Osceola was a Seminole military leader during the Second Seminole War. Although frequently referred to as Chief Osceola, he apparently never was a chief. He was born Billy Powell and raised as a Creek by his mother. His heritage is disputed he claimed to have Creek parents, but some sources indicate that his father was an Englishman. His family migrated from Alabama to Florida after 1814 as refugees from the Creek Wars. When the U.S. government tried to remove the Native Americans from their lands in Florida in 1836, Osceola led their resistance during the Second Seminole War. He was captured in 1837 and died a few months later in prison at Fort Moultrie in South Carolina, probably from an infectious disease. When the Expedition party met the Seminole woman Old Nancy at Fort Shackleford she claimed to be the widow of Osceola. Some sources refute this claim, however. For example, Minnie Moore-Willson stated in an October 25, 1902 letter to the Florida Times-Union that Nancy was a wife of Chief Osceola's half-brother and not Osceola. Many sources indicate that her husband was Charlie Osceola, not the famous "Chief" Osceola.
- Birth: 1804, Tallassee, Alabama
- Death: January 1838, Fort Moultrie, South Carolina
Name Variations:
- Billy Powell
- Asi-yahola
- Asiola
Sources:
References in the Texts:
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For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015
