Freedom Land — Martin L. Marcus

The setting is Georgia and Florida more than fifteen years before the Civil War. Blond-haired, blue-eyed Billy Powell is the half-breed son of a respected British officer and his Creek Indian consort. Accused of a murder he did not commit and fearing for his life, Billy flees south into Seminole Indian Territory to a village where his legend waits to be born.

The village is called Freedom Land, a confederation of escaped slaves and Native Americans. All of their lives are suddenly threatened when American soldiers attempt to capture the escaped slaves and return them to their former owners.

Driven by his love for the beautiful Morning Dew, daughter of Chief Micanopy, Billy takes up the cause of defending Freedom Land and is catapulted into history, forever to be known as Chief Osceola.

Based on meticulous research in newspapers and journals of the time, Freedom Land brings to vivid life the turbulent story of whites, blacks, and Native Americans during the period known as the Seminole Wars. The book describes their betrayal by the United States military that remains an embarrassment to this day. A page-turning historical novel that includes among its key players Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, and John Horse, Freedom Land is as thought-provoking and informative as it is immensely entertaining.