Marauders, Mud, and Money: The Misapplication, Development, and Exploitation of Logistics During the Second Seminole War, 1835-1839

Abstract

The Second Seminole War, fought from 1835-1842, was undoubtedly the longest, costliest conflict the United States engaged in between the American Revolution and the Civil War. From 1836 to 1839 the federal budget quadrupled appropriations of the conflict. As the war escalated in scale, many of these funds went to paying civilian claims and the supplying of Volunteer regiments with horses and gear for their short campaign contracts. This study will argue that the formation, development, and eventual exploitation of the logistical supply lines have been a critically overlooked aspect of the Second Seminole War. Using seldom-analyzed records of the Quartermaster Department, new trends emerge in the typical narratives of the war, particularly surrounding the federal government's purchase, sale, use, and abuse of horses both in and outside of the theater of war. The misapplication of horses negatively affected the operational, logistical, and financial integrity of American forces during the first campaigns of the Second Seminole War.