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Swamp Sailors: Riverine Warfare In The Everglades, 1835-1842
"Buker’s research and narrative of the Navy’s offensive operations in the Everglades in cooperation with the Army, Marines, and Revenue Service are excellent. . . . Required reading for all American military and naval historians."--Florida Historical Quarterly
"Read about the beginnings [of riverine warfare] here . . . in Swamp Sailors. It is excellent."— Valor and Arms
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to the Second Seminole War, fought by the United States to evict the Seminoles from the Florida Territory. When the last surviving Seminoles sought refuge in the Everglades and resorted to guerrilla-style tactics, however, the U.S. Navy found its standard strategies of guerre de course and gunboat coastal defense useless.
For the first time in its history, the American Navy was forced to operate in a nonmaritime environment. In Swamp Sailors, George Buker describes how Navy junior officers outshone their commanders, proving themselves less resistant to change and more ready to implement novel strategies, including joint combat operations and maneuvers designed specifically for a riverine environment.
By 1842, when the Second Seminole War was halted, Lt. John McLaughlin’s "Mosquito Fleet" exemplified the Navy’s new expertise by making use of canoes and flat-bottomed boats and by putting together small, specially trained joint combat teams of Army and Navy personnel for sustained land-sea operations.
Originally published in 1975 and now in paperback for the first time, Buker’s Swamp Sailors is the story of the U.S. Navy’s coming of age, sure to be of interest to military history enthusiasts, to students of Florida history, and to armchair sailors everywhere.
George E. Buker, formerly a commissioned naval aviation commander, is professor emeritus of history at Jacksonville University and author of Sun, Sand, and Water: A History of the Jacksonville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Jacksonville: Riverport-Seaport; and Blockaders, Refugees, and Contrabands: Civil War on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
"Read about the beginnings [of riverine warfare] here . . . in Swamp Sailors. It is excellent."— Valor and Arms
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to the Second Seminole War, fought by the United States to evict the Seminoles from the Florida Territory. When the last surviving Seminoles sought refuge in the Everglades and resorted to guerrilla-style tactics, however, the U.S. Navy found its standard strategies of guerre de course and gunboat coastal defense useless.
For the first time in its history, the American Navy was forced to operate in a nonmaritime environment. In Swamp Sailors, George Buker describes how Navy junior officers outshone their commanders, proving themselves less resistant to change and more ready to implement novel strategies, including joint combat operations and maneuvers designed specifically for a riverine environment.
By 1842, when the Second Seminole War was halted, Lt. John McLaughlin’s "Mosquito Fleet" exemplified the Navy’s new expertise by making use of canoes and flat-bottomed boats and by putting together small, specially trained joint combat teams of Army and Navy personnel for sustained land-sea operations.
Originally published in 1975 and now in paperback for the first time, Buker’s Swamp Sailors is the story of the U.S. Navy’s coming of age, sure to be of interest to military history enthusiasts, to students of Florida history, and to armchair sailors everywhere.
George E. Buker, formerly a commissioned naval aviation commander, is professor emeritus of history at Jacksonville University and author of Sun, Sand, and Water: A History of the Jacksonville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Jacksonville: Riverport-Seaport; and Blockaders, Refugees, and Contrabands: Civil War on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
- GenresHistory
152 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 27, 2022
Swamp Sailors is really a history of naval operations in the Second Seminole War, which evolved by necessity from traditional blockade duties into what would be recognized in the 20th century as riverine warfare. These operations included the US Army, Navy, Marines, and Revenue Marine (a predecessor to the Coast Guard). This book grew out of the author's college thesis work, which also produced an article for Florida Historical Quarterly. Of particular note are Levin Powell's 1837-1838 operations and later 1840-1842 operations that ultimately raided deep into the Everglades proper. A repeated theme is the military's difficulty adapting to the environment and realities of warfare against the Seminoles, especially in South Florida. There were also issues with interservice rivalries.
The details of the military operations are clearly well-researched from primary documents, and footnoted accordingly. There are some maps throughout the book which I found difficult to read at the size printed and some artwork which didn't seem to print very sharply. The author also stumbles several times on tangential issues, such as referring to John Whalton as keeper of the Carysfort Reef Lighthouse (which did not yet exist) then a few pages later correctly as being captain of the Carysfort Reef Lightship. This is a short book, but not a fast read as the the writing is only okay. It reads like it was published by a university press (which it was).
Buker tries to draw some parallels between riverine warfare in 19th century Florida and 20th century Vietnam, but by his own admission there was no real evolution of riverine doctrine and tactics during the intervening 120+ years. Thus the parallels seem more an example of lost opportunity than any anything significant.
To my knowledge, this book remains a significant work on an notable aspect of the Seminole Wars and thus is probably a must-read for people interested in that subject. Those with an interest in the Vietnam War or general military history will probably some novelty in it as well (riverine warfare is not common, and the author clearly distinguishes it from the better known amphibious warfare). It's focused on military doctrine and strategy so I don't expect it to appeal to a wider audience, even those with a general interest in Florida history.
The details of the military operations are clearly well-researched from primary documents, and footnoted accordingly. There are some maps throughout the book which I found difficult to read at the size printed and some artwork which didn't seem to print very sharply. The author also stumbles several times on tangential issues, such as referring to John Whalton as keeper of the Carysfort Reef Lighthouse (which did not yet exist) then a few pages later correctly as being captain of the Carysfort Reef Lightship. This is a short book, but not a fast read as the the writing is only okay. It reads like it was published by a university press (which it was).
Buker tries to draw some parallels between riverine warfare in 19th century Florida and 20th century Vietnam, but by his own admission there was no real evolution of riverine doctrine and tactics during the intervening 120+ years. Thus the parallels seem more an example of lost opportunity than any anything significant.
To my knowledge, this book remains a significant work on an notable aspect of the Seminole Wars and thus is probably a must-read for people interested in that subject. Those with an interest in the Vietnam War or general military history will probably some novelty in it as well (riverine warfare is not common, and the author clearly distinguishes it from the better known amphibious warfare). It's focused on military doctrine and strategy so I don't expect it to appeal to a wider audience, even those with a general interest in Florida history.
July 15, 2014
A good quality study of the involvement of the Navy during the Seminole Wars. Not an engaging narrative, but highly informative.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews