As we've already found out, there were sharp divisions within the Muscogee/Creek Confederacy about whether they should cooperate with the Americans, and become more assimilated into White Society, or side with the British should they choose to reclaim a portion of their former North American Empire. The factions split into two sides. Red Sticks, such as William Weatherford, Menawa, Peter McQueen and others were for greater Creek autonomy and already making overtures to both the British and Spanish. Red was the traditional color indicating war, and was used to paint weapons and ceremonial implements used by medicine men (often called prophets), when war was in the offing. Other Creek leaders such as William McIntosh, influenced by United States Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins, both of whom have featured in previous posts, believed that cooperation with the Americans was essential to Creek survival.
We've covered the opening salvos of the Creek War, including the Battle of Burnt Corn and the Battle/Massacre of Fort Mims. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, fought on a bend of the Tallapoosa River near present-day Alexander City, Alabama, was the tragic end of this War and, though they may not have realized it yet, one more step in the inevitable march toward Indian Removal for all the Southeastern tribes. Andrew Jackson, anticipating that the Creek War would be a sideshow and that his larger foe was the British, had built his Tennessee Militia into a fighting force. In March, 1814, he would. He also had a unit of regular Army, the 39th United States Infantry, and over 600 Native auxiliaries, including White Stick Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, and others. Among the men in Jackson's army were both Sam Houston, who had married into the Cherokee Tribe and been adopted by a family, as well as Davy Crockett. Among the Native leaders were Janaluska of the Cherokee, Pushmataha of the Choctaw and McIntosh. Jackson's force numbered about 3,300, including cavalry, artillery and Native auxiliaries. The Red Sticks were commanded by Menawa, though William Weatherford may also have been present, and numbered about 1,000 warriors.
On March 27, 1814, both armies encountered one another on the Tallapoosa River and made their preparations. Jackson sent a portion of his army under Col. John Coffee across the River to surround the Creek village. The Creeks had dug themselves in with log and dirt barricades. Jackson opened with an artillery barrage which did little to damage the Red Stick fortifications. He then ordered a bayonet charge. As Sam Houston leaped over the barricade, he was shot in an unfortunate place by a Creek warrior. The injury troubled him for the rest of his life and may have led to the annulment of one of his marriages. Jackson's numbers eventually overwhelmed the Creek forces and drove them from the field. Menawa (and perhaps Weatherford) led their men away from the field and fled toward Spanish Florida and the safety of the Seminoles. Jackson forced the remaining Creek to sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, ceding 23 million acres of land in central Alabama and southern Gerogia. This included land claimed by White Stick Creeks, who now found themselves being punished along with their Red Stick enemies. Some of the land ceded was land also claimed by the Cherokees, who protested to no avail. This battle put Jackson's name on the national map as far as military heroes went. The auxiliaries who fought with him weren't so lucky. Though Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw veterans had been promised land grants for their service, as well as annuities, they received no money, and many of them were forced to march west during Removal. These included Janaluska, who had saved Jackson's life by clubbing a Creek prisoner in the aftermath of the battle and who later went to Jackson personally to plead his people's cause.
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