Showing posts with label seminole wars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seminole wars. Show all posts

Monday, February 4, 2019

2/4/19 Report - Turtle Trail, Fort Clinch, Artifacts and Health Warning.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Turtle Trail This Morning,
Photo by Dale J.
Dale J. and a few others hit Turtle Trail this morning.  He said it was sanded in.

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Fort Clinch
Source: Fort Clinch State Park web site.
Alberto S. visited Fort Clinch last week.  Here is the description from Wikipedia.

This site was first fortified in 1736 by the Spanish, when they held colonies in Florida. From 1736, various nations to control the territory have garrisoned and fortified this site to protect the entrance to the St. Marys River and Cumberland Sound.

After the end of the Second Seminole War the United States started construction of a fort, later named Fort Clinch, in 1847. It was part of its Third System of coastal defenses conceived earlier in the century, which guided fortifications throughout this period. The fortified compound is pentagonal bastions and embrasures in the outer walls and several structures in the interior courtyards, including a two-story barracks. The fort was named in honor of General Duncan Lamont Clinch after his death in 1849. General Clinch fought in the War of 1812 and was an important figure in the First and Second Seminole Wars.

Confederate forces seized the fort in early 1861. It was used as a safe haven for Confederate blockade runners during the first year of the Civil War.  However, changes in technology, specifically, the development of rifled cannon, had improved weaponry to the point that the fort's brick walls were vulnerable to attacks and thus obsolete. In March 1862 General Robert E. Lee ordered abandonment of the fort in order to use scarce troops in other areas. Federal troops re-occupied the fort in early 1862, taking control of the adjacent Georgia and Florida coasts. They used the fort as the base of Union operations in the area throughout the Civil War...


Alberto submitted the following photos of displays that he saw there.

Photos of Displays at Fort Clinch
by Alberto S.



Thanks Alberto!

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The Florida Department of Health is advising people not to swim at several Indian River and Martin County beaches because of high levels of bacteria in the water.
The affected areas in Indian River County are:
  • Sexton Plaza Beach
  • Humiston Beach
  • South Beach
The affected areas in Martin County are:
  • Leighton Park in Palm City
  • Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart
Here is the link.


Thanks to Dale J. for that link.

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MagicSeaWeed is predicting a two to four foot surf for the next few days.  They are also showing a five to eight foot surf prediction for next Sunday.  That might not happen. I'll keep watching it.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

6/16/15 Report - Sharks Close St. Lucie Beaches. Tropical Storm Bill. Titanic. More On Seminole War.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Source; See Gutenberg ebook link below.
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St. Lucie County Beaches were closed yesterday because of sharks.  A decision will be made to determine if the beaches will be reopened today.

Here is the link.

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-st-lucie-county/all-st-lucie-co-beaches-closed-due-to-sharks

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If you didn't see the National Geographic TV program called Drain The Titanic, you might want to watch for it.  They discussed how the Titanic came apart as it sank, and how the debris field was formed, and that is what gave Ballard the clue that led to finding the wreck.  When Ballard learned how the debris field would be spread out, he knew how to run a search pattern that would eventually intersect with the debris field.

I've talked about a similar search strategy as it relates to coin lines.

One interesting thing they showed was how the wreck itself was deteriorating very rapidly due to a type bacteria that consumes rust.  Rusticles covered the deteriorating hull.

According to Wikipedia, A rusticle is a formation of rust that looks like an icicle or stalactite and occurs when wrought iron oxidizes under water.  Rusticles are created by microbes that consume iron.

During the program, family members of those who lost lives on the Titanic said the site should remain undisturbed as a grave site.  However, after seeing an exhibit of artifacts from the wreck, they could see how the exhibit memorialized those who lost their lives.

I thought there was something of a contradiction when they showed recovered artifacts but at the same time said that the site should remain untouched.  You can't really do both.

They were surprised how quickly the wreck was deteriorating.  If you have a "no touch" policy, you have to realize that things will still deteriorate and disappear.  

Things can be viewed and displayed in a very realistic way these days using forms of virtual reality. I suspect we'll be seeing more of that type of thing in the future.  The program itself showed very realistic pictures as the site might appear if it was no longer covered by water.

I've seen some very realistic holograms that really made me wonder if it was a real person or not. That reminds me of the people that think that man never waked on the moon, but it was all a big hoax.

It seems to me that it is getting easier and easier to create a convincing alternate to reality.  I can imagine how that could possibly be a problem in the future.

They also mentioned how the wreck site could be monitored and protected by underwater robots.

Here is a web site showing how underwater robots could be used for port security.  

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teen-girl-suffers-shark-attack-north-carolina-beach-n375291

The underwater robots are something like underwater drones.

Some people are concerned about cameras being everywhere: land, sea and air.

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Recently I showed a few Seminole War artifacts that were found by detectorists and made a few comments concerning the Seminoles and slavery.  I think we all know that the Seminole Wars were very much about slavery.  

I just ran across another book written by an author who was there.  The book was published in 1858 by Joshua R. Giddings, It has the title The Exiles of Florida: or, The Crimes Committed By Our Government Against The Maroons, Who Fled From South Carolina And Other Slave States, Seeking Protection Under The Spanish Laws.

Here is the introduction to the book.


