Jesup's Proclamation

Though the peace plan for the Indians was rejected, Jesup decided to pursue an even more audacious policy toward the blacks. Okeechobee had deepened his belief that the war would persist so long as the militant black warriors continued to fight. He therefore concluded that they had to be removed from the region, especially before their ties to the Indians became even stronger. As he warned the Secretary of War:

"The two races, the Negro and the Indian, are rapidly approximating; they are identified in interests and feelings …. Should the Indians remain in this territory, the Negroes among them will form a rallying point for runaway Negroes from the adjacent states."