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U.S. Marines searching for the Indians during the Seminole War.
The Battle of Wahoo Swamp occurred during the Second Seminole War. An army of militia, Tennessee volunteers, Creek mercenaries and U.S. regulars led by Florida Governor, General Richard K. Call, encountered Seminole forces led by chiefs Osuchee and Yaholooche in Wahoo Swamp. Call waited to bring the other column across the river, then entered the Wahoo Swamp on November 21. The Seminoles resisted the advance in the Battle of Wahoo Swamp, as their families were close by, but had to retreat across a stream. Major David Moniac, a mix-blooded Creek who was the first Native American to graduate from West Point, tried to determine how deep the stream was, but was shot and killed by the Seminoles. Faced with trying to cross a stream of unknown depth under hostile fire, and with supplies again running short, Call withdrew and led his men to Volusia. On December 9 Call was relieved of command and replaced by Maj. Gen. Thomas Jesup, who took the troops back to Fort Brooke. The enlistments of the volunteers were up at the end of December and they went home. Call's army gradually pushed the Seminoles back through the swampy marsh. The Seminoles retreated south by nightfall and Call chose not to pursue due to difficult terrain.
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