1840 Martin Van Buren - Hunting Indians with Bloodhounds

In 1840, America under President Martin van Buren was engaged in a bloody and lengthy battle with the Seminole Indians who refused to leave Florida after signing the Treaty of Paynes Landing. In 1835 as the realization that the Seminoles were resisting relocation sank in, Florida began preparing for war. 11 companies or 550 U.S. Soldiers were stationed in Florida. On December 28th, the Seminole ambushed two of these companies under the command of Major Francis L. Dade en route to Fort King. Of the 110 men, only three of the men survived. This became known as the Dad Massacre.

President van Buren knew he was in for a difficult struggle and that new tactics would be required to capture and subdue the Seminole Indians. So in 1840, the Army decided to use bloodhounds to track the Seminole. Initial trials of the hounds had mixed results, but fearing that the dogs would be used to attack the Seminoles including women and children, the public unleashed an outcry that forced the dogs to be muzzled. In the end, the "wily' Seminoles were able to evade the dogs by traveling via waterways.   In his 1840 address to congress, the president explained that his Generals had done all they could do, and that the failure to end the war can be "attributed to causes beyond the control of the Government."

"Experienced generals have had the command of the troops, officers and soldiers have alike distinguished themselves for their activity, patience, and enduring courage, the army has been constantly furnished with supplies of every description, and we must look for the causes which have so long procrastinated the issue of the contest in the vast extent of the theater of hostilities, the almost insurmountable obstacles presented by the nature of the country, the climate, and the wily character of the savages."

Shown in the picture above is depicting General Taylor on horseback presiding over a scene of devastation and carnage. Soldiers aided by bloodhounds relentlessly pursue retreating Seminoles, including a multitude of women and children who flee in panic to the left.

References

Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2021. Fourth Annual Message | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: <https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/fourth-annual-message-4> [Accessed 11 May 2021].

En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Second Seminole War - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Seminole_War> [Accessed 11 May 2021].