Seminole Chief Osceola

Osceola (Black Drink), Seminole Indian chief; born on the Chattahoochee River, Ga., in 1804; was a half-breed, a son of Willis Powell, an Englishman and trader, by a Creek Indian woman. In 1808 his mother settled in Florida, and when he grew up he became by eminent ability the governing spirit of the Seminoles. In all their sports he was foremost, and was always independent and self-possessed. From the beginning Osceola opposed the removal of the Seminoles from Florida, and he led them in a war which began in 1835 and continued about seven years. Treacherously seized while under the protection of a flag of truce, Oct. 22, 1837, he was sent to Fort Moultrie, where he was prostrated by grief and wasted by a fever, and finally died, Jan. 30, 1838. A monument was erected to his memory near the main entrance gate of Fort Moultrie. His loss was a severe blow to the Seminoles, who continued the war feebly four or five years longer.