CH. X.] FLOYD'S AND CLAIBORNE'S VICTORIES. venge, and religion could present. Warriors from eight towns were assembled to oppose the invaders there. But the well-directed fire of the artillery, added to the charge of the bayonet, triumphed over all opposition. The Indians lost at least two hundred, among whom were the Autossee king and another, and their wounded were much more numerous. The number of buildings burnt, some of a superior order for the dwellings of savages, and filled with valuable articles, was supposed to be four hundred. The American loss was eleven killed and fifty-four wounded. That of the friendly Indians, who fought with them, and with great intrepidity, was never ascertained. 1813. In the month of December, Claiborne, with the Mississippi volunteers, and a body of Choctaws, advanced into the Creek country; and on the 23d, attacked Ecchanachaca, "Holy Ground," a town on the Alabama, of about two hundred houses, not long built, with many incantations, to serve as Weatherford's stronghold, and fancied by the Indians to be impregnable. Weatherford himself, Josiah, Francis, and Sinquister, all of them "prophets," encouraged their followers to display the most furious bravery in defence of the consecrated spot. Thirty only were killed; the chief prophet fled; the town was burned, and all the land round devastated. The term of service of the Tennessee volunteers having expired, no persuasions of General Jackson were sufficiently strong to induce them to remain longer away from their homes. Becoming mutinous, they were disbanded and VOL. III.-27 20 1814. ordered to march back to Tennessee. The next morning, a retrograde movement was made by General Jackson, under a belief that he had diverted the enemy from their designs against the Georgia troops, and could encounter them best nearer to his dépôt. On the 24th, at the outset of the march, there lay a defile at the crossing of the Enotachopes Creek. Here the Indians, who had followed closely, (and against whom preparations had been made in the night for fear of a sudden attack,) fell upon them, and threw them into disorder for a short time, some companies taking to flight. Very soon, however, they were rallied and brought into action, and the artillery, which was encumbered in the ford at the moment of attack, took the lead against the swarms of the enemy. The conflict did not last long, and the Indians were routed, and fled in the greatest consternation; leaving twenty-six of their number dead on the field. Jackson's loss, in these fights, was twenty-four killed and seventy-one wounded: the Indians' loss was about two hundred dead on the battle field, beside large numbers wounded. Notwithstanding these repulses, the Creeks attacked General Floyd at Camp Defiance, early in the morning of the 27th of January, and quite unexpect edly. The sentinels were driven in, and a fierce contest took place within the lines; but Indian valor, weapons, and tactics, here as elsewhere, proved no match for American discipline, grape shot, and the bayonet. Thirty-seven of their warriors were left dead; but it was plain, from the number of headdresses and war-clubs scattered about, and from the bloody trail they made in their retreat, that this was not the whole of their loss. Seventeen Americans fell, and a hundred and thirty-two were wounded. Early in March, Jackson was appointed a major-general in the United States service, and was reinforced by the thirty-ninth regiment of United States infantry. Several de- 1814. tachments of militia and volunteers soon afterwards joined him, so that the forces at his command amounted to nearly four thousand men, besides Indian auxiliaries, numbering nearly another thousand. He was now in a condition to bring the war to a close by an attack upon the last stronghold of the Creeks. This was at the bend of the Talapoosa, called by the Indians Tohopeka, and by the whites Horse shoc Bend. Nature and art had rendered this a place of great security. A breastwork had been erected, from five to eight feet high, across the peninsula, thus enclosing nearly one hundred acres of ground. This could not be ap proached, without being exposed to a double and cross fire from the Indians who lay behind.. About one thousand warriors had collected on this spot. Here General Jackson determined to attack them. On the 26th of March, he encamped within six miles of the place, and having learned the shore was lined with canoes, he sent General Coffee to the opposite side of the river to surround the Bend in such a manner that none could escape by crossing the river. With the remainder of his force, he attacked their fortifications in front. A brisk fire was kept up for two hours, when General Coffee crossed to the peninsula to his aid, and