Nicoll's Outpost

Nicoll's Outpost. War of 18 12 British Fort. British troops arrived here in June 1814 as the War of 18 12 entered its closing months. Initially, they worked to recruit and train Native American (Red Stick Creek, Seminole, Miccosukee, and Yuchi) warriors as auxiliaries., The Apalachicola River also became a major enlistment point for Maroon (escaped slave or Black Seminole) fighters who joined a new battalion of Colonial Marines., The construction of a fort at today's River Landing Park began in Novemeber 1814. It stood atop a large prehistoric mound and consisted of an earthen redoubt surrounded by a ditch and palisade. British troops and their Native American allies camped around the fort, which held two pieces of artillery., The purpose of the fort was to protect the Apalachicola River from American forces and to seeve as a "jumping off" point for a British campaign against the Georgia frontier. The force here rose to nearly 800 soldiers and warriors after Great Britian's defeat at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. An American force of U.S.-allied Creek warriors soon arrived north of the forks of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers (today's Lake Seminole), and a battle appeared imminent. A British sailing vessel suddenly arrived flying a white flag, however, to bring news that the war was over., Native American chiefs signed a mutual defense pact here on March 10, 1815. The document brought together for the first time the independent groups that formed today's Seminole and Miccosukee tribes. , Lt. Col. Edward Nicolls , Lt. Col. Edward Nicolls, nicknamed "Fighting Nicolls," fought in more than 100 battles during his career and was wounded 13 times. Later knighted for his services, he rose to the rank of brigadier general and was a leading 19th-century abolitionist. , Col. Benjamin Hawkins , Commander of the U.S. forces that came down the Chattahoochee River to attack the British during the last days of the War of 18 12. His plans were halted by the end of the last days of war. , Josiah Francis , Josiah Francis, seen here in a self-portrait, was a noted prophet or "hillis hadjo." He inspired and led the Red Stick movement during the Creek War of 1813-1814 and the First Seminole War of 1817-1818. He signed the Treaty of Nicolls' Outpost on March 10, 1815. , Maj. William McIntosh , The Lower Creek war chief of Coweta, served under Hawkins in the Nicolls' Outpost campaign. , Colonial Marines , Most of the British troops here were of African descent and enlisted in the Colonial Marines after escaping slavery in Spanish Florida, or the United States. Some evacuated to Trinidad after the War of 18 12, but others remained behind and adopted new lifestyles as Black Seminoles.