Creek chief gives account of the Battle of New Orleans

Fanciful drawing of the capture of the Prophet Francis in 1818

Louisiana is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans this weekend (1/8-1/11), with yesterday marking the bicentennial of Andrew Jackson's stunning victory. 

Over the next couple of days I will share some little known bits of history associated with the battle that I think you might fight to be of interest. Be sure to watch for them on the main page at http://southernhistory.blogspot.com.

While much has been written about the significance of the monumental battle, few historians have done more than note that a delegation of Seminole and Red Stick Creek chiefs and warriors were among those that observed the fighting from behind the British lines.

Lt. Col. Edward Nicolls, Royal Marines
He accompanied the chiefs and warriors at New Orleans.

The Royal Navy had transported the American Indians to New Orleans from the Apalachicola River in Florida, believing that it would impress upon them the might of the King's forces if they could view firsthand the expected destruction of Jackson's army and the capture of the city. Things did not go as anticipated, with the British suffering more than 3,200 casualties compared to only 19 by Jackson's army (yes, that's 19). Please click here to learn more.

Among the Florida chiefs and warriors watching the battle were the Seminole leaders Cappachimico and Hopoi Micco of Miccasukee and the Red Stick Creek prophet, Josiah Francis. Several other chiefs and warriors were also there.  While he never specified which of these individuals spoke with him about the battle, U.S. Agent for Indian Affairs Benjamin Hawkins described a conversation with one of them in a letter to Governor Peter Early of Georgia:

Living history demonstrators Christopher Kimbell (L) and
Lionel Young (R) represent the Prophet Francis and Col.
Bennjamin Hawins at a recent marker unveiling.

An Indian I know a “Red Stick” chief sent me word he was with the British in their battles against Jackson. “They were beaten in every battle by night and by day. Their large Vessels could not come near the land, they sent their troops in barges who were attacked as they were landing, and at night after landing. He saw the decisive battle on the 8th. The Americans had double ditches which were not discovered til they got up to the first, the first who attempted to storm the works were driven back with great loss. A second attempt was made, which met a similar fate, when the Commander in Chief went forward with his best troops, who met with a greater loss, he was killed and the next in command. The ground appeared to him covered with dead wounded and the British had many wounded who retreated in action or were carried off. - Col. Benjamin Hawkins to Gov. Peter Early, February 12, 1815.

The British brought the stunned chiefs and warriors back to the Apalachicola River after the battle. They had witnessed a slaughter even greater than the one Jackson had inflicted on their own countrymen at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Alabama.

They remained loyal to the British during the months following the Battle of New Orleans, but with less enthusiasm than before. 

Please click here to learn more about the Battle of New Orleans: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/neworleansbattle.html.

Marker to be placed at British War of 1812 fort site in Florida

Nicolls' Outpost stood atop this large American Indian mound
at River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida.

 A new historical marker will be unveiled on November 9th to mark the site of the northernmost advance of British forces on the Gulf Coast during the War of 1812.

The marker is being placed at River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida, on the site of Nicolls' Outpost, a fort built at the head of the Apalachicola River by British troops in November 1814. Its site marks the northernmost point reached by British forces during the Gulf Coast Campaign best remembered for the Battle of New Orleans.

The Apalachicola River from the site of the fort.

The marker is being placed by Chattahoochee Main Street, the City of Chattahoochee and the West Gadsden Historical Society. The new panel was funded through the sales of The Early History of Gadsden County and The Scott Massacre of 1817. No tax money was used in the purchase of the marker. 

Nicolls' Outpost was built by Royal Colonial Marines and a large force of Creek and Seminole warriors ahead of a planned British invasion of Georgia. The War of 1812 ended before that invasion could take place, but the site near the point where the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers (today's Lake Seminole) flow together to form the Apalachicola marked the northernmost movement of a large British force during the Gulf Coast Campaign of 1814-1815.

The Apalachicola River at Chattahoochee, Florida

The outpost was one of two British forts build on the Apalachicola during the war. The other stood on Prospect Bluff at today's Fort Gadsden Historic Site in the Apalachicola National Forest.

Please click here to read more about the history of Nicolls' Outpost.

Chattahoochee Main Street will host an unveiling ceremony at River Landing Park on November 9th at 3 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Central). Living history participants will be on hand to represent the Creek Prophet Josiah Francis and U.S. Agent for Indian Affairs Benjamin Hawkins, both of whom played important roles in the history of the fort. There will be performances of 19th century music, special comments, light refreshments and other activities.

