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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Butler, David (MA). An archaeological model of Seminole combat behavior, (Weisman). 2001.
In this study I investigated warfare from an anthropological perspective
through
the analysis of cultural components of the Seminoles as exhibited in
the Second Seminole
War (1835-1842). These components were then applied to the development
of An
Archaeological Model of Seminole Combat Behavior based on archaeological
signatures
associated with specific elements of battlefield sites such as combat
behavior, artifacts
related to battlefield activities, and the use of topography.
The development of this model required background research delimiting
the
historical and archaeological context of the Second Seminole Wars era.
This
investigation established that military experience gained by certain
factions of the
Seminoles (such as the Red Stick Creeks) prior to their migration to
Florida and
subsequent acceptance of a Seminole identity, aided the military efficiency
of the
Seminole Tribe during the Second Seminole War. Additionally, due to the
tremendous
impact the war had on Seminole economy and habitation patterns (which
in turn affected
the archaeological signatures associated with Seminole sites dati:1g
to the time of the war)
this study advocates the establishment of a separate phase of Seminole
archaeology
dedicated specifically to the Second Seminole War time period.
To facilitate the recognition of patterns of Seminole combat behavior during
the
war, an overview of battles from the war took place . This generated three
classes of
battles each with its own criteria unique to this study related to specific
behaviors and
quantitative variables associated with the different categories. The analysis
of the battles
established that the Seminoles were organized, consistent military strategists
who
maximized their use of natural terrain (especially swamps). For example. large-scale
pitched battles were typified by the Seminoles use of a discrete swampy hammock
(which in this study I have labeled ,1 Seminole Woodland Fortress) typically
surrounded
by water and thick underbrush (often times sawgrass that stymied the use of
horses by
attacking soldiers).Archaeological signatures associated with battles considered
in this study were harnessed as tools uniting artifacts associated with battlefield
activities into a model of
combat behavior. This model demonstrated that the Seminoles' predictable use
of
landscape features was a patterned cultural activity during the war and that
this combat
behavior can serve as an integral part of archaeological research assessing
archaeological
signatures associated with battlefields pre-dating the widespread adoption
of metal
cartridges for firearms. These landscape features taken in concert with the
field and
laboratory techniques advocated in this study (such as spatial analysis prioritizing
caliber
differentiation denoting Seminole vs. Army weapons and isotope analysis of
lead shot to
determine the source of lead) served as the foundation for the author's development
of An
Archaeological Model of Seminole Combat Behavior.
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