Battle of Lake Okeechobee
North-east shore of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, USA
What happened
US troops under Colonel Zachary Taylor fought Seminole warriors led by Alligator, Wild Cat, Abiaka and Billy Bowlegs. In the Second Seminole War, the United States was trying to force the Seminole people to leave Florida. The Seminoles fired from prepared positions and held off the soldiers long enough to escape across the lake by canoe.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The Seminoles achieved their aim of escaping, and Taylor's advance into South Florida stopped. Taylor withdrew more than 100 miles to Tampa Bay.
What came next
The war went on until 1842. Some Seminole leaders, including Billy Bowlegs, never left Florida until the 1850s.
Did you know?
Years later, Billy Bowlegs saw a portrait of Taylor in the US Capitol and reportedly said, 'Me whip!' ('I beat him!').
Timeline
- 1832The Treaty of Payne's Landing calls for Seminole removal.
- 25 December 1837The Battle of Lake Okeechobee.
- 14 August 1842The Second Seminole War ends.
- 1858Billy Bowlegs agrees to move to Indian Territory.
- 2000The battle site is listed as endangered.