The Suwannee Warrior: The First Seminole War

Abraham was born in Georgia in 1787 and later lived in Pensacola, Florida, where he worked as a domestic servant for Doctor Sierra, a Spanish physician. Abraham joined the British army during the War of 1812 because the British commanders promised freedom to slaves who joined them in fighting the Americans. Shortly thereafter, during the period that Florida was under nominal Spanish rule, the Americans attacked. Abraham fled from General Andrew Jackson’s military advances and helped build the Negro Fort (1816) on the Apalachicola River. The Fort became a haven for African Americans who had escaped slavery from neighboring Southern States. The fort was attacked and destroyed during the first Seminole War (1817-1818) and most captured African Americans were returned to slavery. Abraham, as one of the few survivors, made his way to Seminole territory further south and east into the peninsula, although his exact arrival and assimilation into the Seminole culture was speculative, he continued to fight with the Seminoles against further American intrusion. He became known as "Sauanaffe Tustunnagee" (the Suwannee Warrior), one of three highest warrior ranks among the Seminoles. He was adopted as a member of the Seminoles. He then lived in a …show more content…
Jacob Rhett Motte, army surgeon during the Seminole War, as “a perfect Tallyrand [sic] of the savage court [of Indians].” Dr. Motte gave him credit for being a cunning person among the easily influenced council of Seminole Indians. This obscure reference by the Army surgeon was a comparison to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, famous French politician and diplomat, known for being crafty and cynical in diplomacy, yet others considered him skilled and influential. The Seminoles, on the other hand, referred to Abraham as a “Prophet” for his exceptional political discernment, translation proficiency, and convincing skills toward the Indians and whites, and for stirring up enthusiasm with religious