Great Warrior: Tiger Tail of the Seminole

Though other Seminole leaders such as Osceola, Abiaka and Coacoochee are more well-known, they were only part of a core cadre of battle-tested Seminole leaders fighting on behalf of their people.  Today we'll focus on one of the victors of the Dade Massacre, Tiger Tail, also known by his war title of Tustenugge Thlocko. 

Little is known of Tiger Tail's background, where he was born or when and how he achieved prominence a as a great warrior.  Tustenugge Thlocko means exactly that, Great Warrior or Big Warrior, and was assigned to the ranking warrior in a Creek or Seminole town.  He would have been charged with marshaling the men for battle, as well as keeping intruders out of his town's hunting range and policing the behavior of erring members.  Beginning in 1835, though, Tiger Tail would have had his hands full with another fight, the Second Seminole War.  A talented man who was said to have spoken English fluently, he and Halleck Tustenugge were part of the command team overseeing 300 warriors in the ambush known as the Dade Massacre, which happened on December 28, 1835.  Later, he and Halleck met with General Walker Keith Armistead to discuss possible surrender, but the talks broke down and the war continued. 

When the War ended in 1842, Tiger Tail and his immediate band of warriors were one of the last few Seminole groups that remained in Florida, but that was not for long.  They, too, were rounded up and forcibly transported west via the steamship USS Lawrence.  Unable to bear the thought of leaving his homeland, Tiger Tail committed suicide by swallowing powdered glass before the ship arrived in New Orleans to begin the overland trek to Oklahoma.