The Arbuthnot and Ambrister incident occurred in 1818 during the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

. American General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

invaded Spanish Florida and captured and executed Alexander George Arbuthnot and Robert C. Ambrister, two British citizens charged with aiding

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

Creek Indians The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsUnited States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Arbuthnot and Ambrister were tried and executed in modern

Bay County, Florida Bay County is a county on the Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 175,216. Its county seat is Panama City. Bay County is included in the Panama City, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History On ...

, near what continues to be called Court Martial Lake, near Sand Hills. Jackson's actions triggered short-lived protests from the British and Spanish governments and an investigation by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. Congressional reports found fault with Jackson's handling of the trial and execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister, but Congress chose not to censure the popular general. Robert Chrystie Ambrister (1797–1818) was a British citizen and a native of Nassau, Bahamas. Ambrister had served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

as a volunteer and as a midshipman between 1809 and 1813, when he returned to the Bahamas. During 1814–1815, he served in Spanish Florida as an auxiliary 2nd lieutenant of the British

Corps of Colonial Marines The Corps of Colonial Marines were two different British Marine units raised from former black slaves for service in the Americas, at the behest of Alexander Cochrane. The units were created at two separate periods: 1808-1810 during the Napol ...

, commanded by Brevet Major Edward Nicolls of the Royal Marines. Discharged from the military in Nassau in 1815, the former Marine lieutenant returned to Spanish Florida in 1817 with his fellow former Marine, Brevet Captain George Woodbine, and the Scottish soldier of fortune Gregor MacGregor. Alexander (George) Arbuthnot was an older man, a Scottish merchant, translator, and diplomatic go-between, on occasion, who had been present in Florida since 1803. Jackson's execution of Arbuthnot, Ambrister, and at least two prominent Creek-

leaders (

Josiah Francis Sir Josiah Francis (28 March 1890 – 22 February 1964) was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1922 to 1955. He was a minister in the Lyons and Menzies governments, serving as Minister in charge of War Se ...

and Hoemotchernucho) was perceived, both in Great Britain and elsewhere, as an act of barbarity violating the conventions of warfare.Niles' weekly register, Baltimore, October 3, 1818, No. 6, Vol. XV, pp. 84-86 A decade later in

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organized. * January 22 – Arth ...

, Jackson was elected

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

References

* Aubigné, Guillaume Merle d'; Chinard, Gilbert. 1935. ''La vie américaine de Guillaume Merle d'Aubigné; extraits de son journal de voyage et de sa correspondence inédite, 1809-1817'', Paris, E. Droz; Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Press. - pp. 133–147. * Gales, Joseph. 1834–1856. ''The debates and proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an appendix containing important state papers and public documents, and all the laws of a public nature;'' Washington, Gales and Seaton. - "Seminole War", pp. 367–374. *Fisher, Louis
"Military Tribunals: Historical Patterns and Lessons"
Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, 2004. *Foreign Office. ''British and foreign state papers Volume 6, 1818-1819''. Piccadilly, London: James Ridgway, 1835. *Heidler, David and Jeanne Heidler. ''Old Hickory's War: Andrew Jackson and the Quest for Empire''. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books, 1996. . * Hoefer, Jean Chrétien Ferdinand. 1862. ''Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'à nos jours'', Paris : Didot. - pp. 153–154 *''Narrative of a voyage to the Spanish Main in the ship "Two Friends;" the occupation of Amelia island by McGregor, etc.--sketches of the province of East Florida; and anecdotes illustrative of the habits and manners of the Seminole Indians: with an appendix containing a detail of the Seminole war, and the execution of Arbuthnot and Ambrister'', London, Printed for J. Miller, 1819. - pp. 196–312. * * Remini, Robert V. ''Andrew Jackson and his Indian Wars''. New York: Viking, 2001. . * Rush, Richard. 1845. ''Memoranda of a residence at the court of London comprising incidents official and personal from 1819-1825, including negotiations on the Oregon question, and other unsettled questions between the United States and Great Britain'', Philadelphia : Lea & Blanchard. {{OCLC, 12492949 - Chapters iv & v. *Wright, J. Leitch, Jr. "A Note on the First Seminole War as Seen by the Indians, Negroes, and Their British Advisers". ''The Journal of Southern History'' 34, no. 4 (November 1968), 565–575. 1818 crimes in North America 19th-century executions by the United States Andrew Jackson Diplomatic incidents Seminole Wars Spain–United States relations Year of birth unknown United Kingdom–United States relations 1818 in North America 1818 in international relations 1818 in New Spain April 1818 events

References

Further reading