October 21, 1837, Osceola and Coa Hadjo, another principal leader of the Seminoles, camped at Fort Peyton on the St. Johns southwest of St. Augustine. They came under flag of truce to meet with the U.S. commander, Maj. Gen. Thomas S. Jesup.

   They were unaware that General Jesup, weary of frustrating forays to engage the enemy in thick forests and swamps, had decided to capture the leaders under any ruse. He was no longer recognizing flags of truce.

   Osceola was recognized as the inspirational leader in the War of Removal to send the Seminoles to western reservations. He had orchestrated two assaults in December 1835, touching off the Second Seminole War. At nearly the same hour of late afternoon and at points 40 miles apart, his forces ambushed the Indian Agent Thompson outside Fort King at Ocala and massacred a relief force of 105 under U.S. Major Francis L. Dade, on its way to Fort King.

   Three days later, his forces ambushed a troop of regulars and volunteers at the Battle of Withlacoochee, north of Tampa. He directed the attack in a U.S. Army coat, firing with deadly accuracy on the split force of regulars who had gotten across the river and volunteers still on the other side.

   He continued his campaign of terror over the next two years. On June 2, 1837, his force of 200 Indians surrounded a detention camp at Tampa, where Indians were awaiting emigration to the west. An estimated 700 Indians were freed.

   Now, in October, 1837, the 38 year old war chief was suffering from quinsy - a form of strep throat - with intermittent bouts of malaria.

   He sent Coa Hadjo to talk with the U.S. delegation. After a brief exchange, the U.S. troops quietly and without incident put the Indian band under arrest. Either it was expected, or the spirit of Osceola had been broken. He appeared, nonetheless, resplendent in blue calico shirt, red leggings and bright print shawls around his head and across his shoulders.

   The band was paraded to Fort Marion, the U.S. territorial name for the Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine, where it seemed the whole town had been alerted and turned out to watch.

   In the damp interior of the fort, Osceola's condition worsened. A month after his capture he showed no interest in the escape plans of a younger, fiery associate, Coacoochee. Perhaps as a result of Coacoochee's miraculous escape with 18 other braves and two women, on November 29, 1837, Osceola was transferred to Fort Moultrie at Charleston, South Carolina.

   Among his visitors was George Catlin, who had spent two years observing, painting, and journaling the daily activities of western native tribes. Osceola posed in full regalia for Catlin, who noted his proud bearing and "master spirit" even in captivity. Catlin considered Osceola a powerful figure who displayed "an extraordinary character."

   Army doctors' efforts to treat Osceola were interfered with by a medicine man. On January 31, 1838, sensing the inevitable, Osceola directed his followers to dress him in his best finery, and he quietly laid back, his weapons at his side, and died.

   He was buried with full military honors in a grave outside the military base.

   On his marker, military authorities inscribed, "OCEOLA Patriot and Warrior."

   Painting of Osceola by George Catlin at Fort Moultrie