Dade Battlefield Historic State Park preserves the central Florida site where Seminole warriors and Black Seminole allies ambushed Major Francis L. Dade’s U.S. Army column on December 28, 1835, in the clash that marked the beginning of the Second Seminole War. Rooted in rising tensions over removal, white settlement, and slave-catching raids, the battle left nearly all of Dade’s soldiers dead. The site later served as Fort Armstrong during the war and reflects the complicated role of Black Seminoles in the conflict. Preserved beginning in the late 19th century, it became a memorial park, later saw military use in World War II, and remains a major place of remembrance and reenactment.