Osceola's Death  
After his treacherous capture, Osceola's death only added to his legend. Across the country, Americans mourned his passing. The
Niles National Register included a memorable eulogy:
"[T]here is something in his character not unworthy of the respect of the world. From a vagabond child he became the master spirit of a long and desperate war
.... Bold and decisive in action, deadly but consistent in hatred .... Such was Osceola
...."
[more]
For a nation with deep ambivalence toward Indian Removal, Osceola became a symbol of the noble savage fighting for his land.
Briefly, a genuine Osceola fad seized the country. Before running its course, twenty-two towns, two lakes, two mountains, a state park and a national forest would bear the chief's name.
  
Sources:
Walton 170, Mahon 218.
©
Part 2, War: l |
