The annual commemoration of the Battle of the Loxahatchee River again drew thousands to Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park in Jupiter on Jan. 24, with men in oppressively hot wool military uniforms and others in Native American garb explaining the roles they would have played 188 years ago when vastly outnumbered Seminoles were forced to retreat into nearby swamps.
This year’s commemoration, which included talks from local historians and Seminoles as well as displays of the crude ways early 19th century soldiers were fed, treated and mustered, comes as elected officials in Florida and in Washington reassess what history they want celebrated — and what history they want shelved.
But those who gathered under the massive, mossy oaks at Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park seemed uninterested in having their history parsed and pureed. They listened greedily as experts on the 1838 battle put the skirmish in the broader perspective of America’s quest to colonize Florida and push Seminoles off land they had lived on for generations…