commenced a spirited fire upon the enemy, who lay behind the breastwork; but they were still unsubdued. General Jackson determined to storm their fortifications. CH. X.] THE CREEKS DEFEATED. The regulars, led on by Colonel Williams and Major Montgomery, advanced to the charge. An obstinate contest ensued, in which the combatants fought through the port-holes, musket to musket. At this time, Major Montgomery, leaping on the wall, called to his men to mount and follow him. Scarcely had he spoken, when a ball struck him on the head, and he fell lifeless to the ground. Yet the Americans obeyed his command, and, following his example, soon gained the opposite side of the works. Though the Creeks fought with a bravery which their desperate situation alone could have inspired, yet they were entirely defeated, and cut to pieces. Five hundred and fifty were killed on the peninsula, and many were drowned or shot in attempting to cross the river. Jackson's loss, including the friendly Indians, was fifty-four killed, and one hundred and fifty-six wounded. This decisive victory ended in the submission of the remaining warriors, and terminated the Creek war. Among those who threw themselves upon the mercy of their victors, was Weatherford, who was equally distinguished for his talents and cruelty. "I am in your power," said he, "do with me what you please. I have done the white people all the harm I could. I have fought them, and fought them bravely. There was a time when I had a choice. I have none now; every hope is ended. Once I could animate my warriors to battle; but I cannot animate the dead. They can no longer hear my voice; their bones are at Tallushatches, Talladega, Emucfau, and Tohopeka. While there was a chance of success, I never suppli 211 cated peace; but my people are gone, and I now ask it for my nation and myself." 1814. During the month of April, General Jackson scoured the country on the Coosa and Talapoosa Rivers. A party of the enemy on the latter river, on his approach fled to Pensacola; and a detachment of Carolina militia, under Colonel Pearson, traversed the banks of the Alabama, and received the submission of a great number of Creek warriors and prophets. Finally, the Indians being now completely at the mercy of the conquerors, a treaty of peace was dictated by General Jackson to the Creeks, and signed early in August. The terms were se vere, but probably necessarily so, in order to insure future tranquillity. The Creeks agreed to yield a large portion of their country as an indemnity for the expenses of the war; they consented to the opening roads through their country, together with the liberty of navigating their rivers; they engaged to establish trading houses, and to endeavor to bring back the nation to its former state; they also stipulated to hold no intercourse with any British or Spanish post or garrison, and to deliver up the property they had taken from the whites and the friendly Indians. General Jackson, on the part of the United States, undertook to guarantee their remaining territory to them; to restore all their prisoners; and, in consideration of their destitute situation, to furnish them gratuitously with the necessaries of life until they could provide for themselves. It will be remembered, that during the early part of the year 1813, great activity had been manifested in the north-west, although no material results had been attained. The spirit 1813. of the people was roused to a pitch of enthusiasm, and there was an earnest determination to prosecute hostilities with vigor; but, as we have stated, (p. 185,) without the command of the lake, offensive operations could not be carried on to any great advantage. The utmost exertions, accordingly, were made by Perry to complete his naval armament, and to test the ability of our gallant sailors in a contest with the enemy on Lake Erie. with the usual threats of butchery and massacre, if the garrison should hold out; but Croghan, who found that all his companions, full of zeal, like himself, would support him to the last, re turned a spirited answer; to the effect that, "when the fort should be taken, there would be none left to massacre; as it would not be given up while a man was able to fight." A brisk firing was kept up by the enemy during the night; and at an early hour next morning, three sixpounders which had been planted during the night, within two hundred and fifty yards of the pickets, began to play upon the fort, but with little effect. About four in the afternoon, all the enemy's guns were concentrated against the northwestern angle of the fort, for the purpose of making a breach. To counteract the effect of their fire, Major Croghan caused that point to be strengthened by means of bags of flour, sand, and other