This Month in the War of 1812: James Madison, Winfield Scott and Oliver Hazard Perry

From the American Battlefield Trust timeline.

MARCH 4, 1809

**  James Madison is sworn in as the 4th President of the United States of America.

MARCH 4, 1813

**  James Madison inaugurated for his second term as president.

MARCH 19, 1814

**  Winfield Scott promoted to brigadier general at the age of 27.

MARCH 27, 1813

**  Oliver Hazard Perry takes command of American flotilla on Lake Erie.

MARCH  27, 1814

**  Engagement at Horseshoe Bend

--Brock-Perry

March Events in War of 1812: James Madison Sworn In, Winfield Scott, Oliver Hazard Perry and Horseshoe Bend

From the American Battlefield Trust. 

MARCH 4, 1809

**  James Madison sworn in as the fourth president of the United States.

MARCH 4, 1813

**  James Madison sworn in for second term as president of the United States.

MARCH 19, 1814

**  Winfield Scott is promoted to brigadier general at age 27.

MARCH 27, 1813

**  Oliver Hazard Perry takes command of the flotilla at Lake Erie.

MARCH 27, 1814

**  Engagement at Horseshoe Bend.

--Brock-Perry

(The Brock on the signoff refers to British General Isaac Brock.)

Camp Blount Volunteer Days Gets Underway in Tennessee This Weekend-- Part 1: Played a Major Role in the War of 1812

From the September 28, 2021, Elk Valley Times (Tennessee) "Camp Blount Volunteer  Days gets underway Friday and Saturday" by Lora Scripps.

Members of the Camp Blount Historic Site  Association are getting ready for the first Camp Blount Volunteer Day set for this Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2.  It will be held on the site of the historic Camp Blount in Tennessee.

The camp was located on the banks of the Elk River, just a little over a half mile south of downtown Fayetteville and is the site where Gen. Andrew Jackson mustered troops for the Creek  Indian War in October of 1813 during the War of 1812.

The muster of volunteers back then was the beginning of a campaign that culminated  in the Creeks defeat at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

Nine months later, Tennesseans again mustered at Camp Blount under Jackson and marched to New Orleans where they took part in the Battle of New Orleans, the final defeat of the British in the war.

--Brock-Perry

Southwest Georgia Played Key Role in War of 1812-- Part 3: Forts, Fort Mims, Battle of Horseshoe Bend and Negro Fort

Not only was a trail hewed from the Wilderness, but Gen. David Blackshear also built a series of forts along that trail:  Fort Telfair, Fort Twiggs, Fort Jackson, Fort Pike, Fort Mitchell, Fort Green Fort Lawrence, Fort Adams, Fort Clark and Fort McIntosh.

Other forts in the region included  Fort Gaines, Fort Mitchel, Fort Morgan and Fort Scott.

Military action in the region began on August 30, 1813, when a war party of Creek Indians under Spanish and English influence, attacked  Fort Mims in what is now in Alabama and 500  mostly white settlers were killed.  In retaliation, Gen. Andrew Jackson would lead his Tennessee volunteers with the aid of Cherokee warriors, killing around  800 Creeks in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

Another battle of note which highlighted the alliances formed during the War of 1812 would take place on the Apalachicola River at a fortification called British Fort, but more commonly known as Negro Fort.  There, the British enlisted runaway slaves and Indians to harass the white settlers of the region.

--Brock-Perry

Action Around Apalachicola Bay-- Part 5: The Creek War and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

Angered that they were turned down by Spanish governor Gonzalez Manrique. they turned to John Innerarity at the Forbes store  in Pensacola.  Innerarity feared that an Indian war was about to begin and showed them only empty barrels and turned down their request for guns and gunpowder

However, Governor Manrique decided to help the Creeks and  provided Chief Peter McQueen with 1,000 pounds of gunpowder.  An attack on Fort Mimms caused the United States to declare war on the Creeks.

