ALLIGATOR
Alligator
(ca. 1795–December 26, 1861)
Seminole War Chief
A
lthough physically diminutive, Alliga-
tor loomed large as one of the crafti-
est, most respected warriors of
Florida’s Second Seminole War. He eventually
viewed resistance as futile, accepted deporta-
tion, and became a vocal proponent for better
treatment of his people.
Alligator (Halpatter Tustenuggee) was
born probably in southern Alabama around
1795 as part of the larger Creek Indian nation.
Under increasing pressure from white set-
tlers, many Creek families, and a number of
runaway slaves, migrated to Florida to form a
new tribe, the Seminoles. It is not known ex-
actly when Alligator’s family made the exo-
dus, but by 1835 he had risen to prominence
among his people on account of his fierceness
in battle and overall shrewdness. Accordingly,
he served as principal war chief of the
Alachua band under Chief Micanopyand also
advised the Mikasuki band in similar matters.
White Indian agents and military officers who
dealt with Alligator commented upon his
short stature, easygoing manner, and obvious
intelligence. Conversant in English, the chief
was almost always present during important
consultations with whites and proved quite
popular with them.
After the War of 1812 and a punitive expe-
dition by Gen. Andrew Jackson in 1818, fric-
tion started mounting between Seminoles and
whites living in Florida. The tempo of events
accelerated in 1835, following the Treaty of
Payne’s Landing, which stipulated the re-
moval of Seminoles from Florida and their re-
location to reservations out in the Arkansas
Territory (now Oklahoma). In January 1833,
by dint of his tribal standing, Alligator was
among those Seminoles dispatched to exam-
ine the new lands, but he returned unim-
pressed. Vocal dissatisfaction increased along
with tribal determination to forcibly resist re-
location, even at the risk of war. Events cli-
maxed following another treaty in April 1835,
which reaffirmed the U.S. government’s
stated intent to remove the Indians from
Florida, one way or another. When the cele-
brated Osceolakilled a Seminole chief sym-
pathetic to removal on December 28, 1835, Al-
ligator and Micanopy commenced fighting the
Second Seminole War. On that very same day
he led 180 warriors who expertly ambushed
an American convoy of 108 men under Maj.
Francis L. Dade marching from Fort Brooke
to Fort King. Only three soldiers survived the
ensuing massacre. Three days later, on De-
cember 31, Alligator joined forces with Osce-
ola to oppose a new force commanded by
Gen. Duncan L. Clinch. As the Americans
attempted to cross the Withlacoochee River
in driblets, the Seminoles massed on the river-
bank and resisted fiercely. After heavy fight-
ing and considerable losses, both sides with-
drew. Thereafter, the Second Seminole War
was punctuated by hit-and-run activities by
the Indians, with vengeful columns of soldiers
and militia following in their wake.
Despite the odds, the Seminoles could suc-
cessfully conduct pitched battles. On Febru-
ary 27, 1836, Alligator, commanding upward
of 1,000 warriors, managed to pin a like num-
ber of Americans under Gen. Edmund P.
Gaines in a bend of the Withlacoochee River.
For several days he closely besieged the de-
fenders, inflicting considerable losses, but the
Indians were finally driven back by a relief
column. The Seminoles under Alligator and
Wildcatthen resumed their guerrilla tactics
until December 1837, when a large force
under Col. Zachary Taylor confronted them at
Lake Okeechobee. As always, Alligator skill-
fully held the center line, but the relentless
American onslaught forced them to withdraw.
By now the Seminoles suffered from expo-
sure and lack of food, and Chief Micanopy
was induced to surrender on December 3,