LS signed “Z. Taylor, Bt. B. General, U.S.A. Comdg,” one page, 7.75 x 10, January 27, 1840. Letter to Robert Reid Governor of the Territory of Florida, Tallahassee. In full: “I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 16th inst and will with pleasure make trial of the dogs to ascertain if they will be of service in trailing the Indians, and have accordingly ordered an officer Lieut. Wood to Tallahassee to secure your authority for bringing to this place the keepers with the number of dogs managed by them. Col. Davenport has been charged with the examination of the country between the Apalachicola and the Ocklawaha rivers and should he find any of the enemy there secreted he will be desirous of making use of the balance of the dogs and I shall request that you will give him the requisite authority for securing them.” Letter has been professionally inlaid to a slightly larger sheet and is archivally sleeved in acid-free Mylar. Uniform shade of overall toning, with a couple slightly heavier spots, some stray ink flecks to body, and a trivial brush to title of signature, otherwise fine condition.
With the US Army’s efforts in tracking down Seminole Indians in Florida unsuccessful, General Taylor requested—and received—permission to use bloodhound in the hunt. Although approval came two years before this letter was dispatched, the Florida territorial government waited until 1840 to purchase a pack of bloodhounds from Cuba. The initial trials of the hounds had mixed results, and public outcry arose over fears that the dogs might try kill or maim the Seminoles, including women and children. The plan was further complicated by the simple fact that bloodhounds are unable to track through water, allowing the Seminoles to easily evade them. The unsuccessful decision was used against Taylor during his the 1848 presidential campaign, with opposition Democrats printing lithographs depicting Taylor on horseback as bloodhounds and American soldiers pursue a crowd of Indian men, women, and children, with one dog shown biting the neck of a Seminole. An introductory letter from what proved to me an unsuccessful military maneuver. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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