Alarmed that the Creeks would become a dangerous threat if the British armed them, Andrew Jackson's Tennessee volunteers marched to the Alabama River from Nashville and defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814, and forced the Indians to ceded half of their territory to the Americans.

With some justification,  hostile factions among the Creeks and Seminoles blamed Forbes & Company for their lack of firearms and gunpowder that led to their defeat and loss of land.

--Brock-Perry

From Fort Mims to Horseshoe Bend to New Orleans

The massacre of Americans at Fort Mims demanded a response.  Col. Andrew Jackson  was sent to fight the Red Stick Creek Indians and defeated them at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend  on March 27, 1814.  Sam Houston, who was to become famous in the Texas was one of Jackson's lieutenants at this battle and continued fighting despite being shot in the thigh.

As a result of this battle, the Creeks ceded half of what was to become Alabama to the U.S. government.

Jackson was promoted to general and sent 150 miles west to defend New Orleans.

The War of 1812 technically ended two weeks before the Battle of New Orleans when the Treaty of Ghent was signed (though it wasn't official until the U.S. ratified it and that took place after the battle was fought.  (February 16, 1815 by the Senate)

--Brock-Perry

Tennessee's William Carroll-- Part 2: War of 1812 Service

William Carroll gained his military reputation during the War of 1812.  He organized and served as captain of a volunteer company.  Andrew Jackson appointed him brigade inspector for the campaigns to Natchez in 1812 and against the Creek Indians in 1813.

On the 1813 campaign, he participated in several battles before sustaining a severe wound during Jackson's victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.  Even with this severe wound, Carroll returned to the field and assumed command of the Tennessee militia, after Jackson was promoted to major general in the regular army.

Carroll's troops provided Jackson with crucial reinforcements which helped him win the Battle of New Orleans.

Because of his contributions at New Orleans, Carroll came out of the war with a reputation second only to that of Jackson himself.

--Brock-Perry

Tennessee Governor Willie Blount-- Part 3:

The War of 1812 took place during Willie Blount's second and third terms as governor.  During the first months of the war, he struggled with a  lack of communication with the U.S. War Department and waited for permission to order his state militia south to New Orleans.

Following the Fort Mimms Massacre, in Alabama, north of Mobile, in 1813, he issued a call to arms and 3,500 Tennesseeans answered it.  All this support earned Tennessee its nickname "Volunteer State."

Blount then raised $300,000 to fund the expedition.  This force was divided into two divisions and ordered south.  This ended with the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

This success made him very popular with the people of Tennessee after the war.

--Brock-Perry

Camp Blount, Tennessee-- Part 1

From Tennessee Historical Marker.

This is in conjunction with blog entries on Sam Houston posted Nov. 22 and 23, 2015, in this blog.

In September 1813, the Army of West Tennessee assembled at Camp Blount on the Elk River.  It took the Oath of Allegiance on October 7.  Major General Andrew Jackson arrived at Fayetteville to take command of the army which included Sam Houston and David Crockett.

The Army then marched to Alabama and defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

The marker on the site of Camp Blount is at US-231/US-431 in Fayetteville, Tennessee, behind the River Oak Shopping Center.

--Brock-Perry

Texas War of 1812 Veterans-- Part 29: James Washington Winters

As a young man, he moved to Tennessee where he met and married Rhoda Beal and lived in Memphis.

With the coming of the War of 1812, he enlisted in Andrew Jackson's West Tennessee Militia and was in Thomas McCrory's regiment until 1814.  He fought at the Battle of Talladega and the Battle of Horseshoe Bend where he met a young man named Sam Houston and they became friends.

In 1835, he met Sam Houston again in San Antonio where he and his three sons joined Stephen F. Austin's army.  The two men renewed their War of 1812 friendship and traded stories.

