End of an Era

By the mid-1850s, the Mexican authorities in Santa Rosa were favorably impressed by the Seminoles and Black Seminoles, reporting that they were “industrious, warlike and desirous of education and religious instruction for their families.”

But the traditional African-Seminole alliance was under strain. The blacks had been quicker than their Indian allies to establish themselves as farmers and ranchers. Coacoochee and his immediate followers, in contrast, relied more heavily for income on the plunder and government rewards they could earn as border guards. In 1853, the Indians led their second expedition without black support. Maroons remained at home to protect the settlement at Nacimiento.