History of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842 [Paperback]

John K. Mahon (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 391 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida; 1st edition (March 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813010977
• ISBN-13: 978-0813010977
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive treatment of a war that America wanted to forget., February 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: History of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842 (Paperback)

This superb book will fascinate anyone with a love for American history. The Second Seminole War is almost unknown today, but it was a major conflict in our country's history before the Civil War. The conflict cost more in lives and money than all the famed Indian wars of the western plains, and a number of celebrated American officers (Zachary Taylor, Edmund Gaines, Winfield Scott) cut their teeth in the conflict. They also often failed spectacularly, as Mahon demonstrates. He superbly treats the military strategy of the war, painting a big picture while weaving a skillful narrative which will interest military historians and novices alike. As Mahon shows, the 2nd Seminole War was our country's least successful military engagement of the century -- in fact, the least successful until Vietnam. Readers today will be surprised to learn of the stirring protests that Americans leveled against the war in the 1830s and 40s. We are conditioned to think that American history is one long series of evil white men raping and pillaging innocent blacks and Indians. Mahon's book vividly depicts a few events that conform to this vision of our past, but the book shows how much more complex the 19th century truly was -- how complex was the political situation of the Seminoles, and how Americans of the time expressed widespread dissent, anger, and anguish over the way that the country chose to deal with them. Amazingly, the US officer corps charged with fighting the war was itself in the vanguard of the protest movement agains the conflict. This is a slice of the American past that people rarely see. Readers will also be fascinated to learn more about the "Seminole Negroes," today known as Black Seminoles -- African and slave allies of the Indians, who played a central role in the conflict. The only shortcoming of Mahon's book is its occasional paucity of detail on this group, but readers can usefully complement the book with Kenneth Wiggins Porter's fascinating history of the Black Seminoles. The 2nd Seminole War deserves renewed historical attention. Scholars and general readers alike will find their attention well rewarded by Mahon's excellent history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten Florida History, August 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: History of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842 (Paperback)

The book should be part of all Native Floridians recommeded reading. The history of our state is more than tourist and palm trees. Before there was a wild west there was an wild and undeveloped area called Florida. This book is for those interested in history and the people that lived in the area.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "must have" title of the Second Seminole War, February 14, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: History of the Second Seminole War, 1835-1842 (Paperback)

Mahon's work is simply timeless. It is the best overview, with some detail, of the Second Seminole conflict. There is sufficient detail for the history buff, while giving the novice a great foundation for further reading (Dade's Last Battle comes to mind). I did not find the reading difficult at all, and have re-read the book several times. If you want one title for this period of history, or if you are starting a collection, this is one title you "must have"