The Battle of Horseshoe Bend

On March 27, 1814, U.S. troops under the command of Major General Andrew
Jackson of Tennessee stormed the fortifications of the Creek Indian village of
Tohopeka in Alabama. When the bloody Battle of Horseshoe Bend was over,
more than 900 Creek warriors lay dead and the first step had been taken on a
journey that would culminate in the "Trail of Tears" for the Creek or Muscogee
Nation.

Events leading up to Horseshoe Bend began the previous summer. Irate over an
attack on one of their supply trains at Burnt Corn Creek by militiamen from the
Mississippi Territory, a large force of "Red Stick" Creek warriors attacked and
destroyed Fort Mims north of Mobile, Alabama. When the attack ended, at least
250 men, women and children lay dead. Fort Mims resulted in an uproar across
the white settlements of the American South and armies soon closed in on the
Creeks from three directions.

The primary of these, marching south from Tennessee under a hard-fighting
general named Andrew Jackson, suffered severely from food shortages and other
hardships while fighting four severe battles with the Creeks and establishing a
chain of forts. Once before, Jackson had approached the Horseshoe Bend, only to
fall back in the face of devastating attacks from Creek Warriors.

Reinforced by the U.S. 39th Infantry, he marched southeast from Fort Williams
(near today's Childersburg, Alabama) and arrived near Horseshoe Bend for a
second time on the evening of March 26, 1814.

Sending a large portion of his army across the Tallapoosa River to take up
positions on the opposite bank surrounding the large bend which gave the
battlefield its name, Jackson moved against the fortifications or "barricade" of the
Tohopeka village early on the morning of the 27th.

Placing two pieces of artillery on a small hill overlooking the fortification, Jackson
opened a bombardment of the works hoping to create a breach through which his
troops could pass. The wall, however, was so strongly constructed that his field
guns had little impact on either it or the army of Creek warriors who used it as a
defense. Motivated by the exhortations of their prophets, the Creeks - led by the
famed chief Menawa - challenged the soldiers and prepared for an intense battle.

As this impasse developed along the main lines, a portion of the troops sent to
the opposite bank of the Tallapoosa took action that ultimately decided the battle.
Commanded by General John Coffee, several hundred U.S.-allied Cherokee
warriors, along with some Tennessee riflemen, swam the river to the Creek
village and secured a number of canoes. Using them to ferry men across the river,
they set fire to the village at the foot of the bend and opened fire on the Creek army
from the rear.

Taking advantage of the diversion, Jackson ordered the 39th Infantry to storm the
barricade. The fighting was intense. Major Lemuel Montgomery (for whom the city
of Montgomery was later named) was killed, but his soldiers stormed the works
and poured into the Creek warriors beyond. Among the soldiers wounded in the
act was Ensign Sam Houston, later destined to become famed for his role in
securing the independence of Texas from Mexico.

The battle now turned into a bloodbath. Realizing that they were fighting for the
independence and future of their people, the Creek warriors refused to surrender
and literally fought to the last man. Although a few managed to escape during the
next night, including Menewa who swam the river and slipped away despite his
severe wounds, virtually the entire Creek force was killed in the fighting. More than
800 warriors died in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

U.S. casualties were heavy as well. Jackson later reported that his command
suffered 49 killed and 154 wounded, many of whom later died. The results,
however, were stunning. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend broke the back of the
Muscogee Nation, forcing an end to the Creek War of 1813-1814. Jackson's army
swept on into the very heart of the nation, accepting the surrender of many of the
principal Creek leaders. He forced upon them the Treaty of Fort Jackson, by which
he agreed to end the war in exchange for the transfer of 20,000,000 acres of land.
Most of the modern state of Alabama and part of Georgia were included in the
cession.

After Horseshoe Bend, the Creeks were surrounded by white settlers and twenty
years later were forced to give up the rest of their lands in Alabama and relocate to
new homes west of the Mississippi in what is now Oklahoma. The long and
deadly journey became known as the "Trail of Tears." Jackson went on to defeat
the British ten months later at the Battle of New Orleans, becoming a legendary
American hero and ultimately President of the United States.

At Horseshoe Bend, the armies of two nations fought with courage and
determination, knowing that the future was being decided. Their sacrifices are
remembered today at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Daviston,
Alabama.