Billy Bowlegs
Billy Bowlegs, also known by his Indian name Holatamico, was a significant leader of the Seminole tribe during the 19th century. He first gained prominence in 1832 by signing the Treaty of Payne's Landing and emerged as a key figure during the Second Seminole War, especially after the capture of the famed leader Osceola. Bowlegs led a notable attack on a federal trading post in 1839, showcasing his military leadership against federal forces. After surrendering in 1842, he became the most recognized Seminole leader remaining in Florida and attempted to negotiate with U.S. government officials regarding the fate of his people.
Despite offers of relocation to the Indian Territory, Bowlegs refused to leave Florida, resulting in the federal government declaring his people outlaws in 1853. His resistance escalated into the Third Seminole War in 1855 when he confronted federal surveyors and soldiers. Although outnumbered, Bowlegs' forces conducted guerrilla warfare for three years without suffering a significant defeat. In 1858, he ultimately accepted a financial settlement from the government, moving his followers to the Indian Territory, where he continued to lead. During the Civil War, Bowlegs aligned with the Union and served as a captain in an Indian regiment until his death from smallpox in 1864.
Subject Terms
Billy Bowlegs
- Born: c. 1810
- Birthplace: Near Cuscowilla, Florida
- Died: April 1, 1859
- Place of death: Indian Territory (now in Oklahoma)
Tribal affiliation: Seminole
Significance: Billy Bowlegs was the principal leader of the Seminoles in Florida during the Third Seminole War, 1855-1858
Bowlegs was a Miccosukee, or Hitchiti-speaking Seminole, who was related to other prominent leaders of the tribe. His Indian name, Holatamico, is a Creek corn dance title for a leader with influence over several villages.
Bowlegs first emerged as a leader in 1832, when he signed the Treaty of Payne’s Landing. He led other Seminole warriors during the Second Seminole War and remained in the field after Osceola was captured. In 1839, he directed a force of two hundred in an attack on a federal trading post, killing most of the garrison. He surrendered in 1842 and was given a grant of land in Florida. By this time he was recognized as the most prominent leader of the Seminoles who remained in Florida, and as such he went to Washington, D.C. to speak with federal officials in 1842.
Government officials in 1850 began pressuring Bowlegs to take his people to the Indian Territory. They offered him $215,000 and sponsored him on a tour of several cities, including a stop in Washington, D.C., where he met President Millard Fillmore. Bowlegs would not move, so the government in 1853 declared that all Indians in Florida were outlaws.
The Third Seminole War erupted in 1855 when a party of federal surveyors and soldiers penetrated the region inhabited by Bowlegs and his people. Bowlegs led an attack on the intruders, and three years of guerrilla warfare ensued. The federals greatly outnumbered Bowlegs’ tiny force, but they never inflicted a decisive defeat.
In 1858, Bowlegs accepted a large financial settlement from the government and moved his followers—thirty-three warriors, eighty women and children—to the Indian Territory, where he remained a prominent leader. When the Civil War began, he spurned the Confederates and led his group to Kansas, where he became a captain in a Union regiment mustered from among the Indians. He died of smallpox in 1864 while still serving in the army.