the river, they would
remain on their own side of it, and not commit any more ravages. This
was, in fact, nothing but the original proposal of the Indians, that
they should remain upon the land which had been assigned to them by the
treaty of Camp Moultrie. The reply of General Gaines was, that he was
not authorised to make a treaty with them; their arms must be given up,
and they must remain on the other side of the river, until the American
Government sent them away west of the Mississippi. While this
negotiation was pending, General Clinch arrived with the succour and
reinforcements, much to the joy of the American troops, who were half
starved. General Gaines, who had heard that General Scott had been
appointed to the command in Florida, now resigned that authority to
General Clarke, and on the 11th, the troops arrived at Fort Drane. It
hardly need be observed, that the treating with the Indians ended in
nothing. General Scott having assumed the command, arrived at Fort
Drane on the 13th March 1836. He had had previously to contend with
heavy rains and almost impracticable roads, and was encumbered with a
heavy baggage train; his whole force amounted to nearly 5,000 men. This
he divided into a centre and two wings, with a view to scour the whole
country, and force the Indians from their retreats; but in vain. The
Indians being on the flanks of each division, occasional skirmishes took
place; but when the troops arrived to where the Indians were supposed to
be, not a man was to be seen, nor could they discover the retreat of
their families. Occasionally the Indians attacked the outposts with
great vigour, and were bravely repulsed; but the whole army, of 5,000
men, did not kill and capture more than twenty Indians. As far as I can
judge, nothing could be better than the arrangements of General Scott,
but the nature of the country, to which the Indians had retreated,
rendered it almost impossible for troops to act. The swamps extended
over a great surface of ground; here and there was an island on which
the Indians could remain; while to attack them, the troops would have to
wade up to their necks for miles, and as soon as they arrived the
Indians were gone.

It is not my intention to follow up all the details of the petty warfare
which has continued to the present time. General Scott resigned the
command, and was succeeded by General Jessopp. On the 20th October
1837, after nearly a year's skirmishing,