Thlocklo Tustenuggee ( also known as Thlocko , Thlocco , and Tiger Tail ) was one of the most prominent Seminole leaders in the Second Seminole War . He spoke English fluently , and also spoke Muscogee . Tustenuggee was one of the three leaders of the 300 Seminoles who fought in the battle that became known as the Dade Massacre . During the war , he and Halleck Tustenuggee , another prominent Seminole leader in the war , met with General Walker Keith Armistead to negotiate , but negotiations broke down and the war resumed . As the war waned , Armistead used money to bribe several Seminole leaders to surrender , but Tustenuggee refused to be bribed and he continued to lead his band in fighting . When the war ended , his Seminole band was one of the few that remained in Florida . In 1843 , Tustenuggee and 26 of his followers were forcibly migrated from Florida to New Orleans , Louisiana . They were transported by the USS '' Lawrence '' along with 65 other Native Americans and three black slaves . Tustenuggee then committed suicide by swallowing powdered glass . His death was reported in newspapers , as were the deaths of other prominent Native American leaders who died in connection with the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Thlocklo Tustenuggee