The public is encouraged to attend!

Fort Mims 200th Anniversary - The night before the attack

Monument  at Fort Mims

 200 years ago tonight, a force 700-1,000 Red Stick warriors moved to within range of Fort Mims, a roughly built log stockade in the Tensaw settlement north of Mobile, Alabama.

The evening of August 29, 1813, would be the last night on earth for more than 250 of the inhabitants of the fort. They had come there seeking safety, but on the next day Fort Mims would prove to be a trap from which few would escape.

19th Century Artist's Impression of the Big Warrior

The attack was part of the Creek War of 1813-1814, a conflict that had started as a civil war among the Upper Creeks who lived along the Alabama, Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers. A large segment of the nation had broken away from its traditional leadership - the Big Warrior, Little Prince, William McIntosh and others - and taken up the war club under the leadership of Josiah Francis, a man remembered today as the Alabama Prophet.

Francis grew up in the Alabama towns which were clustered near present-day Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama (or Alibamo) were an ancient tribe with different traditions and a different language those those of the Muskogee or Upper Creeks. Even so, the Alabamas and the associated Coushatta (or Coosada) had allied themselves with the Muskogees as part of the loosely organized Creek Confederacy.

Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee Prophet

In 1811-1812, however, Josiah Francis converted to the religion of the Shawnee Prophet, Tenskwatawa. A brother of Tecumseh, the Prophet taught that the American Indians should separate themselves from and give up the ways of the whites. Contrary to much 19th century and modern writing, he did not urge war on the whites but instead told his followers they should remain at peace with everyone and should steal nothing from the whites, "not even a bell." He did advocate a strong union of the various Indian nations, but as a defensive measure to halt any further westward expansion by settlers from the United States.

Francis had seen the impact of the "plan of civilization" introduced in the Creek Nation by the United States through the guidance of its Agent for Indian Affairs, Colonel Benjamin Hawkins. Traditional ways were disappearing from the Creeks and the evil influence of alcohol had spread through the Nation. Even though he was the son of a white trader, Francis grew concerned over these influences and listened carefully to Tecumseh when he came to Alabama in the fall of 1811 to spread the word of his brother's religion and prophesies.

Alabama River

Francis did not immediately convert, however, but thought over Tecumseh's message and learned more from the lesser Shawnee prophet Seekaboo, who had remained among the Creeks after the Prophet's brother returned to the Midwest. Josiah Francis became a true believer.

In the late summer of 1812, he announced that he had become a prophet himself. As the warriors in the Alabama towns listened to his preachings, they became convinced that the conversion was real and began calling Francis a "Hillis Hadjo" ("Warrior of Mad Medicine"). From an early group of 60 followers, the Alabama Prophet's following grew dramatically until by early 1813 his converts numbered in the thousands.

19th Century Sketch of a Human Scalp

The U.S. unwittingly ignited the civil war among the Creeks when it demanded the punishment of Little Warrior and a party of the Alabama Prophet's followers who had killed white settlers on the Duck River in Tennessee. The Big Warrior - traditional leader of the Creek Nation - ordered out execution squads to kill the murderers. Francis ordered his own warriors to retaliate and war exploded among the Creeks.

Francis and his followers became known as Red Sticks because they displayed red war clubs in their villages in a traditional sign of war.

As the conflict escalated, a force of 300 Red Sticks went to Pensacola in Spanish Florida to obtain arms and ammunition. The Spanish governor provided them with 1,000 pounds of gunpowder, along with gun flints, other supplies and a corresponding amount of lead shot. As they were making their way back to Holy Ground, the town that the Prophet Francis had established on the upper Alabama River, these warriors were attacked by a force of Mississippi Territorial Militia. The resulting engagement is remembered today as the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek and ended in victory for the Red Sticks.

Reconstructed Stockade at Fort Mims

Blood had been shed between the Red Sticks and the whites, however, and the families of those slain and wounded demanded a retaliatory strike. Since many of their enemies - including a group of mestizos (Creeks of mixed ancestry who sided with the whites) - were sheltered at Fort Mims, it was selected as the target.

