Wild Cat, also known as ''Coacoochee'' or ''Cowacoochee ''(from Creek ''Kowakkuce "''bobcat, wildcat''"') ''(c. 1807/1810–1857) was a leading
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, and ...
chieftain during the later stages 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 and Black Indians. It was part of a seri ...
and the nephew of
Micanopy
Micanopy (c. 1780 – December 1848 or January 1849), also known as Micco-Nuppe, Michenopah, Miccanopa, and Mico-an-opa, and Sint-chakkee ("pond frequenter", as he was known prior to being selected as chief), was the leading chief of the Sem ...
.
Background
Wild Cat's exact year and place of birth is not agreed upon. Many local scholars believe he was born in 1807 on an island in big
Lake Tohopekaliga
Lake Tohopekaliga, Tohopeka (from tohopke meaning fence, fort); Tohopekaliga (from tohopke meaning fence, fort + likv meaning site), also referred to as Lake Toho, West Lake, or simply Toho, is the
largest lake in Osceola County, Flori ...
, south of present-day Orlando. Some scholars say Wild Cat was born around 1810 to
King Philip (or Ee-mat-la) and his wife in
Yulaka, a Seminole village along the
St. Johns River in northern Florida. Still others suggest that he was born near present-day
Apopka, Florida
Apopka is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city's population was 55,000 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. ''Apopka'' comes from Seminole word ''Ahapopka'' for "Potato eatin ...
. Wild Cat may have had a twin sister who died at birth. As a twin, he was regarded by the tribe as being particularly gifted.
As tensions mounted between the Seminole and local settlers following the purchase of Florida by the United States in 1821, the bands encouraged the escape of slaves from neighboring Georgia to disrupt settlement in Florida by European Americans. The latter were taking over former Seminole territory.
At the start 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 and Black Indians. It was part of a seri ...
, the nineteen-year-old Wild Cat gained prominence leading a band of Seminole and Black Seminole until his father was captured in 1837 and imprisoned in
Fort Marion
The Castillo de San Marcos ( Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle") is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida.
It was designed by the Spanish ...
.
In October 1837, Wild Cat appeared before American forces in a ceremonial peace headdress, claiming to be an emissary of the war chief
Osceola
Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a Scotsman, James Mc ...
. After he negotiated with Colonel
Thomas S. Jesup, American authorities agreed to peace talks, but when the Seminole representatives arrived to treat, Jessup ordered their arrest. While imprisoned at
Fort Marion
The Castillo de San Marcos ( Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle") is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida.
It was designed by the Spanish ...
, Wild Cat escaped with nineteen other Seminole. They reportedly fasted for six days until they could slide between the bars of their jail cell; they then dropped from the walls into the moat on the outside of the fort.
After Osceola was imprisoned, Wild Cat emerged as the leading commander of the war among the Seminole, fighting with
Alligator
An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additional ...
and
Arpeika against Colonel
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...
at the inconclusive
Battle of Lake Okeechobee
The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was one of the major battles of the Second Seminole War. It was fought between 800 troops of the 1st, 4th, and 6th Infantry Regiments and 132 Missouri Volunteers (under the command of Colonel Zachary Taylor), and be ...
on December 25, 1837 before retreating to the
Everglades
The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimm ...
. In 1841, two years after his father had died while being deported to Indian Territory, Wild Cat agreed to meet American authorities for peace negotiations. After negotiating with Lieutenant
William T. Sherman
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
's commanding officer, Major Childs, at the
Indian River post of
Fort Pierce, Wild Cat agreed to be transported to
Fort Gibson
Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...
in Oklahoma's Indian Territory, along with his remaining two hundred followers. Growing depressed over his forced surrender, he was said to have stated, "I was in hopes I would be killed in battle, but a bullet never reached me."
Traveling to Washington, D.C. in 1843 with Alligator as part of a Seminole delegation, Wild Cat failed to gain financial aid for the Seminole. The tribe had suffered a series of floods on their reservation, as well as slave raids by neighboring Creek. (The latter captured free blacks and Indians and sold them to southern slave holders, although Indian slavery had long been prohibited). This devastated the black and Indian Seminole. Conditions continued to worsen until 1849.
That year Wild Cat left the reservation with about one hundred followers, consisting of Seminole and Black Seminole, who included some refugee slaves, and escaped to Texas. Joined by about one thousand
Kickapoo, Wild Cat's band eventually established a new community in Mexico. The government awarded the tribe an area of land in recognition for their service against
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño and ...
and
Comanche raiders. Earning a commission as Colonel in the Mexican army, Wild Cat would live with the Seminole in Alto,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
until his death of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...
in 1857. His son ''
Gato Chiquito
Gato (Spanish for cat) may refer to:
People
* Gato (given name)
* Gato (surname)
Places
* Gato Island, in the Visayan Sea, Philippines
* Gato Island, in the Mochima National Park on the northeastern coast of Venezuela
* Gato, Orocovis, Puert ...
'' (in Spanish), or Young Wild Cat, was chosen as chief.
Legacy
On May 29, 2012 an application was registered at the US Bureau of Geographic Names to name a
stretch of unnamed barrier islands on the Florida East Coast for this chief.
Quotes
*"I speak for myself, for I am free. Each of the others also speak for themselves. We are a choir of voices that will drown out your lies."
References
*Johansen, Bruce E. and Donald A. Grinde, Jr. ''The Encyclopedia of Native American Biography'', New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wild Cat
1857 deaths
19th-century births
Deaths from smallpox
Escapees from United States federal government detention
Native American leaders
Native Americans imprisoned at Fort Marion
Native Americans of the Seminole Wars
People from Apopka, Florida
Pre-statehood history of Florida
Seminole tribe