Betrayal

The turning point came on April 8. Under pressure from local and national politicians, Jesup entered into a secret agreement with Coa Hadjo, one of the chiefs friendly to the Americans. On behalf of the tribe, Coa Hadjo agreed to turn over all "captured Negroes" and return them to whites. In theory, this only included blacks who had escaped to the Seminoles during the war. In practice, the distinction was almost impossible to enforce -- nor was it popular with the militant allies.