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Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII No. 6 June 1848 By: Various |
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GRAHAM'S MAGAZINE. VOL. XXXII. PHILADELPHIA, JUNE, 1848. NO. 6. CAPTAIN SAMUEL WALKER. BY FAYETTE ROBINSON. [WITH AN ENGRAVING.]
Time and opportunity make men and high talent in any profession or
sphere of life is valueless unless called into action. This is
strikingly exemplified in the career of the person with whom we now
have to do. Samuel Walker was born in the county of Prince George, Maryland, in
the year 1815. His family, though respectable, had neither fortune nor
influence sufficient to advance his interests; and at an early age he
was thrown on the world, dependent for success only on his own
exertions. Educated to no profession or business, the chances of his
drawing a prize in the lottery of life seemed small indeed, yet it is
probable no man of his grade in the service has, since the
commencement of the Mexican war, attracted more attention. Of the
early career of Walker we know little except that in 1840 he was one
of the party of less than twenty men selected by Col. Harney, from the
strength of the 2d Dragoons, to penetrate the great Payhaokee or
everglades of Florida. The history of this expedition is peculiar. After the battle of Okeechobee the might of the Seminoles was broken,
and they took refuge in the chain of lakes and immense hamacs which
extend almost from Cape Florida to the Suwannee River. Divided into
small parties, they defied the pursuit of heavy columns, yet
frequently left their fastnesses to commit the most fearful
atrocities. During the winter of 1839 and 40 they had been peculiarly
bold, and had ventured even to attack, under the guns of Fort
Micanopy, a party of mounted infantry which was escorting the young
and beautiful wife of an officer of the 7th Infantry to a neighboring
post. This party, with the exception of two or three persons, was
destroyed. It became evident that no operations could lead to a good
result unless the Indians were pursued to their own retreats, and
treated as they had themselves conducted the war. Col. Harney, who was
in command of one of the departments of Florida, immediately organized
an expedition for the purpose of entering the great everglade south
of the Lake Okeechobee, in which the Seminoles were supposed to be in
much strength. The country in which he was about to act seemed to be
the realization of the poetic chaos. It was overgrown with trees of
immense size, of kinds almost unknown in other portions of the
peninsula, and grass of great highth and strength rose two or three
feet above the surface of the water, which not unfrequently had a
depth of several feet. Notwithstanding, however, that this was the
general character of the country there were often portages , or shoal
and dry places, over which it was necessary to carry their boats by
main force. In this kind of country the Indians had the manifest
advantage, being acquainted with sinuous pathways, which, it is said,
enabled them to thread all the intricacies of the hamac almost without
wetting the moccason. The party of Col. Harney, however, were picked
men, inured to all the hardships of Indian warfare, and after several
days of hide and seek, surprised a party of Indians, among whom was a
chief of distinction. As this identical party had more than once
surrendered and broken truce, Colonel Harney ordered all the men to be
hung summarily, and took the women with him to the nearest post as
prisoners. So important was this service that the names of all the
party were mentioned in general orders, and the enlisted men advanced
in grade. The effect on the Indians was great; large parties came in
and surrendered, and they remained almost quiet until their last
attempt was crushed by Gen. Worth in the brilliant affair of
Pilaklakaha, April 17, 1842. Previous to this time, young Walker had been discharged from the
service, by reason of the expiration of his enlistment, and with some
funds he had amassed while in the army, proceeded at once to Texas,
then embroiled with the abrasions of the great Camanche race and the
minor tribes strewn along her northern frontier... Continue reading book >>
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Essay/Short nonfiction |
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