Battle of Tallushatchee
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Tallushatchee was a battle fought during the Creek War
on November 3, 1813, in Alabama
. Between Red Stick Creeks
native Americans and United States dragoons.
, General Andrew Jackson
assembled an army of 2,500 Tennessee
militia
. Jackson began marching into Mississippi Territory
to combat the Red Stick Creeks
. Jackson's troops began to construct Fort Strother
along the Coosa River
. 15 miles (24 km) away from the fort lay the Creek village of Tallushatchee where a sizeable force of Red Stick warriors were. Jackson ordered his friend and most trusted subordinate, General John Coffee
, to attack the village.
s and arrived at the village on November 3, where he divided his brigade into two columns which encircled the town. Two companies ventured into the center of the circle to draw out the warriors. The trap worked, and the warriors attacked and were forced to retreat back into the buildings of the village. Coffee closed the circle in on the trapped warriors. Davy Crockett
, serving in the Tennessee militia, commented "we shot 'em down like dogs". Coffee's forces killed about 180 warriors losing only five dead and 41 wounded.
The battle was the first battle in General Andrew Jackson's military campaign. A week later General Jackson inflicted another serious defeat on the Red Sticks at the Battle of Talladega
.
the battle is briefly mentioned by David Crockett (played by Billy Bob Thornton).
Creek War
The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
on November 3, 1813, in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Between Red Stick Creeks
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
native Americans and United States dragoons.
Background
After the massacre at Fort MimsFort Mims massacre
The Fort Mims massacre occurred on 30 August 1813, when a force of Creek people, belonging to the "Red Sticks" faction under the command of Peter McQueen and William Weatherford "Red Eagle", his cousin by marriage, killed hundreds of settlers, mixed-blood Creeks, and militia at Fort Mims...
, General Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
assembled an army of 2,500 Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. Jackson began marching into Mississippi Territory
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
to combat the Red Stick Creeks
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
. Jackson's troops began to construct Fort Strother
Fort Strother
Fort Strother was a stockade fort at Ten Islands in the Mississippi Territory, in what is today St. Clair County, Alabama. It was located on a bluff of the Coosa River, near the modern Neely Henry Dam in Ohatchee. The fort was built by General Andrew Jackson and several thousand militiamen in...
along the Coosa River
Coosa River
The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about long altogether.The Coosa River is one of Alabama's most developed rivers...
. 15 miles (24 km) away from the fort lay the Creek village of Tallushatchee where a sizeable force of Red Stick warriors were. Jackson ordered his friend and most trusted subordinate, General John Coffee
John Coffee
John Coffee was an American planter and military leader. He was considered the most even-tempered and least selfish of Andrew Jackson's lifelong friends...
, to attack the village.
Battle
Coffee took about 1,000 dragoonDragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s and arrived at the village on November 3, where he divided his brigade into two columns which encircled the town. Two companies ventured into the center of the circle to draw out the warriors. The trap worked, and the warriors attacked and were forced to retreat back into the buildings of the village. Coffee closed the circle in on the trapped warriors. Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, serving in the Tennessee militia, commented "we shot 'em down like dogs". Coffee's forces killed about 180 warriors losing only five dead and 41 wounded.
The battle was the first battle in General Andrew Jackson's military campaign. A week later General Jackson inflicted another serious defeat on the Red Sticks at the Battle of Talladega
Battle of Talladega
The Battle of Talladega was a battle fought between the Tennessee militia and the Red Stick Creek Indians during the Creek War, in the vicinity of the present-day county and city of Talladega, Alabama.-Background:...
.
Trivia
In the movie The Alamo (2004 film)The Alamo (2004 film)
The Alamo is a 2004 American war film about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by Texan John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson, and distributed by Touchstone Pictures....
the battle is briefly mentioned by David Crockett (played by Billy Bob Thornton).
External links
- A map of Creek War Battle Sites from the PCL Map Collection at the Universtity of Texas at Austin.
- "Tallasseehatchee Historical Marker"
