1856 – Six soldiers from the U.S. 2nd Calvary were ambushed by approximately 20 Seminole Indians outside of Fort Denaud on the Caloosahatchee River on this date. The small detachment was on a wood-cutting expedition outside the fort to help provide resources for the approximately 150 men stationed there. Only one soldier survived the skirmish. Fort Denaud was re-established in 1855 as a logistical hub in the third and final of the Seminole Wars. The subtropical climate and constant threat of attack made for difficult duty for most of the men who had previously never been to Florida Although there were very few pitched battles, and often the only interactions between the U.S. troops and the Seminoles were brief skirmishes, such as the one which occurred on this date, the Third Seminole War resulted in many of the remaining Seminole Indians emigrating west, and many U.S. soldiers dying from disease and exposure by the end of the conflict in 1858.