Hide Article Text (OCR)
STAR VALLEY INDEPENDENT. AFTON, WYOMING' -- -----i i 1 - ■■ ............ ■ ' ' ■ ■ --« 1 •' ^o*1 1 ■ » ■ ■ ■ 1 ■-■ ^ ------- ' ----- _~- - -..............•- --- • ---------------— ^H^~~lHTIfM^Wirn^TlFnTCTyrrrfnTntnWlTfi iWwjgrr iWfUI!¥i l fTrr r^ rlt;MMlSs^lnii i iV* ■ dhinThe Massacre at Fort MThe Attack at, th.e GateBy ELMO SCOTT WATSONNK I Il7NIi:KI» AM) TWENTYyears ago this month tli«*r»* occurred one of tin* worst, perhaps the worst ... In point of numbers slain . . . Indian massacres In American history. That was the slaughter at Fort Mims, Ala., on August 30, 1813, when a thousand Creek warriors under the leadership of chief Red Eagle, or William Weatherford, overwhelmed the more than 500 whites, half breeds nml left more than half of themchll-whogarCol.garrison of and negroes dead.The number of killed at Fort Mims has never been accurately determined. Different authorities give varying figures, ranging from 250 to 450 with the preponderance of reliable evidence placing the number at 250. Hut even taking this lowest figure, It gives the tragedy at Fort Mims the doubtful distinction of being much worse than any of the other Indian massacres whose stories are familiar to most Americans.Hefore discussing the affair at Fort Mims and some of the factors which make It unique In our history, It might be well to consider first the word “massacre” nnd how Inaccurately thatword Is used by most Americans. For Instancethey refer to the annihilation of ('apt. W. J. Fet-terman and his command on December 21, 1800, as the “Fetterman Massacre” or the “Fort l’hll Kearney Massacre and to the Hattie of the Little H1g Horn, fought June 25, 187*1, as the “Custer Massacre.”The late Cyrus Townsend Hrady In his “Indian Flghis and Fighters” In commenting on this says: Fetterman nnd Custer attacked the Indians and fought desperately until they nnd tnelr men were all killed. I call that a ‘battle,’ not a ‘massacre.’ When an Indian war party raided a settlement or overwhelmed a train or murdered children nnd women, that, 1 think, was a ‘massacre’; but these two Instances were not.”Much the same reasoning applies to the so called Dade Massacre during the Seminole war. On December 28, 1830. MaJ. Francis L. Dade of the Fourth Infantry, who had sot out from Fort Brook In Florida with a force of 110 officers and men to co operate with another detachment from Fort King In a punitive expedition against Osceola's Semlnoles, was ambushed near the Wlthla coochee river and fought bravely until all but four were killed. In this case all of the slain were soldiers hearing arms so It seems hardly fair to call It a “massacre.”Somewhat different are the cases of the “Cher ry Valley Massacre” and the Wyoming Valley Massacre” during the Revolution. At Cherry Valley 82 non-combatants, men, women and dren, were slain by the Indians nnd Tories also killed 10 Continental soldiers of the rison at Fort Alden and their commander, Ichahod Alden, whose negligence and Incompetence was mainly responsible for the tragedy there. At Wyoming Valley It was a case of an armed force, about 50 Continentals and some 250 soldiers enrolled as militia, taking the field against the enemy, Tories and Indians, being defeated and suffering a loss of approximately 100 killed In action or slaughtered by the Indians after being taken prisoners and disarmed. In that respect (the killing of prisoners) It was a “massacre.” But despite the exaggerations and m.vth-mnking of the early historians of the Wyoming Valley affair who painted It ns a “diabolical slaughter of both sexes and every age, modern historical research has established the fact that only one man, a Rritlsh deserter, was put to death after the surrender of Forty Fort and that there was no massacre” of non-combatants.To three other historic affairs, the term “massacre” may be justly applied. One of them was the Fort William Henry Massacre” In 1757 when some 50 soldiers, women and children of the English garrison were slaughtered by the Indians after the surrender of the fort to the French before Montcalm, the French commander, could restrain the ferocity of the savages. An other was the “Fort Dearborn Massacre” In 1812 when the Pottawatomles, after Capt. Nathan Heald had evacuated the fort, attacked the retreating Americans among the sand hills of Lake Michigan and killed 20 regular soldiers, 12 militia, a frontiersman, two women and 12 children, a total of 53. The third was the River Raisin Massacre” In 1 SI2 when after the Bat tie of Frenchtown the British commander, Proctor, by falling to provide adequate protection for some 30 wounded American prisoners al lowed them to fall victims to the scalping knives of his Indian allies.But lest It be thought that the slaughter of whites by Indians were the only “Indian massacres,” let us remember what took place at Gnaddenhutten In Ohio In 17S2- at Sand Creek In (Colorado In 1864 and at Wounded Knee creek In South Dakota In 