DISCARDING that code of morals which teaches the suppression of truth, for the purpose of upholding the honor, either of the Government, or of the individuals who wield its administration, the Author of the following work has endeavored to give a faithful record of those interesting events which appear directly connected with the Exiles of Florida.
Torn from their native land, their friends and homes, they were sold in the markets of Carolina and Georgia. Feeling the hand of oppression bearing heavily upon them, they fled to Florida, and, under Spanish laws, became free. Holding lands of the Spanish Crown, they became citizens of that Territory, entitled to protection. To regain possession of their truant bondmen, Georgia made war upon Florida, but failed to obtain her object.
At a time of profound peace, our army, acting under the direction of the Executive, invaded Florida, murdered many of these free men, and brought others to the United States and consigned them to slavery. An expensive and bloody war followed; but failing to capture more of the Exiles, our army was withdrawn.
This war was followed by diplomatic efforts. Florida was purchased; treaties with the Florida Indians were made and violated; gross frauds were perpetrated; dishonorable expedients were resorted to, and another war provoked. During its protracted continuance of seven years, bribery and treachery were practiced towards the Exiles and their allies, the Seminole Indians; flags of truce were violated; the pledged faith of the nation was disregarded. By these means the removal of the Exiles from Florida was effected. After they had settled in the Western Country, most of these iniquities were repeated, until they were driven from our nation and compelled to seek an asylum in Mexico.
Men who wielded the influence of Government for the consummation of these crimes, assiduously labored to suppress all knowledge of their guilt; to keep facts from the popular mind; to falsify the history of current events, and prevent an exposure of our national turpitude.
The object of this work is to meet that state of circumstances; to expose fraud, falsehood, treachery, and other crimes of public men, who have prostituted the powers of Government to the perpetration of murders, at the contemplation of which our humanity revolts.
The Author has designed to place before the public a faithful record of events appropriately falling within the purview of the proposed history; he has endeavored, as far as possible, to do justice to all concerned. Where the action of individuals is concerned, he has endeavored to make them speak for themselves, through official reports, orders, letters, or written evidences from their own hands; and he flatters himself that he has done no injustice to any person.

And here is the link to the entire book online.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41316/41316-h/41316-h.htm#CHAPTER_I

It seems Mr. Giddings was not a big fan of government, at least not their actions in this regard.

If you are interested, take a look at the book for yourself.

If you are wondering, this book and other old books are out of copyright.  U. S. copyright law provides protection for works created after 1978 for the author's lifetime plus 70 years.  It gets more complicated for works produced before that.

Project Gutenberg is said to be the largest digital library.  It was an effort to convert books to a digital format and make them free to the public.  You might keep it in mind when looking for metal detecting leads or simply interesting reading.

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In my 6/12/15 post I showed a ring that was lost and returned.  I talked about how we need to share about good deeds done by detetorists in order to help promote the hobby.  One way you can do that is by sharing that post.  Please do that any way you can.

One thing I don't like about the blog format is that old posts that deserve to continue receiving attention are quickly replaced and buried under newer posts.

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While we have a week of very calm surf on the Treasure Coast, the second tropical storm of the year has formed in the Gulf and will go ashore near Houston.

Projected Path of Tropical Storm Bill.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net




Wednesday, January 1, 2014

1/1/14 Report - USN Bracelet, Florida History and Seminole Wars Resources, Official(?) Statement on Dog Tags and Other Government Property.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.



Silver Bracelet Find

Happy New Year!  A new day and a new year.  An opportunity to finish old business and begin new paths.

If you are interested in the Seminole Wars, you might want to check out this free online book that was published in 1848 and is, as far as I know, one of the better and most detailed.  It contains 622 jam-packed searchable pages.  Written by John Sprague, the title is Origin, Progress and Conclusion of the Florida War.   Excellent resource.

Here is the link.

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL13505140M/The_origin_progress_and_conclusion_of_the_Florida_war



I posted a couple of items yesterday, including a dog tag found by Dan B.  In researching the dog tag to find the owner, Dan B. located some other information that I assume is probably true.

You can check out that source, by using the following link.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090712220148AACDQoH

To sum it up, it says that the official policy on lost dogtags, or any other U.S. Military property, is that it remains military property and people should immediately send any such items to the Secretary of Defense, 3E880, The Pentagon, Washington D.C. 20301.

I wonder how practical that is.  Would they not be quickly buried in a pile of authentic as well as misidentified, properly sold or transferred property and fake items?

They claim that there are "many" fraudulent people attempting to make contact with military families to get publicity or rewards.  I suppose there are some, and people should always be aware of possible scams, but don't you think this is exaggerated and over reaching?

Go to the source and read it for yourself.  I am only summarizing part of it.

One other thing I learned yesterday is that there are a lot of companies that advertise and make custom dog tags, evidently for unofficial purposes.  It looks like many dog tags are therefore not and never have been U.S. property.

The above linked site also provides information that might help you identify"authentic" dog tags.

It says that authentic dog tags should contain the following information in order: last name, first name, middle initial, Social Security number, blood type, and religion.

They say that because the dog tag contains so much personal information that can be misused by dishonest people, the dog tag should be sent to the feds, which, of course, assumes that people in government, as well as government contractors (eh hem) working in mail rooms or whatever, would never misuse items or information.   Are people who conduct government functions more honest than other ordinary citizens?

Thanks for sending the link Dan.  Interesting.

If you can confirm any of this, have personal experience with returning suspected U.S. property or dog tags, or just want to offer a reaction, send me an email.

By the way, Allman's book has a lot to say about the honesty and motives of big names in Florida government and history, such as Andrew Jackson.  In fact much of the book is spent revealing how often the truth has been replaced by myths about Florida and its history.

Above is a photo of a silver bracelet.  It appears to be WW II era.  I suspect the V in the middle stands for Victory and gives a clue to the date.  I haven't looked into it yet.

On the Treasure Coast the first day of 2014 was a rainy day.

It looks like we also got a decent low tide for a change.  I hope we have more of that.

Also, if you look out about a week, they are now predicting a 7 to 11 foot surf.  That is real interesting.   I'll be keeping an eye on that.

Happy New Year,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net