ONEOFMANYFEATHERS'
Great Leaders, Warriors and People
Chief Osceola
"You have guns, and so have we. You have powder and lead, and so have we. You have men and so have we. Your men will fight and so will ours, till the last drop of the Seminole's blood has moistened the dust of his hunting ground." ~ Osceola, Seminole Chief, 1836 ~
There is little known about Osceola's early life. It is believed he was born in Alabama in 1804 to a Creek Indian mother. The only father Osceola knew was his stepfather, a Scotsman named Powell. As a child Osceola used the name Billy Powell but in later years he would sever those ties and claimed that "no foreign blood runs in my veins." When he was nine years old, Osceola and his mother were one of the many families displaced after the Creek War of 1813-1814. They moved from Alabama to Spanish-held Florida, homeland of the Seminole. The Seminole were one of the "Five Civilized Tribes" that included the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw. The Seminoles were made up of refugees from several southeastern tribes and runaway black slaves. The name Seminole comes from the mispronounced Spanish word "cimmarones" meaning wild. In 1823 some of the Seminoles agreed to live on lands in central Florida located along Okeechobee Lake. By the 1830's pressure from white settlers convinced the U.S. Government to attempt moving all Seminoles out west of the Mississippi River.
The word Osceola is a corrupted English pronunciation of the Seminole name for Black Drink Singer. During purification rites, a Seminole warrior drinks a black liquid brewed from the leaves of holly bushes. The word "Assin-ye-o-la" is the long, drawn-out cry that accompanied the ceremonial drinking. Osceola stood out as a strident defender of his people, viewed by whites as the strongest Seminole voice for resistance.
Starting in 1835, during the Second Seminole War, Osceola became known as a fierce fighter.
In October 1837, while negotiating under a white flag of truce, Osceola was taken prisoner. While Osceola's capture was cheered, there was also a public outcry at the methods that were used by the army. Osceola was imprisoned at St. Augustine within the walls of Fort Marion (today known as Castillo de San Marcos). In December 1837, Captain Pitcairn Morrison of the 4th U.S. Infantry moved Osceola and 202 other prisoners to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina.
The steamship Poinsett arrived with the Seminoles on Sullivan's Island on New Year's Day 1838, causing a sensation in Charleston's social circles. Contrary to popular myth, Osceola was not locked in a prison cell but housed in the Fort Moultrie Officers' Quarters. He was also permitted the privelege of "liberty within the walls" of the fort and received visits from the elite of Charleston society.
Osceola's imprisonment attracted national attention. The famous artist of Indian life, George Catlin, obtained a commission from the War Department to paint portraits of the Seminole leaders. On many evenings, Osceola talked with Catlin through an interpreter, about his people's ongoing struggle against removal from Florida. Catlin remembered Osceola as "a most extraordinary man...a cunning and restless spirit." Osceola enjoyed spending entire mornings posing for many artists.
By the end of January Osceola's health took a turn for the worse. Dr. Frederick Weedon, who came with the Seminoles from Florida, diagnosed the warrior's illness as a throat infection resulting from malaria. Near the end, Osceola would not allow further help from the white doctors and drew comfort from only his fellow Seminole healer/prophet. Unable to speak, Osceola used hand signs to summon his two wives and children, all his chiefs and the military officers. He was laying on the floor, dressed in his full war dress and then proceeded to paint half of his face, neck, wrists and the back of his hands red. Then he shook the hands of Dr. Weedon and all the officers. Finally he was laid back on his bed where he placed his knife across his chest.
Death found Osceola at 6:20 p.m. on January 30, 1838.
At the end of February, the Seminoles remaining at Fort Moultrie were taken to New Orleans where they began the journey to their new reservation. From 1835 to 1842 over 4,000 Seminoles were moved to Indian Territory which today is the state of Oklahoma.
Osceola's request that his bones be permitted to rest in peace was not honored. Though the reason why may never be known, Dr. Weedon removed Osceola's head prior to the burial. Scientific research appeared to be his motivation but it is interesting to know that the doctor's brother-in-law, General Wiley Thompson, was killed by Osceola. The doctor gave the head to his son-in-law who in turn presented it to Dr. Valentine Mott, the founder of the New York University Medical School. The head was displayed in the school's medical museum until 1866 when it was allegedly lost in a fire.
In 1966 evidence was found that someone had been digging at the gravesite. An archeological dig showed that the grave had not been disturbed. The investigation confirmed the story of Osceola's missing head but also raised another mystery. A second coffin was found at the site. It was the remains of an infant, perhaps a newborn. Some speculate that one of Osceola's wives miscarried over the trauma of her husband's death.
The lack of information on Osceola's life and the fact of his untimely death combined, make his story seem more legendary than real. Though much about Osceola's life will remain a mystery, his role as defender of his people is undeniable.
"They could not capture me except under a white flag. They cannot hold me except with a chain." ~ Osceola, Seminole Chief, 1838 ~