--Brock-Perry

Benjamin Hawkins (Hawkins Line)-- Part 2: Peace and Then the Red Sticks

He taught European-American agriculture to the Creeks at his Creek Agency in Georgia.  Largely regarded as the main reason there was peace between American settlers and the Creeks for 19 years.  However, in 1812, a group of Creek Indians called the Red Sticks started attacking settlers and defending their lands.  They were led by Chief William McIntosh.

They continued to be a threat until Andrew Jackson's force defeated them badly at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama which led to the Treaty of Fort Jackson where the Creeks were forced to ceded most of their land.

Hawkins was unable to attend this treaty and no doubt would have been more lenient than Jackson.

--Brock-Perry

Tennessee in the War of 1812-- Part 3: Where It Got the Nickname "The Volunteer State"

Tennessee was greatly alarmed by events at Fort Mims.  The next month, Governor Willie Blount issued a call for 3,500 volunteers.  The enthusiastic and overwhelming response of Tennesseeans initiated  a tradition that gave the state the nickname of the "Volunteer State."

Andrew Jackson, as major general of the Tennessee militia, along with his military colleague, John Coffee, led a force into the heart of the Creek Nation with the intent of totally destroying the Creeks as a fighting force.

Beginning in November 1813, a series of encounters with the Red Sticks culminated in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend on March 27, 1814.  This battle left over 800 Creeks dead and ended the threat.

--Brock-Perry

2nd Regiment East Tennessee Volunteer Militia-- Part 1: Some at Battle of Horseshoe Bend

From Freepage geneaology.

The 2nd Regiment of East Tennessee Militia served from January 1814 to May 1814.  It was commanded by Colonel Samuel Bunch who had commanded the 1st regiment of Volunteer Mountain Infantry.  The regiment served under General George Doherty.

Some companies of the regiment fought at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend while others remained at Fort Williams.  Many of the men stayed after the expiration of their service to guard Fort Strother and Fort Williams.

Men in the regiment were mostly from Blount, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hawkins, Jefferson, Knox Rhea, Sevier and Washington counties.

Three of the officers were captains James Allen, Amos Burrow and Francis Berry.

--Brock-Perry

Sam Houston's War of 1812 Service-- Part 2: A Sense of Honor

I found in one source that Sam Houston reportedly forced another lieutenant at the point of his sword to remove the arrow in the midst of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

The same source said that it was hard for him to get his mother's permission to join the Army because he was too young, but, eventually Elizabeth caved in, signed the paper and gave her son two gifts: a gold ring and a musket.

The ring had the word "honor" inscribed inside it.  He wore that ring until his death.

With the musket, Elizabeth said "...my son, take this musket and never disgrace it; for remember, I had rather all my sons should fill one honorable grave, than that one of them should turn their back to save his life.  Go, and remember, too, that while the door of my cottage is open to brave men, it is eternally shut against cowardice."

Apparently, young Sam took these words to heart.

--Brock-Perry

Sam Houston's War of 1812 Service-- Part 1: Camp Blount, Tennessee

From Wikipedia.

In the last post I mentioned that Sam Houston, much better known for his role in the history of Texas, was in Col. John Williams' 39th U.S. Infantry.  I did some more research on his role in the War of 1812.

(March 2, 1793-July 26, 1863)

In 1813 he reported for training at Camp Blount near present-day Fayetteville, Tennessee, and enlisted.  By December, he had transferred to the 39th U.S. Infantry and had risen from private to third lieutenant.

At the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, he was wounded by a Creek arrow in the groin.  The wound was bandaged and he returned to the battle.  General Andrew Jackson called for volunteers to dislodge the Indians from their breastworks and Houston was eager to go.  He suffered bullet wounds in the arm and shoulder, but his men drove the Creeks away.

Afterwards, he returned to Marysville, Tennessee, as a disabled veteran but took advantage of the Army's offer of free surgery and convalesced  in a New Orleans hospital.

Andrew Jackson was impressed with Sam Houston's bravery and the two became close friends and Jackson acted as his mentor.

