The Mosquito Roarers were a

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

consisting of residents working in or near many of the sugar plantations of coastal

Mosquito County Mosquito County (also labeled on maps as Musquito County) is the historic name of an early county that once comprised most of the eastern part of Florida. Its land included all of present-day Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, ...

, from present-day Hillsborourgh County to

Volusia County Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an incr ...

. Called into service during the Fall of 1835, the militia became Company B of the Florida militia. They were involved in battles against the

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...

people.

History

The regiment's commanding officer was Major Benjamin Putnam and companies were commanded by Lt. Douglas Dummett, the son of a local

Halifax River The Halifax River is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, located in northeast Volusia County, Florida. The waterway was originally known as the North Mosquito River, but was renamed after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (for whom ...

plantation owner, James Ormond II, whose family

Ormond Beach, Florida Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...

is named for, and Colonel Joseph Sanchez. On December 21, 1835 the Mosquito Roarers, along with other companies, arrived at an outpost on the

Tomoka River The Tomoka River is a north-flowing river in Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County, Florida, United States. It drains an area of about and has a length of .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe N ...

named Rosetta (named for the Rosetta Plantation owned by John Moultrie).

Indians began later that month attacking plantations throughout New Smryna, Florida and the rest of Mosquito County. On New Years eve of 1835, the Mosquito Roarers were present and took part in the

Battle of Ouithlacoochie The Battle of Ouithlacoochie, otherwise known as the Battle of Withlacoochee, was a battle in the Second Seminole War, fought on December 31, 1835, along the Withlacoochee River (Florida), Withlacoochee River in modern Citrus County, Florida. P ...

along the Withlacoochee River in present-day

Citrus County Citrus County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 153,843. Its county seat is Inverness, and its largest community is Homosassa Springs. Citrus County compris ...

, one of the first major battles of the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans and ...

. The Mosquito Roarers aided in providing cover for the US Army as their troops ferried themselves and supplies across the banks. On January 17, 1836 the Mosquito Roarers were involved in another confrontation with the Seminole Indians on Dunlawton Plantation in present-day

Port Orange, Florida Port Orange is a city in Volusia County, Florida. The city's population was estimated at 64,842 in 2019 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The city is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area; the metropolitan area's populati ...

. This skirmish was eventually put to an end when

Coacoochee Wild Cat, also known as ''Coacoochee'' or ''Cowacoochee ''(from Creek ''Kowakkuce "''bobcat, wildcat''"') ''(c. 1807/1810–1857) was a leading Seminole chieftain during the later stages of the Second Seminole War and the nephew of Micanopy. Bac ...

arrived with more Seminoles and forced the Mosquito Roarers to retreat. After the conclusion of the

, the Mosquito Roarers remained relatively active as support for local sheriffs and law enforcement when hunting criminals and stopping disturbances.

References

Militia in the United States Year of establishment missing Military units and formations in Florida Seminole Wars {{US-mil-unit-stub