Prosperity

While officers and lawmakers debated the war, their former adversary enjoyed his new role as a peacemaker and interpreter. For John Horse, this was a period of comparative prosperity. The sole image of him that may have been drawn from life comes from this time. The engraving shows a handsome guide decked out in Seminole tunic, leggings, jewelry, and headdress. Called "Gopher John" by the soldiers, he was universally recognized for his good humor, diplomacy, and above all, excellence in the frontier skills of hunting, shooting, tracking, and cooking. Legends of the Negro scout persisted in U.S. Army lore as late as 1873.