181*0. Those were cases ofan “Indian massacre” In which the white men were the murderers and Indian men, women and children were the victims.To return now to the massacre al Fort Mini. --It will be seen from the foregoing that the toll of death there was greater than that at any • I her “massacre” of whites by the Indians, especially if that term In limited to the killing oft*IA\IH1roGeneral Andrew vJackson.Theplan of Fort Mims, shown above, was found among the manuscripts of General Claiborne and first published by Pickett in his “History of Alabama.” The reference figures are as follows: 1. Blockhouse; 2. Pickets cut away by the Indians; 3. Guards’ station; 4. Guardhouse; 5. Western gate, but not up; 6. Western gate, shut when attacked by the Indians who cut a hole through it to enter; 7. Captain Bailey’s house; 8. Steadham’s house; 9. Mrs. Dyer's house; 10. Kitchen; 11. Captain Mims' house; 12. Randon's house; 13. Old gateway, open; 14, 15, 16 and 17. Officers' tents; 18. Captain Jack’s house; 19, 20 and 21. Portholes taken by Indians; 22. Major Beasley's cabin; 23. Captain Jack’s company; 24. Captain Middleton's company; 25. Where Beasley fell; 26. Eastern gate, where the Indians entered.flnsrlt;IsHnon-combatants. Another factor which makes the tragedy at Fort Mims unique Is the fact that the “Indian leader” In this massacre had more white blood In his veins than did the two white leaders’* In command of the defenders of the fort!That Indian leader was William Weatherford, son of Charles Weatherford, a Scotch trader, who had married a half-sister of Alexander McGtlllvn.y, the principal chief of the Creeks who had been a Rritlsh colonel during the Revolution nnd later became a brigadier general In the United States army. This Alexander Mc-GllUvray was the son of Ijichlan MeCillivray, another Scotch trader, who had married Sehoy Marehand, who In turn was the daughter of a French captain named Marehand and a Creek Indian woman. So In the veins of William Weatherford ran Scotch. French and Creek Indian blood nnd geneologlcal experts have figured out that he was seven-eighths white and one-elghth Indian.Hut that one-elghth was enough to give him the name of “Red Eagle” or Red Warrior” among the Creeks, whose war chief he became when the Red Sticks. or war party among the Creeks, cast their fortunes with the confederacy of the great Shawnee chief. Tecumseh, and rallied to the cause of the British at the outbreak of the War of 1S12.For manv years there had lived near Lake*■ wTensaw In Alabama a wealthy man named Samuel Mims, half Creek and half white. His house was a large and substantial wooden building of one story, with several outbuildings. Around these was built a stockade enclosing about an ncre. On the southwest corner a block-house w-as begun hut never completed and there were two large gates In the center of the east and the west sides of the stockade.Such was Fort Mims Into which settlers from the surrounding country began to gather when the (’reeks, under Weatherford, went on the warpath early In 1813. At first Fort Mims had a garrison of 16 soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant Osborne, and some 70 militia commanded by Capt. Dixon Hailey, a half breed. To aid in their defense Gen. F. L. Claiborne, the United State's military commander of the territory, sent 175 volunteers, commanded by MaJ. Daniel Beasley, another half-breed, who assumed the position ofcommandant.Soon afterwards General Claiborne visited the post and ordered Beasley to complete the blockhouse and strengthen the defenses of the fort as much as possible. Beasley was a brave man but a poor commander and he allowed the work on the fort to lag after many rumors jf the up [►roach of the enemy turned out to be false alarms. So the blockhouse was never completed and except at night no sentries were posted. The people In the fort, some 550 In number, were soon to pay a bitter price for the negligence of their commander.On August 20, 18L1, two negroes who had been herding cattle In the woods came rushing back to the fort with the news that they had seen a large body of Indians approaching. The foolish commander not only refused to be*** the warn-Weatherford and General JacksonIng but, worse still, ordered the two negroesflogged for causing so much alarm among the people In the fort. The owner of one of the negroes refused to allow this to he done, whereupon Beasley gave him the alternative of allowing the punishment to he meted out or leaving the fort. So the next day, August 30. the owner acceded to Beasley’s demand and the unfortnnateblack was tied to a post.But before the whipping could take place, thepresence of a force of more than IJHK) Creek warriors surrounding the fort was discovered. Beasley is said to have seen them first and, shouting “Indians! Indians!” he dashed toward the east gate which had been carelessly left open with no one on guard. The commander made a desiderate effort to