Fort Sinquefield
Encyclopedia
Fort Sinquefield is the historic site of a wooden stockade
fortification
in Clarke County
, Alabama
, near the modern town of Grove Hill
. It was built by early Clarke County pioneers as protection during the Creek War
and was attacked in 1813 by Creek warriors. A marker was erected at the site by Clarke County school children in 1931 and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on December 31, 1974.
in the Mississippi Territory
. The first hostilities of the war occurred nearby during the Battle of Burnt Corn
, where white settlers attacked the Red Sticks
on July 27, 1813. The Red Sticks retaliated on August 30, 1813 with the Fort Mims massacre
, in which several hundred people assembled inside Fort Mims were killed.
Fort Sinquefield was housing several pioneer families and friendly Creeks after the attack on Fort Mims. On September 1, 1813, Red Sticks warriors led by Josiah Francis, a.k.a. Prophet Francis, attacked the Ransom Kimbell and Abner James families, who had left the crowded fort for Ransom Kimbell's cabin nearby. Most of the men escaped back to the fort, but twelve women and children were killed and scalped
in what became known as the Kimbell-James Massacre. The bodies were retrieved for burial outside of the fort the next day. After the burials, several woman were washing clothes at a spring away from the fort when the hostile Creeks attacked a second time. They attempted to cut the women off from the fort, but were thwarted and only managed to kill one woman, Sarah Phillips. Several Creek warriors were killed in the attack, as was one additional settler, Stephen Lacey. The attack lasted two hours before the Red Sticks retreated. The fort was abandoned afterwards, with the survivors moving to the larger Fort Madison, several miles to the south of Fort Sinquefield.
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
in Clarke County
Clarke County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*54.5% White*43.9% Black*0.4% Native American*0.3% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*0.7% Two or more races*1.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, 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...
, near the modern town of Grove Hill
Grove Hill
Grove Hill can refer to:* Grove Hill, Alabama - a town in Alabama, USA- Also :* Grove Hill Cemetery - a cemetery in Waltham, Massachusetts* Grove Hill Cemetery - a cemetery in Hanoverton, Ohio...
. It was built by early Clarke County pioneers as protection during the Creek War
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...
and was attacked in 1813 by Creek warriors. A marker was erected at the site by Clarke County school children in 1931 and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 31, 1974.
History
At the time of the Creek War, Clarke was a newly formed countyCounty (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
in the 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....
. The first hostilities of the war occurred nearby during the Battle of Burnt Corn
Battle of Burnt Corn
The Battle of Burnt Corn, also known as the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek, was an encounter between United States armed forces and Creek Indians that took place July 27, 1813 in present-day southern Alabama...
, where white settlers attacked the Red Sticks
Red Sticks
Red Sticks is the English term for a traditionalist faction of Creek Indians who led a resistance movement which culminated in the outbreak of the Creek War in 1813....
on July 27, 1813. The Red Sticks retaliated on August 30, 1813 with the Fort Mims massacre
Fort 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...
, in which several hundred people assembled inside Fort Mims were killed.
Fort Sinquefield was housing several pioneer families and friendly Creeks after the attack on Fort Mims. On September 1, 1813, Red Sticks warriors led by Josiah Francis, a.k.a. Prophet Francis, attacked the Ransom Kimbell and Abner James families, who had left the crowded fort for Ransom Kimbell's cabin nearby. Most of the men escaped back to the fort, but twelve women and children were killed and scalped
Scalping
Scalping is the act of removing another person's scalp or a portion of their scalp, either from a dead body or from a living person. The initial purpose of scalping was to provide a trophy of battle or portable proof of a combatant's prowess in war...
in what became known as the Kimbell-James Massacre. The bodies were retrieved for burial outside of the fort the next day. After the burials, several woman were washing clothes at a spring away from the fort when the hostile Creeks attacked a second time. They attempted to cut the women off from the fort, but were thwarted and only managed to kill one woman, Sarah Phillips. Several Creek warriors were killed in the attack, as was one additional settler, Stephen Lacey. The attack lasted two hours before the Red Sticks retreated. The fort was abandoned afterwards, with the survivors moving to the larger Fort Madison, several miles to the south of Fort Sinquefield.