Friday Reprise: William Weatherford of the Creek

We've covered the Creek War of 1814 in an earlier post, including the courage of Creek Leader William Weatherford (1781-1824) in surrendering to Andrew Jackson by walking unarmed and alone into his camp.  Now, we'll focus more closely on this extraordinary man who is still an Alabama legend.

William Weatherford was born into the complicated network of the Wind Clan's Sehoy dynasty.  His mother was Sehoy III, the daughter of Sehoy Marchand and a subsequent husband Charles Weatherford, a well-to-do Scottish trader.  Among his cousins were Creek leaders Alexander McGillivray and William McIntosh.  His nephew, David Moniac, whom we've also run across, would become the first Native cadet to graduate West Point.  William Weatherford was connected both in White society and in Creek, but his heart rested with his mother's people.  He excelled at the qualities expected of a young Creek man of high status, including stick ball, riding, weapons, hunting and leadership.  According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, his Native names were either Hoponika Fulsahi (Truth Maker) or Billy Larney (Yellow Billy).  The name Red Eagle (Lamochattee) was a later intervention.  However, several websites of Weaterford and Sehoy descendants refer to him as Red Eagle.  As it may be that he was given several names at different stages of life, Red Eagle might have been one.  His family would know best. 

Red Eagle's first exploit was as a member of the Creek War party who captured William Augustus Bowles, in 1801.  Both Alexander McGillivray and Benjamin Hawkins, the United States Indian Agent, believed that Bowles' antics in trying to create an independent Stat of Muscogee were doing more harm than good.  In addition to his qualities as a warrior, Weatherford was a successful businessman, planter and horse breeder.  These activities and his family connections would seem to put him in the White Stick Creek faction, Lower Creek families who had significant connections in the White world and believed that assimilation was the key to peaceful co-existence.  As the War of 1812 loomed and tensions within the Creek tribe increased about whether to stay neutral or support either the British or Americans, Weatherford was in favor of neutrality.  That changed when United States forces attacked an Upper
 Creek party smuggling guns from Spanish agents in Florida at the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek in July, 1813. 

Weatherford joined a growing party of Red Stick Creek leaders who carried out the assault on Fort Mims on August 30, 1813, and here is where controversy starts.  Over 500 people were slaughtered by the Red Stick forces at Fort Mims.  While some of these were soldiers under arms, many were White Settlers, mixed race Creeks of the White Stick faction, and slaves, either of the families or free people of color.  Some sources and family history claim that Weatherford tried to stop the slaughter.  Other sources indicate that he joined in with a vengeance.  This incident would be thrown in his face for the rest of his life.  Weatherford was now committed to the fight and his followers fortified the village of Econochaca, or Holy Ground.  In late December 1813, forces under General Ferdinand Claiborne assaulted the town.  Weatherford oversaw the evacuation of the women and children, then led a fighting retreat against the American forces.  At the last available moment, he jumped his horse over a bluff into the Alabama River and escaped in a hail of gunfire.

More warriors flocked to the Red Stick cause, until he commanded nearly 1,300 men, facing a force of roughly that same size along the Tallapoosa River near Calabee Creek.  The two sides fought to a draw before the Red Sticks retreated.  Sources differ as to whether Weatheford was at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, March 27, 1814, with some indicating that Weatherford again fought a rear guard action to protect the fleeing Creeks after their defeat at the hands of Andrew Jackson, and others questioning whether he was present at all.  After this disaster, many Creeks decided to flee and join the Seminoles in Florida. Weatherford with about 200 warriors decided to stay in Alabama.  Knowing that the war was over for his people, Weatherford turned himself in at Fort Toulouse, now renamed Fort Jackson.  According to family tradition, his words to Jackson were, "My warriors no longer hear my voice.  Their bones are at Talladega, Tallusahatchee and Tohopeka.  I ask for peace for my nation and for myself."  Jackson was impressed with Weatherford's bravery and his family's prominence in the area and let him go.

But there were plenty of other voices calling for his arrest an execution for the disaster at Fort Mims.  And, Jackson had his own price to exact.  Weatherford used his influence with other Red Stick holdouts to persuade them to lay down their arms, and took the field against them when they did not.  Due to his family's influence with White officials in the territory, and his cooperation with Jackson, he was not arrested, but he was effectively out of public life.  Weatherford retired to his plantation, cared for his family and business interests, but no longer took an active part in Creek affairs.