Edited by Spessard Stone from a letter by Lt. Col. Edward Jenner Steptoe to Bvt. Major W. T. H. Brooks, Fort Brooke, Fla.
Introduction: Born in Virginia, Edward Jenner Steptoe graduated from the U. S. Military Academy in 1837. Recognized for galantry in the Mexican War, he was breveted lt. colonel. After serving in Florida in 1849-50, Col. Steptoe was stationed in the west, particularly in what is now the state of Washington. His health failed in 1859, and he returned to Virginia. Trying to recuperate, he spent the winter of 1860-61 in Cuba, but his health remained poor. He died in Virginia on April 16, 1865.
Fort Fraser, spelled here as Frazer, was established in 1837 just west of Saddle Creek in (now) Polk County. Fort Gardner, also established in 1837, was located on the Kissimmee River.
Fort Chokonikla was established on October 26, 1849 and was abandoned on July 18, 1850. It's site is today contained in Paynes Creek State Historic Site, located on SR 664-A, east of Bowling Green.
Officers mentioned include: Lt. George W. Patten (later Lt. Col., USA), Lt. Darius Nash Couch (later Major General, USA), and Capt. George E. Getty (later Brevet Major General, USA).
Fort Chokonikla, Fa.
Nov. 22nd 1849
Sir,
I have the honor to submit the following diary & report of my reconnaisance of Pea River (Peace River) & of the route from Fort Frazer to the Kissimmee-made in obedience to the order of the major general commanding.
16th - At daylight on 16th started with four officers & forty-eight men, leaving Lieut. Patten with the remaining men & horses in camp, crossed the river & its tributaries & encamped 3 P.M.
17th - Continued to follow the stream in search for Fort Frazer. After searching three hours, concluded we were too far south & retraced my steps six miles to examine the river more closely.
18th - Returned to the point relinquished yesterday & moving by the compass reached Fort Frazer at 12 & crossed the river & encamped thirteen miles from the fort. A bridge & causeway about eight miles from Fort Frazer were too dilapiidated to cross, I built a slight one near it.
19th - Marched one and one-half miles & found a bridge & causeway some sixty or seventy yards in length, too much out of repair & much of it too decayed to justify an effort to cross it, and to find the stream or morass impracticable; dismounted half the men & leaving Lt. Couch with the remaining men & the horses, started on foot to reach Fort Gardner, marched ten miles, & being unable to proceed farther from sickness & painful feet, I put the command & prosecution of the route in charge of Capt. Getty.
The Captain reports that all trace of the road ceased at once. The trees were blazed in every direction and he was unable to reach Fort Gardner but struck the river, probably a little south of the fort. We returned to the horses & encamped.
20th - Having only provisions for this day & two quarts of grain to the horses, I started for Fort Cho-ko-nik-la and reached it on 21st. All the men & horses present at 6 P.M. The bridge at Fort Frazer over Pea River (Peace River) was quite gone & the causeway very much decayed. It will be necessary to reconstruct the bridge & causeway fourteen and one-half miles from Fort Frazer, but the timbers are mostly there & most of them still available.
From this point Fort Chokonikla to Fort Frazer, a good wagon road of twenty miles length may be constructed by making one short causeway & repairing the bridge three or four miles beyond Whidden's. It will be necessary to improve a little several fords of small streams, but not the bridge to them. "(Signed) E. J. Steptoe
Bvt. Col. 3d Arty.
Comdg. Battn.
This, as "History: Peace River Reconaissance," was published in The Herald-Advocate (Wauchula, Fla.) of April 15, 1993.
April 12, 2001 & October 17, 2001