 The military penetration of southern Florida offered the opportunity to map a poorly understood part of the country . As late as 1823 , official reports doubted the existence of a large inland lake , until the military met the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee in 1837 . To avenge repeated surprise attacks on himself and ammunition stores , Colonel William Harney led an expedition into the Everglades in 1840 , to hunt for a chief named Chekika . With Harney were 90 soldiers in 16 canoes . One soldier 's account of the trip in the St. Augustine News was the first printed description of the Everglades available to the general public . The anonymous writer described the hunt for Chekika and the terrain they were crossing : " No country that I have ever heard of bears any resemblance to it ; it seems like a vast sea filled with grass and green trees , and expressly intended as a retreat for the rascally Indian , from which the white man would never seek to drive them " . 
 The military penetration of southern Florida offered the opportunity to map a poorly understood part of the country . As late as 1823 , official reports doubted the existence of a large inland lake , until the military met the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee in 1837 . To avenge repeated surprise attacks on himself and ammunition stores , Colonel William Harney led an expedition into the Everglades in 1840 , to hunt for a chief named Chekika . With Harney <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> 90 soldiers in 16 canoes . One soldier <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'s</mark></a>account of the trip in the St. Augustine News was the first printed description of the Everglades available to the general public . The anonymous writer described the hunt for Chekika and the terrain they <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>were</mark></a> crossing : " No country <a href='null_relcl' title='4'><mark>that</mark></a>I <a href='been_done' title='5'><mark>have</mark></a> ever heard of bears any resemblance to it ; it <a href='uninflect' title='6'><mark>seems</mark></a> like a vast sea filled with grass and green trees , and expressly intended as a retreat for the rascally Indian , from which the white man would never seek to drive them " . 
Da military penetration of southern Florida offered tdaopportunity to map a poorly understood part of the country . As late as 1823 , official reports doubted the existence of a large inland lake , till the military met thdaeminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee in 1837 . To avenge repeated surprise attacks on himself and ammunition stores , Colonel William Harney led an expedition into thedaerglades in 1840 , to hunt for a chief named Chekika . With Harney was 90 soldiers in 16 canoes . One soldier  account of the dap in the SdaAugustine News was the first printed description of the Evdalades available to the general public . The anodaous writer described the huntdar Chekika and the terrain they was crossing : " No country I done eva heard of bears any resemblance to it ; it seem like a vast sea filled wit grass and green trees , and expressly intended as a retreat fir the rascally Indian , from which the white man would never seek to drive them " .