Fort Christmas Sign (see inscription on right) and one of the corner towers in 2003.

FORT CHRISTMAS

As  white settlers moved into Florida in the 1820's and 1830's there were growing demands that the Seminole Indians be removed to a reservation west of the Mississippi. Efforts to convince the Seminoles to move failed, and in 1835 the conflict know as the Second Seminole War began in earnest. Late in 1837, Maj. Gen Thomas S. Jessup, overall commander in Florida, began intensive preparations to carry the fighting to south Florida, where he believed he would find a large force of hostile Indians. These preparations included opening a road on the west side of the St. Johns River and building along the road several posts to serve as depots for operations to the south. On December 25, 1837, troops under the command of Brig. Gen Abraham Eustis established Fort Christmas on the north side of a creek a short distance from here. General Jesup himself led the column south from Fort Christmas early in January. By late January Jesup's troops were receiving their supplies by water from the St. Lucie River, and in March Fort Christmas was abandoned. While this simple wooden fortification was short-lived, it gave its name to the town of Christmas, a short distance south of here.

The fort that stands today dates from the Bicentennial year 1976 when Orange County built the recreated fort a mile south of the original location. Few of the forts built during the Seminole Indian Wars have survived to the present day, and the Fort Christmas recreation is one of the few that show what living conditions were like in the 1830's. The Fort Christmas Site includes not only the fort, but several real "Cracker" homes that were transported to the site from local farms.

Fort Christmas is located in East Orange County on Fort Christmas road just a short distance north of State Road 50.

CENTRAL FLORIDA and the SEMINOLE INDIAN WARS

During the Second Seminole War, the area that today is Orange County was opened up to settlement by the different military roads. Fort Gatlin, Fort Maitland, Fort Christmas and Fort McNeil were located within the modern boundaries of Orange County.

Fort Gatlin was located on Lake Gatlin, just a couple miles directly south of modern downtown Orlando. It was named for Dr. John Gatlin, who was killed in the Dade Massacre of 1835.

Fort Maitland was located near the center of the city of Maitland. It was named for Captain William Seton Maitland, who was wounded in the Battle of Wahoo Swamp.

Fort McNeil was located south of Fort Christmas near the shore of the St. Johns River in what is today Tosohatchee State Preserve. It was named for 2nd Lt. John Winfield Scott McNeil, nephew of President Franklin Pierce. McNeil died in battle with Indians near Dunlawton.

None of these forts saw any battles.

In January 1837 there was a major battle on Hatchee-Lustee Creek (Muskogee for "Black Creek"), which is today Reedy Creek, today in southwest Orange County and northwest Osceola County. A combined force under General Jesup of Army and Marines attacked a large village and captured or drove off the inhabitants.

The interior of Fort Christmas in 2003.

The First Seminole Indian War (1817-1818)

Trouble erupted in 1817 when American Army crossed the Florida border (which was still territory of Spain) to arrest a Seminole chief. Soon after, General Andrew Jackson crossed the border with troops. The Army burned Seminole villages and captured the Spanish towns of St. Marks and Pensacola.

Spain ceded Florida to the United States in 1819. Many Americans wanting to settle the state took the opportunity to do so. The Seminole agreed to move onto a reservation in the state's center but it wasn't enough and within a few years open hostilities flared between settlers and Seminole.

On May 28, 1830, the settlers got the backing they wanted from the U.S. government. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act at President Andrew Jackson's urging. The Indian Removal Act gave the government the authority to remove all the Five Civilized Tribes east of the Mississippi to the Indian Territory in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The bill specified that the consent of the Indians had to be obtained and compensation dispersed to the tribes, but those Indians who did not go peacefully were forced to go.

Four of the Five Civilized Tribes (Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Cherokee) had been forced to leave their lands by 1837. The Seminole, however, were a different case.

The Second Seminole Indian War (1835-1842)

The Seminole resistance to removal brought about the Second Seminole War. It began on December 28, 1835, when a column of 108 soldiers led by Major Dade was massacred by Seminole warriors at the Dade Battle in Sumter County near present-day Brooksville. Four days later, Osceola, the Seminole leader and 250 men attacked a column of 750 men under General Duncan Clinch in the Battle of Withlacoochee in Citrus County. Osceola and his men were victorious and promised to fight the white invaders "till the last drop of Seminole blood has moistened the dust of my hunting ground."

General Jesup, under the guise of peace negotiations, managed to capture Osceola and many of his men. Osceola soon died in prison as he was already weakened by a serious bout of malaria. Nineteen of his fellow prisoners we able to escape from prison.

Battle after battle took place. While either side could not claim ultimate victory, the Army was able to capture many of the Seminoles - especially women and children - and sent them to the Indian Territory. Only about 500 Seminole were able to successfully hide in the Everglades and swamps of south Florida. The Second Seminole War, which slogged on until 1842, cost the United States the lives of over 1,500 men and over $20 million. It is unknown how many Seminole died. The Second Seminole Indian War was, by far, the most extensive American war against and Indian tribe.

The Third Seminole Indian War (1855-1858)

War broke out again in 1855 when in Collier County Chief Billy Bowlegs attacked a military survey party. The Third Seminole War lasted until 1858 When Chief Billy Bowlegs and 122 other Seminole surrendered and were transported to the Indian Territory. Those Seminole who were not captured continued living in the Everglades. Soon after the end of the Third Seminole Indian War, the Civil War began and the issue of the Seminole in Florida was forgotten.