The Free and the Dead
The Untold Story of the Black Seminole Chief, the Indigenous Rebel, and America's Forgotten War
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
The page-turning and revelatory true story of America’s disastrous 1835 attack on the Seminoles in pre-statehood Florida, and the two men—a Black American and a renowned Indigenous warrior—who fought back for their homes and freedom, from the author of the “eye-opening marvel of a book” (Alexander Rose, New York Times bestselling author) 12 Seconds of Silence.
From 1817 to 1858, a series of conflicts known as the Seminole Wars took place between the United States and the tribes of Florida as they battled for the land.
Within this unconquered territory, formerly enslaved mothers and fathers and Seminole families had lived side by side for generations, building communities in the interior, beyond the reach of the growing United States. But in 1835, the young country took up arms against them, seeking to forcibly remove all Indigenous people and return their allies to slavery. In the face of this terror, tribes and bands came together across racial lines to preserve their freedom from federal interference. As the fight waged on, two men—Abraham, a free Black American, and the esteemed Creek warrior Osceola—worked together to save their lands and their people, against overwhelming odds, from America’s formidable Army of the South.
A powerful and vivid exploration of an overlooked revolt and historical alliances between Afro-descendant families and Indigenous tribes, The Free and the Dead is a timeless work of history that sits alongside Empire of the Summer Moon and The Demon of Unrest.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this lively revisitation of the Seminole Wars, journalist and historian Holmes (12 Seconds of Silence) highlights the fortitude and clever military tactics of the rebels. The 1835 standoff between the Seminole tribes under Chief Micanopy and the U.S. government under President Andrew Jackson was precipitated by U.S. acquisition of Florida from Spain in 1821. Southern Americans rushed in to violently claim lands and expand slavery. When Jackson became president in 1829, he demanded the Seminoles relocate to Oklahoma; when some Seminoles refused, he sent the Army to forcibly remove them. Micanopy and his close "Fellowhood" of advisers, including a free Black American known as Abraham and the famous Creek warrior Osceola, were among those who encouraged the Seminoles to stay and fight. Abraham, Micanopy's "sense bearer," a position akin to prime minister or privy counselor, was able to move through both the Indigenous and white worlds, and frequently reconnoitered in the latter. Meanwhile Osceola led guerilla forces in lightning-quick attacks that then melted away into Florida's inhospitable swamplands and nearly impenetrable interior. Holmes also spotlights the American military officers who led the invasion, and whose racist underestimation of their opponents, particularly because many were Black, led to the "costliest" conflict of the Indian Wars. Fast-paced and action-packed, it's a riveting look at courage and military prowess displayed in the face of insurmountable odds.