materials, in such a manner that the picketing sus tained little or no injury. But the British, supposing that their fire had sufficiently shattered the pickets, advanced, to the number of five hundred, to storm the place, at the same time 1813. Proctor, aware of the spirit and progress of the Americans, which threatened the supremacy which the enemy had acquired and maintained thus far on the lake, determined to strike a blow at Harrison's camp at the Rapids, for the purpose of interrupting his communication with the lake. Unable to induce Clay to quit his lines and risk an engagement, Proctor, on the 1st of August, invested Fort Stephenson, at Lower Sandusky, on the Sandusky River, with five hundred regulars and militia, and above three thousand Indians. Major Croghan, who commanded there, had no more than one gun (a six-making two feints on different points. pounder) and a hundred and sixty men, and those young and inexperienced. Ingersoll justifiably insists upon the weakness of the place, its bad position, and the perplexing orders left with its commander, whom Harrison had instructed to fire the fort and retreat, (if he could,) should the enemy approach in force, and with artillery. Proctor demanded a surrender, accompanied The column which advanced against the northwestern angle, was so completely enveloped in smoke, as not to be discovered until it had approached within eighteen or twenty paces of the lines, but the men being all at their posts, and ready to receive it, commenced so heavy and galling a fire as to throw the column into confusion; but being quickly rallied, Colonel Short, the Ca. X.] CROGHAN'S DEFENCE OF FORT STEPHENSON. commander, exclaimed, "come on, my brave fellows, give the Yankee rascals no quarter!" and immediately leapt into the ditch, followed by his troops; as soon as the ditch was entirely filled by the assailants, Major Croghan ordered his one six-pounder, which had been masked in the block house, to be fired. It had been loaded with a double charge of musket balls and slugs. This piece completely raked the ditch from end to end. The first fire levelled the one half in death, Colonel Short being of the number; the second and third either killed or wounded every one except eleven, who were covered by the dead bodies. At the same time, the fire of the small arms was so incessant and destructive, that it was in vain the British officers exerted themselves to lead on the balance of the column; it retired in disorder under a shower of shot, and sought safety in an adjoining wood. The loss of the enemy in killed was about one hundred and fifty, besides a considerable number of their Indian allies. The Americans had but one killed, and seven slightly wounded. Early in the morning of the 3d of August, the enemy retreated down the river, after having abandoned considerable baggage and military stores. The garrison was composed of regulars, all Kentuckians.; a finer company of men was not to be found in the United States. They were as humane as they were courageous. This was proved by their unceasing attention to the wounded enemy after their discomfiture; for during the night they kindly received into the fort, through the fatal port hole of the block house, all those 213 who were able to crawl to it; to those unable to move, they threw canteens filled with water. They even parted with their clothes to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded. Soon after this gallant exploit, which called forth the admiration of the whole country, Tecumseh, having raised the siege of Fort Meigs, followed Proctor to Detroit; and all hope was given up by the enemy of reducing the American forts, until they could gain entire ascendancy on the lake. 1813. Commodore Perry, in spite of all obstacles and hindrances, pushed forward his preparations, and by the 2d of August, the fleet was equipped; but some time was lost in getting several of the vessels over the bar at the mouth of the harbor of Erie. On the 4th, he sailed in quest of the enemy; but not meeting him, he returned on the 8th. After receiving reinforcement of sailors brought by Captain Elliot, he again sailed on the 12th, and on the 15th anchored in the Bay of Sandusky. Here he took in about twenty volunteer marines, and again went in search of the enemy; and after cruising off Malden, retired to Put-in Bay, a distance of thirty miles. His fleet consisted of the brig Lawrence, his flag vessel, of twenty guns; the Niagara, Captain Elliot, of twenty; the Caledonian, Lieutenant Turner, of three; the schooner Ariel, of four; the Scorpion, of two; the Somers, of two guns and two swivels; the sloop Trippe, and schooners Tigress and Porcupine, of one gun each; amounting in all to nine vessels, fifty-four guns, and two swivels. |