Florida's Seminole Wars1817-1858 (FL) (Making of America) [Paperback]

Joe Knetsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2003

Among the most well known of Florida's native peoples, the Seminole Indians frustrated troops of militia and volunteer soldiers for decades during the first half of the nineteenth century in the ongoing struggle to keep hold of their ancestral lands. While careers and reputations of American military and political leaders were made and destroyed in the mosquito-infested swamps of Florida's interior, the Seminoles and their allies, including the Miccosukee tribe and many escaped slaves, managed to wage war on their own terms. The study of guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the Seminoles may have aided modern American forces fighting in Viet Nam, Cambodia, and other regions. Years before the first shots of the Civil War were fired, Florida witnessed a clash of wills and ways that prompted three wars unlike any others in America's history, although many of the same policies and mistakes were made in the Indian wars west of the Mississippi.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author and historian Joe Knetsch is a member of the American Historical Association, the Florida Historical Society, the Society of Florida Archivists, and many other organizations. Culled from the National Archives and the Florida Archives, images include contemporary maps, sketches, paintings, and battle plans. In this new history, Dr. Knetsch pairs historic images with a comprehensive narrative to provide readers with an evocative tale of this dark and tumultuous period in Florida's past.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (May 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738524247
• ISBN-13: 978-0738524245
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,795,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent book, poor price, December 20, 2003

By 

Darryl R. Smith (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Florida's Seminole Wars1817-1858 (FL) (Making of America) (Paperback)

This title covers the history of all three of Florida's Seminole Wars in average detail. Illustrated with period artwork, the format is somewhat similar to an Osprey publication, without the color plates. Because the book touches upon all three of the wars, the detail given to each is sorely lacking. This is more of a cursory examination of the Seminole troubles, more suited to the neophyte than the buff. Mahon's Second Seminole War is still the best title for that conflict, and there are other titles that cover the First Seminole War (Heidler and Heidler's Old Hickory's War comes to mind).

If the book was not so pricey, it would be a good introduction to the Seminole issue. However, at it's current price tag one is better trying to find it used.