The Dade battle triggered the Second Seminole War, the costliest and longest of the U.S.-Seminole conflicts, lasting until 1842.
Key Facts
- U.S. soldiers in column
- 103 men under Major Francis L. Dade
- Seminole warriors
- approximately 180
- U.S. survivors
- 3 soldiers and guide Louis Pacheco
- Date of battle
- December 28, 1835
- Second Seminole War ended
- 1842
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Under the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Treaty of Payne's Landing, the U.S. government sought to force the Seminoles to relocate from Florida to Indian Territory. The Seminoles resisted removal, creating mounting tensions as U.S. troops moved to enforce the policy.
On December 28, 1835, approximately 180 Seminole and Black Seminole warriors ambushed two U.S. Army companies of 103 men commanded by Major Francis L. Dade as they marched from Fort Brooke on Tampa Bay toward Fort King in Ocala. Nearly all U.S. soldiers were killed, with only three surviving the initial attack.
The battle sparked the Second Seminole War, which lasted until 1842 and ended without a formal treaty. Most Seminoles were eventually captured and transported out of Florida, while a small number retreated into central Florida and the Everglades, where their descendants remained.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Major Francis L. Dade.
Side B
1 belligerent