The fort was not a true military structure, but instead was a rough stockade with a blockhouse that had been erected around the house of Samuel Mims. Hundreds of white and mestizo settlers had crowded inside, where they were protected by a small force of territorial militia. Because there were so many of them, the occupants of Fort Mims did not really think the Red Sticks would dare attack them. They were wrong.

Artist's Impression of William Weatherford

200 years ago tonight, a force of 700-1,000 Red Stick warriors led by William Weatherford and the lesser prophet Paddy Walsh took up positions in shallow ravines within view of Fort Mims. Weatherford and others even crawled up to the walls of the fort and peered through the loopholes to study the arrangement of the stockade. The fort was so poorly designed that the loopholes were not elevated. This meant that an attacking enemy could use them to fire into the fort just as easily as its defenders could use them to fire out.

Even though slaves had reported the presence of a large Red Stick force in the area and even though hundreds of warriors spent the night within sight of the stockade, Major Daniel Beasley and the officers commanding Fort Mims never saw them coming.

The next day - August 30, 1813 - would end in one of the greatest defeats ever administered by whites by an American Indian force in the entire history of North America.

Please click here to read more about the attack itself: http://southernhistory.blogspot.com/2013/08/200th-anniversary-of-fall-of-fort-mims.html.

You can learn more about Fort Mims State Historic Site at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortmims1.

This weekend marks the 200th anniversary of the attack on Fort Mims and special events are planned. To see the schedule of events and obtain directions, please visit http://southernhistory.blogspot.com/2013/08/friday-marks-200th-anniversary-of-fort.html.

Summer Escapes #12 - Wakulla Springs, Florida

Wakulla Springs State Park near Tallahassee, Florida, preserves one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. It is a popular place for summer escapes and is rich in history and natural beauty.

Specially equipped divers have explored the caves from which the water flows for miles and to depths of over 300 feet. The spring has also produced outstanding collections of bones from prehistoric animals, including mastodons.

Early Native Americans hunted, gathered and fished in and around the spring and local legend holds that the name "Wakulla" is an ancient Indian word meaning "strange and mysterious waters."

The Creek Prophet, Josiah Francis, established a village downstream from Wakulla Springs after fleeing to Florida at the end of the Creek War of 1813-1814. It was here that his daughter, Milly Francis, saved the life of a U.S. soldier in 1818 and became known as the Creek Pocahontas.

The spring and surrounding property were purchased in 1934 by noted Florida industrialist Edward Ball. He preserved the land in its natural state and opened the historic Wakulla Springs Lodge in 1937.

Wakulla Springs is now a state park and is open to visitors daily. The park features glass-bottom boats, river cruises, swimming, hiking and picnicking as well as dining and overnight stays in the beautiful old lodge. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/wakullasprings.

William Weatherford's Grave - Baldwin County, Alabama

The resting place of a noted figure in Southern and Native American history an be found in a quiet park in Baldwin County, Alabama.

William Weatherford, often called "Red Eagle" since his death in 1826, was a Creek warrior associated with some of the most significant events in Southern history. The son of a white trader and a Creek woman and the nephew of the famed Creek leader Alexander McGillivray, Weatherford lived on a plantation in South Alabama and was a noted horse breeder.

In 1803, he was part of the party that seized the notorious pirate and adventurer William Augustus Bowles and turned him over to the Spanish due to Bowles' attempt to rest control of the Creek Nation from its hereditary leaders. Ten years later, however, Weatherford himself became involved in a violent attempt to seize control of the nation.

The story of how William Weatherford, a mixed race warrior who lived in a largely white lifestyle, became involved in a religious movement designed to return the Creek Nation to its traditional roots is both complicated and confusing. One story holds that he was forced to join by a Red Stick prophet who threated his safety and that of his family, but his relative Samuel Moniac, who was present at the alleged incident, did not mention Weatherford's presence.

The second story is that Weatherford joined the Red Stick movement voluntarily through the influence of relatives such as Josiah Francis, the primary Red Stick prophet.

A third story, however, emerges in the letters of the U.S. Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins who reported in 1813 that "Bill Weatherford" was a member of the Mississippi Territorial Militia that engaged a Red Stick supply train at Burnt Corn Creek, Alabama. According to Hawkins, Weatherford was taken prisoner in the battle. Not long after, he emerged as one of the leaders of the Red Stick attack on Fort Mims, Alabama, in which hundreds of men, women and children were killed.

To learn more about William Weatherford and see photos of his burial place, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/weatherford.