This is an excerpt from my recently released book, the War of 1812, the Florida Fronts.

Despite President Madison never formally recognizing the Republic of East Florida, and Secretary of State James Monroe’s insistence on US troops standing down and leaving Florida, the situation remained unsettled.  

Led by Georgia General Buckner Harris, a new group of Patriots drove deep into East Florida eventually settling in the Paynes Prairie area south of Gainesville. On January 25 they declared a new Republic of East Florida and set up a capital at Fort Mitchell, near present day Micanopy. 

The events of 1812-1813 had woken the Spanish authorities up to these incursions and soon East Florida’s Spanish Governor Sebastián Kindelán put a bounty on Harris’ head. In May of 1814 he was killed by Seminoles. In this period, Madison’s administration refused any help to the Patriots. Besides, they had their own problems as the British Chesapeake Campaign was threatening the capital of Washington D.C. and probably more importantly, Baltimore which in this era was one of the three or four most important US cities. 

The open areas of Paynes Prairie remain preserved in 2025 similar to how they would have looked in 1814.

In April 1814, Secretary Monroe rejected the Patriots once again. He said: 

“The United States being at peace with Spain, no countenance can be given by their government to the proceedings of the revolutionary party in East Florida, if it is composed of Spanish subjects-and still less can it be given them if it consists of American citizens.” 

Harris was undeterred by official rejection from Washington. The Patriots however were ambushed by the Alachua Seminole in May 1814. This same group of Native Americans had been strong British allies during the American Revolution and had engaged in raids in South Georgia against the continental army and patriot strongholds. So this group had plenty of experience fighting Americans from Georgia. Harris was killed in May 1814 and this group of Patriots fled back to Georgia. 

Still the Patriots continued to enter Florida which was largely in a lawless state.