Illustration of a African American man in Seminole garb folding his hands at a table.

John Caesar

Leader during the Second Seminole War.

Who was John Caesar?

The majority of John Caesar’s life is quite obscure. In fact, the known information about John Caesar covers a period of just over a year (December 1835–January 1837).

This is primarily due to the limited contact between John Caesar and Whites (whether they be military or otherwise) in the territory. John Caesar was physically described as short and stocky with a broad face.

He was generally believed to have been an elderly man at the advent of the war, probably in his late fifties or sixties.

Caesar was regarded by Whites as “very intelligent,” “ an active smart Negro,” and “next to the negro Abraham in influence & importance among the Indian negroes and Indians.”

The Second Seminole War

While Abraham is noted as the Black Seminole primarily responsible for the development of the secret network between plantation slaves and Black Seminoles, Caesar was the individual most responsible for establishing the ties between the two.

This most likely is due to the fact that Caesar’s wife was indeed a plantation slave. Not only was he known to frequently visit her plantation, but several plantations in the area.

During the Second Seminole War, John Caesar was a primary instigator of plantation slaves, a principal leader of plantation raids, interpreter, negotiator, diplomat, and overall Black Seminole leader.

His position within both communities, Seminole and Black Seminole, is magnified when compared to the actual amount of time in which he participated in the war.

John Caesar’s plantation raids and relationship with the enslaved in Florida proved to be an important factor in the Second Seminole War for Black Seminoles. Unfortunately, he was killed during a plantation raid.