Fort Shannon - Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Fort Shannon - Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Indian Removal Act provoked many Seminole Indians and their allies to revolt against being forcibly relocated from their lands and homes in the Florida Territory to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. After the Dade Massacre on December 28, 1835, the Second Seminole War was escalated with armed skirmishes and guerilla warfare. Early in the Second Seminole War, the strategically located town of Palatka, Florida Territory was attacked and burned by a group of Seminole Indians and their allies. Most surviving white settlers and black slaves fled to St. Augustine for safety, and the area was mostly abandoned except for free roaming groups of Seminole Indians and their allies. Realizing the importance of a militarily protected and efficient supply line along the St. Johns River General Walker Keith Armistead ordered the main depot moved from Garey's Ferry on Black Creek to Palatka where the U.S. Army built Fort Shannon. Mahon, John K. History of the Second Seminole War. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press. 1967. pp. 263, 279, 282.Andrews, Mark. Mosquito Roarers militia saw action in battles of Second Seminole War. Orlando Sentinel. July 21, 1996. p. K2.Andrews, Mark. Forts Played Role in Florida History. Orlando Sentinel. August 11, 1991. pp. K1, K4. Read more on Wikipedia
Source: en.wikipedia.org