--Brock-Perry

Col. John Williams of the 39th U.S. Infantry Regiment-- Part 2

In the War of 1812, John Williams raised a small company of 200-250 volunteers, primarily from Tennessee and Georgia, with the intention of invading Florida and attacking the Seminoles.  They invaded Florida in February 1813 and destroyed several Indian villages.  They returned to Tennessee where they were mustered out.

In June 1813, Williams was commissioned into the U.S. Army and ordered to recruit and organize the 39th U.S. Infantry Regiment.  They were charged with engaging the Red Stick Creeks Indians.  Williams raised 600 troops for his regiment.

Early in 1814, they were placed under General Andrew Jackson's command, who was preparing for an expedition against the Red Sticks in Alabama.  They met at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend where the 39th formed the center of Jackson's line and captured the log barricades the Creeks had fortified along the riverbed and forced them to retreat..

Among the soldiers in the 39th were future Arkansas senator Thomas Hart Benton and future governor of Tennessee and Texas, Sam Houston.

After the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Williams went to Washington, D.C., to raise money and weapons for the 39th.  Throughout the rest of 1814, Jackson and Williams bickered over the dispersal of those weapons.,leading to them being adversaries after the war.

In 1815, he was chosen to fill Tennessee's senate seat and later won it on his own.

--Brock-Perry

39th U.S. Infantry Regiment-- Part 2: Battle of Horseshoe Bend

At the Battle of Horseshoe bend, Jackson placed the 39th (because they were the best-trained) at the center of his attacking force.  They were engaged in some of the heaviest fighting and suffered 20 killed and 52 wounded, although these numbers are questioned as some say considerably more were casualties.

It is said that the Creeks lost more in that one day at Horseshoe bend than they did in all of the Indian wars.

As a result of the battle, they conceded more than a million acres to the United States.

I did not come across any mention of the regiment being with Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.

In 1815, at the end of the war, the regiment was consolidated with the 8th and 24th regiments to form the 7th Infantry Regiment.  The flag of the 39th was given to Colonel Williams and is now on display at the East Tennessee History center in Knoxville. It was embroidered with the handiwork of Col. Williams' sister-in-law Mary Williams.

--Brock-Perry

Texas War of 1812 Veterans-- Part 3: General Nathaniel Smith

SMITH, GENERAL NATHANIEL  (1791-1841)  Buried at Palestine.

War of 1812 veteran.  As young lieutenant in 39th U.S. Infantry fought at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend along with Sam Houston and later in the Seminole War with Andrew Jackson.

I came across correspondence from a Gen. Nathaniel Smith who was Superintendent of Cherokee Indian Removal from 1837-1838.  Could be one in the same.  he certainly would have had connections.

--Brock-Perry

Nicholls' Outpost-- Part 2

The British arrived at the mouth of the Apalachicola River in May 1814.  Thomas and William Perryman, two Lower Creek chiefs had appealed in the Bahamas to England for aid fighting U.S. troops.

By the time the British arrived, however, the Red Sticks had been smashed by General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama.

The British troops were led by Brevet Major George Woodbine, who met the Indians who were fleeing into Spanish Florida.

The British apparently evacuated Nicholls' Outpost in April 1814.

No visible traces of the fort remain.

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812 in Georgia

The Creek War 1813-1814.

The British armed and encouraged the local Indians to do battle with the United States.  The Indians were only too happy to do that as it had become evident that the Americans wanted their land and planned to take it from them.  The Creek War took place primarily in Alabama-Georgia area.

On August 30, 1813, the Creeks attacked and destroyed Fort Mims in Alabama which touched off a major U.S.-Creek confrontation.

U.S. General John Floyd was ordered to build a string  of forts in Georgia from whence to protect the state and attack the Creeks.  He did so starting in September 1813 when he attacked into Alabama from Fort Mitchell on the Chattahoochee River.

Fighting continued into 1814 when the Creeks were finally and decisively defeated  by General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

--Brock-Perry