrol of 18 to 20 soldiers at the Battle of Bridgewater near Micanopy. The attack was blamed on Coacoochee, but it was probably Halleck Tustenuggee, because of the method of attack, and that he was known to be in the Marion-Alachua County area at the time. Also, Coacoochee is known to have attacked the landing at Picolata on the St. Johns River four days later, and that is at least 50 miles away, travelling on foot through a lot of swamp land. Although possible, it is doubtful that Coacoochee would have wanted to travel that far within a short time for another ambush.

In November 1840, General Walker Armistead negotiated near Fort King with Halleck Tustenuggee and Tigertail to try and get them to emigrate. Armistead offered a big bribe if they left Florida, but Halleck Tustenuggee used the talks to stock up on supplies, and then disappeared without a trace.

A bloody attack on 28 December 1840 on the Micanopy-Wacahoota road killed six people. (The battle of Martin's Point.) Halleck Tustenuggee and Coosa Tustenuggee led the attack, and the ferociousness of the attack disturbed Coosa Tustenuggee so much that he did not resist to agree to emigration when captured soon after.

In January 1841, there was an attack on Fort Walker in Alachua County where several people were killed. Next we see Halleck Tustenuggee harassing Fort Brooks on the Oklawaha River east of Fort King, where he led an unsuccessful attack on the fort and later attacked a supply train. Soldiers retaliated and attacked Halleck Tustenuggee's camp on the Oklawaha on July 16, 1841, but the Miccosukees escaped.

A council held between the Seminoles and Miccosukees in late June (probably at the annual Green Corn Dance) made the Indians agree to resist removal as much as they could. They would agree to no surrender and not listen to anyone who would come with such an offer. Any messenger of the Army, white, black, or even Seminole, who brought offers of surrender would be put to death. The Indians would keep organized for safety and send out daily patrols to watch troop movements.

On December 20, 1841, Halleck Tustenuggee's band attacked Mandarin Settlement on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville. The attack was so unexpected that settlers could do nothing but flee. Halleck's band was so bold that they stayed in the settlement drinking until the next day. The local white Floridians were much in fear after this attack.

The Army was on the chase to kill or capture the elusive chief. On January 25, 1842, a large detachment under the Second Infantry Regiment found and attacked Halleck Tustenuggee's camp near Dunn's Lake (today Crescent Lake.) The Miccosukees escaped, with the Army in pursuit. What was amazing about this was that the camp had remained very close to Palatka without being noticed. The Army pursued Halleck Tustenuggee across Lake George until they disappeared on the southwest shore. This must have been a pretty long chase, knowing how big Lake George is.

Colonel Worth started a campaign to find and capture Halleck Tustenuggee. A village on Lake Panasoffkee was believed to be where he held his stomp dances, and the soldiers were hoping for a quick victory. Soldiers stormed the village one morning to surprise the Miccosukees, but found it deserted. They found themselves marching waist deep in cold water and mud instead.

Finally on April 19, 1842, Colonel Worth found Halleck Tustenuggee's village at Peliklakaha Hammock, southwest of Lake Ahapopka. (Probably near what is today Clermont in Lake County.) After a heavy battle, the Army forces captured the Miccosukee village with all belongings, but the Indians escaped. This was the last battle of the Second Seminole War.

The father-in-law of Halleck Tustenuggee was captured following the battle, and Colonel Worth used him to invite the chief to come into Camp Wandell (named after a soldier who died at the recent battle) near Lake Panasoffkee for talks. Halleck Tustenuggee's people were staved and naked, and the chief even requested a shirt to wear before he could attend the talks. This time the chief brought with him his wife and two sons, aged ten and twelve, which was a sign that he intended to talk seriously about removal. His two sons were very frightened of Colonel Worth, having never seen a soldier up close before. The family moved to Fort Wacasassa to await further word. When Colonel Worth noted later at Fort King that the chief was up to his old tricks of talking, gathering supplies, and then disappearing, Worth captured the chief and his family in separate actions.

Halleck Tustenuggee was prisoner with his people on Cedar Key, and was finally removed from Florida in July 1842. He would briefly return to Florida to negotiate with Billy Bowlegs in 1850. During the Civil War, we hear about Halleck Tustenuggee again, as he led the Seminoles in battles out west.

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