taylor's army came up to a large hammock with half a mile of swamp in front of it. on the far side of the hammock was lake okeechobee. here the saw grass stood five feet high. the mud and water were three feet deep. horses would be of no use. it was plain that the seminole meant this to be the battleground. they had cut the grass to provide an open field of fire and had notched the trees to steady their rifles. their scouts were perched in the treetops to follow every movement of the troops coming up.