Battle of Horseshoe Bend

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Battle of Horseshoe Bend

Diorama of the battle from the Horseshoe Bend Museum
Conflict: Creek War, War of 1812
Date: March 27, 1814
Place: near Wetumpka, Alabama
Outcome: United States victory
Combatants
Creek Indians
Red Sticks
United States
Cherokee
Creek allies
Commanders
Menawa Andrew Jackson
Strength
1,000 Red Stick Creek about 2,000 infantry
700 mounted infantry
600 Cherokee and Lower Creeks
Casualties
800 49 killed
154 wounded
War of 1812: Creek War
Fort MimsBurnt CornTallushatcheeTalladegaEmuckfaw and Enotachopo CreekHorseshoe Bend

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama. On March 27, 1814 United States forces and Indian allies under General Andrew Jackson defeated Creek Indians, effectively ending the Creek Indian War.

Contents

Background

Although having nothing to do with the British or Canadians, the battle is still considered part of the War of 1812. More specifically, it was the major battle of the Creek War, in which Andrew Jackson sought to "clear" Alabama for American settlement. General Andrew Jackson was in command of an army of West Tennessee militia, which he had turned into a well-trained fighting force. To add to these militia units, was the 39th United States Infantry and about 600 Cherokee and Lower Creek Indians fighting against the Red Stick Creek Indians. After leaving Fort Williams in the Spring of 1814, Jackson's army cut its way through the forest, to within 6 miles of Chief Menawa's Red Stick camp near a bend in the Tallapoosa River, called "Horseshoe Bend" in central Alabama. Jackson sent General John Coffee with the mounted infantry and the Indian allies, south across the river to surround the Red Sticks camp, while Jackson stayed with the rest of the 2,000 infantry north of the camp.

The Battle

Battle positions
Enlarge
Battle positions

On March 26, at 10:30 in the morning Jackson began an artillery barrage, which caused little damage. Coffee's Cherokees and cavalry began crossing the river, and fighting the Red Sticks from the rear. Jackson ordered an all-out bayonet charge. The infantry charged the barricade surrounding the camp and quickly overwhelmed it. The battle quickly became a rout; and roughly 550 Red Sticks were killed on the field, while many of the rest were killed trying to make it across the river. Chief Menawa was severely wounded; but survived, to lead only about 200 of the original 1,000 warriors across the river, and into "safety" among the Seminole tribe in Spanish Florida.

Results

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was a crushing defeat for the Red Stick Creeks. Hostile Creeks held out against the U.S. for another few months, but in the Treaty of Fort Jackson, signed April 9, 1814, ceded 23 million acres (93,000 km²) of Creek land in Alabama and Georgia to the United States government.

This victory, along with the Battle of New Orleans, gave Andrew Jackson the popularity to win election as President of the United States.

Sam Houston (the future Governor of Tennessee and Texas) served as a third lieutenant in Jackson's army. Houston was the first soldier to make it over the log barricade alive, and received a wound from a Creek arrow, that troubled him the rest of his life.

The battlefield is preserved in the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park.

See also

External links

Additional Sources

Steve Rajtar's book, "Indian War Sites" (McFarland and Company, Inc., 1999)

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