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A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel 15/340

The Early Beginnings: The Period Before United States Acquisition

children were killed. On December 16, General Gaines was given
permission to cross into Florida and on December 26, Andrew
Jackson was placed in charge. By early January Jackson had
prepared a force of some 3,500 of which 2,000 were Creek warriors
while the rest were regular army and Georgia and Tennessee
militia.
Jackson crossed into Florida on March 10, moving down the
Apalachicola. On March 16, he built Fort Gadsden on Prospect
Bluff and moved on to St. Marks. By early April he had marched
eastward to the Suwannee dispersing Indians in his path. It was on
this expedition that Jackson captured two British subjects Robert
Ambrister and Alexander Arbuthnot. Ambrister, a young British
army officer was captured at Suwannee Oldtown. Jackson was
convinced the two were responsible for encouraging the Seminoles
in the border attacks, and had them court martialed and executed.
Both the British and Spanish governments protested Jackson’s
actions, but it gave additional evidence to Spain that Florida could
not be maintained. Treaty negotiations with Spain finally resulted
in the cession of Florida with ratification by the U.S. Senate taking
place on February 21, 1821.
Jackson’s incursion caused additional movements of the
Seminoles in Florida. The Mikasukis moved into the area of
Greenville in Madison County while the Red Sticks located in the
area of Tampa Bay. The Alachua group moved south some one
hundred and twenty miles where their principal town became
Okihumpky in Lake County.23 Seminole power was weakened on
the eve of American acquisition of Florida, but the issues were not
resolved.
Shortly after American acquisition of Florida, the Seminoles
were induced to accept a reservation in peninsular Florida south of
the area regarded as most suitable for white settlement. This was

“Mahon, History of the Second Seminole War, pp. 25-26.
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