A Plat Exhibiting the State of the Surveys in the State of Florida With References

Surveyor general map of Florida published during the Third Seminole War.

Although Jefferson Davis is most well known for his role as President of the Confederate States of America, he was also Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. In that capacity, Davis began the Pacific Railroad Surveys (favoring the southern route), oversaw updates to the Army, and heavily promoted the Gadsden Purchase.

One impediment to the “progress” that Davis, and others, were working towards was the presence of Native Americans. In Florida, Davis instituted a policy of trade embargoes and opened up previously protected Seminole lands for sale to white settlers in 1854. He also increased the state’s military presence, hoping to re-ignite tensions that had been simmering since the First Seminole War in 1816. He got his wish, and war broke out in December of 1855 with a Seminole raid on an Army supply train near Fort Meyers.

The system of connected forts and supply depots seen on this map would ultimately overwhelm the native warriors, who used the swamps of the Everglades to great advantage. However, unlike previous iterations of the survey, there are no mention of battle sites and no reference to the ongoing conflict. It’s business as usual for the General Land Office, who oversaw the administration and sale of public land in newly acquired territory.

Letters in the center of each township indicate their survey status, with a few notable holdouts in the form of private land grants, Indian reservations, and uninhabitable areas. The inclusion of the Florida Keys is notable, as this is the first U.S. survey that includes the island chain in the primary map with the rest of the state.