On the morning of June 9, 1836, seventy-five troops under Major J.F. Heileman fought about 250 Seminole warriors led by Osceola in the Battle of Micanopy. Two units, one mounted and the other foot artillery, left Fort Defiance, the fortified village of Micanopy, to meet the Seminoles. In a pincer movement, the troops attacked Osceola's left and right flanks while an artillery unit placed a cannon at the center, and the fighting also included a surprise attack on the Seminole rear flank. After one hour and twenty minutes, the Seminole retreated. The Army suffered one death and several wounded, while Native American losses are unknown. Heileman was breveted to Lieutenant Colonel by order of President Andrew Jackson, but died of malaria shortly afterward. The victory raised Army morale during the opening of the Second Seminole War after a series of military reverses, rallied vulnerable garrisons in the East Florida interior after the withdrawal of most of General Winfield Scott's five thousand troops one month earlier, and briefly answered national expectations of bravery and tactical success despite severe hardships and a malaria epidemic.
