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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable eyewitness account of the 2nd Seminole War.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Amidst a Storm of Bullets: The Diary of Lt. Henry Prince in Florida, 1836-1842 (Contribution (Seminole Wars Historic Foundation), No. 1.) (Hardcover)
Not since Dr. Motte's "Journey Into Wilderness" have we had such a valuable eyewitness account of the 2nd Seminole War. Lt. Henry Prince was in the 4th Artillery, and saw some of the major actions of the war. He was at Camp Izard with General Gaines in early 1836. Although we have plenty accounts of that action, Prince gives a lot of details that are not mentioned in other accouts, like Seminoles dressed in soldier uniforms to trick the soldiers. He also gives more details on Col Parish's shooting of Lt. Ward at Fort King, and gives a very different view than what is written in "The Army & Navy Chronicles." Prince is a West Point graduate and officer in the field, and has a very different perspective that Dr. Motte's "Journey Into Wilderness." The Prince diary came to us by an interesting set of circumstances. It was a loose collection of papers found in an attic trunk up north. The owners brought it down to the Dade Battlefield wondering if it was of any value. Unfortunately it took 20 years from that time until finally getting published. The sale of the diary to the Florida collection at the University of Florida was negotiated, and Prince's handwritten notes were transcribed and edited for publication. The published book includes Prince's interesting sketches as well. Prince's diary was invaluable for finding Powell's Town on the Withlacoochee River. (Osceola's hideout during the war.) An interesting archaeological survey was done and can be found in Brent Weisman's book, "Like Beads on a String." (Out of print, but found in many used book stores in Florida.) I would say the one of the big drawbacks of the diary is that it is left much as Prince wrote it. Although this captures the flavor of an officer scribbling notes in the field, even Laumer's footnotes will help little if the reader is unfamiliar with some of the military terms and abbreviations. Without knowledge of some of the duties and details of the Army, you may get confused. Also, Prince's handwriting must have been difficult to read, because of some confusion of names and words. There is a Col. Wanch mentioned, when it is most likely Col. Warren of the Florida Militia. But overall, Frank Laumer has done an invaluable service by making this available to researchers and historians of the Florida War. --Okahumpkee
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