close the huge gate hefore the yelling savages reached It but the wind had drifted sand against It nnd kept It open Just long enough for the first of the attackers to push It back, hurl themselves upon Beasley, cut him down with their tomahawks and rush Into the fort.The next moment a savage torrent poured In through the open gate and dashed toward the startled soldiers who came tumbling out of their tents In which they had been lounging for protection against the hot midday sun. Many of them were killed In the outer enclosure but the others retreated through the Inner gate, slammed It shut and mounted the walls to defend the Inner lnclosure.For a short time there was a desperate fight at such close quarters that sometimes an Indian nnd a soldier firing their guns through the same porthole would kill each other simultaneously. But under the leadership of Bailey, upon whom the command devolved after Beasley’s death, the defenders of the fort put up such a stern resistance that after three hours of fierce fighting the Indians began to draw olT and plunder the houses outside the stockade.At this point Weatherford, riding a magnificent black horse, appeared to lead his men forward In another attack. This time there was no hold lng In check the savage tide. The Indians cut their way through the west gate. They forced the east gate and poured over the south wall. The defenders fought desperately from house to house while the roofs were burning over their head. Mims’ house. In which a large number of women and children had taken refuge, was set on fire and there they perished miserably.■ ■ %In a short time the wrhole enclosure except the north bastion was In the hands of the enemy who killed every person on whom they could lay their hands. Weatherford, appalled by the murderous frenzy of his followers, tried In vain to restrain them. But he had unleashed a tempest of savagery which neither he nor any other chief could have controlled that day. The Creeks swept for ward against the bastion and captured It. About a dozen soldiers tore openings through the palisade and managed to escape. But the rest w’ere slaughtered, fighting desperately to the last. The only ones who were spared were some negroes who were carried away as slaves by the Creeks. Afterwards the fort was burned to the ground and the bodies of all the slain were left lying un- 1 burled on the ground. “For desperation In defense. persistency In attack and absolute courage on the part of both parties, the affair was. and remains, almost without parallel,” writes one historian. Hr1\The usual “wave of horror and Indignation” which throughout the course of our history “swept the country” after every major calamity In Indian warfare, from St. Clair’s defeat to the Custer battle, resulted In a stern determination to punish the Creeks. So Gen. Andrew Jackson took the field and began the campaign which, after several hard-fought battles, resulted In the breaking of the power of the Creeks on the bloody field of Tohopeka or the “Great Horse shoe Bend” of the Alabama river.A short time later Jackson raised his flag over Fort Toulouse which was rechristened Fort Jackson. There one day a tall, light colored Indian walked Into Jackson’s headquarters.» “General Jackson?” he Inquired.“Yes.”“I am Bill Weatherford.”Then, In the words of an eye-witness the following conversation took place. Said the Indian leader: “I am come to give myself up. I can oppose you no longer. I have done you much Injury. I should have done you more but my war rlors are killed. I am In your power. Dispose of me as you please.”“You are not,” said the general, “In my power.I had ordered you brought to me In chains. But you have come of your own accord. You see my camp, you see my army, you know my object. I would gladly save you and your nation, but yon do not even ask to be saved. Tf you think yon can contend against me In battle go and head your warriors.”Ah,” said Weatherford, “well may such language be addressed to me now. There was a time when I could have answered you. I could animate my warrloss to battle; but I cannot animate the dead. General Jackson, I have nothing to request for myself. But I beg you to send for the women and children of the war party, who have been driven to the woods without an ear of corn. They never did any harm. But kill me, If the white people want It done.”Whereupon Jackson gave his promise to help the women and children and William Weather-fore., the Indian leader who was seven-eighths white man, strode from the tent “vanishing from the view of the astonished soldiery, and from history, ti not entirely graceless figure.”C© by W*et«rn N»w«pikier Union.)rcrcriI r tsrrtfr(tttIIt(I(11tIiIcI1I1IIIIiI1M
Newspaper Details
Afton Star Valley Independent
Afton, Wyoming, US
Thu, Aug 31, 1933
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Nov 2019
Other Publications Near Afton, Wyoming
Afton Star Valley Independent
Afton Star Valley Pioneer
