The Unpopular History of the United States
pose of pulverizing the Indians, yet only 27 volunteers and 3 officers took part in the engagement. Why so many volunteers remained out of action is not explained. Had they displayed the same zeal and bravery as the regulars, the Seminole War would have ended right there. But it did not end for seven years.
Instead of employing regular soldiers who were hardened to such work, the Secretary of War ordered the Governors of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama to call out their militia "to serve for at least three months after arriving at the place of rendezvous." Year after year, through war after war, we have repeated over and over again the same stupidities that have inevitably led to the same disasters. We had forgotten the lessons of the Revolution, the terrible defeats of Harmar and St. Clair, and the monumental inefficiency of our militia in the war of 1812.
The Seminole Indians were supposed to number not more than 1,200 — or at the wildest guess 2,000 — yet this war dragged on
[104]
