Clay County and the Creek Indian War of 1813-14 / Clay County and the Creek Indian Confederacy

Clay County and the Creek Indian War of 1813-14, also, Clay County and the Creek Indian Confederacy. . Side 1 Clay County and the Creek Indian War of 1813-14. During the Creek Indian War of 1813-14, a subset of the War of 18 12 with England, numerous figures prominent in American history marched over what would become Clay County. Such men as Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston traveled through the future county as they moved back and forth from forts along the Coosa River to battle sites on Hillabee, Emuckfaw, and Enitachopko creeks, as well as the Tallapoosa River. General Jackson and his troops spent a total of 18 days and traveled over 230 miles within the future county's borders. His army used major arteries such as the McIntosh Trail through what is now central Clay County, the Chapman Road through the southern part of the county, and numerous Creek Indian trails during the various campaigns of the war. Jackson and other men in his army left their names on numerous counties and towns in Alabama. Traveling with General Jackson through the future county during the war were famous Indian allies from the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Creek White Stick tribes such as Pushmataha, Sequoyah, Timpooche Barnard, Selocta, and William McIntosh. , Side 2 Clay County and the Creek Indian Confederacy. The loss of 22.5 million acres of Creek Indian lands in the surrender treaty of Fort Jackson in August 1814 left the Creeks with only 5.2 million acres. The future Clay County would be near the center of this downsized Creek Confederacy. Several important Creek Indian trails passed through the future county. Among the Creek Indian towns in the area where the mother town of Hillabee (near Pinckneyville) and its four satellite villages of Enitachopko (at Bluff Springs), Lanudshi Apala (at Millerville), Echoise Ligua (north of Hackneyville) and Oktasassi (south of Hackneyville). Co-located with the Hillabee mother town was Scotsman Robert Grierson's trading post and factory, which also played prominently in Creek Indian history. President George Washington's invitation letter to the Creek leadership was delivered to Chief Alexander McGillivray while he was visiting at the Grierson complex in 1790. This invitation led to America's initial contact and treaty with the Alabama Creeks. Other noted Red Stick Creeks , such as William Weatherford, Menawa, Peter McQueen, and Opithle Yahola, also left their footprints in the red soil of Clay County., Written by Don East .