Red Eagle and the Wars with the Creek Indians of Alabama 1812-1814

by George Cary Eggleston

Red Sticks, White Sticks and the war in Alabama
The Creek Indian War, also known as the Red Stick War, took place between 1813-1814 and has been considered by many historians as part of the War of 1812. The Creek-or Muscogee-Indians of Alabama were effectively waging a civil war among themselves. One militant faction, the so called Red Sticks, proposed an aggressive return to the traditional life of their forebears and an end to treaties with and concessions to pioneer settlers represented by the United States government. The White Sticks, opting for peace, inevitably took the opposing view. Although the conflict began as one between the indigenous Indians, American forces, under the soon to be famous Andrew Jackson among others, were drawn into the conflict because much of the animosity was focussed on pioneer settlements. The conflict started in the usual manner of American Indian Wars-with the murder of settler families. The inevitable revenge and retribution that followed-and an escalation of the kind of merciless savagery the Americans had come to expect-culminated in the massacre of 500 settlers, friendly Indians, mixed blood Creeks and soldiers at Fort Mims in an attack led by the Red Stick war leader, Red Eagle. Other forts were also attacked. Panic spread through the region exacerbated by the inability of the Federal government to provide ready aid since it was engaged against the British and their Indian allies to the east. As a consequence much of the fighting was undertaken by militias from Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi supported by White Stick allies. National hero, Davy Crockett, also served in this conflict. The war ended in a victory for the Americans and put Andrew Jackson on a path to the presidency and the White House. It was a disaster for the entire Creek Indian tribe-irrespective of their allegiances-who paid for the conflict through the confiscation of vast tracts of their traditional lands.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Genres: Native American

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

George Cary Eggleston was an American author and brother of fellow author Edward Eggleston (1837–1902). After the American Civil War, George Cary Eggleston published a serialized account of his time as a Confederate soldier in The Atlantic Monthly. These serialized articles were later collected and expanded upon and published under the title "A Rebel's Recollections." He also served as an editor of Hearth and Home magazine in the early 1870s.

Reviews

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Well worth reading!

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this brief biography of William Weatherford a.k.a. Red Eagle was a fascinating experience.

Red Eagle was the military leader of the Creek Nation in their war against the Americans, led by, among others, a young Andrew Jackson. Author George Cary Eggleston attempts what we would call today a revisionist history, arguing that Weatherford was a great military mind and even a heroic figure, despite being a Native American. Of course, we would find the need to make this argument absurd today, but, since Eggleston died in the early 1900s, in his time this was a "woke" biography. Today, of course, the writing ages poorly in a number of ways, not the least of which being that, despite Eggleston's best efforts, it is racist.

Eggleston's attempt to rehabilitate Weatherford consciously emphasizes how he was different from a normal "savage," from his military strategy to his personal interactions. Weatherford was the son of a Scottish merchant and a Creek noblewoman and Eggleston clearly feels that a key to painting Weatherford as hero is emphasizing his "white" qualities.

Additionally, Eggleston's writing is infected by a number of strange views that we would find odd today. The fact the Weatherford is descended from nobility is presented as a key part of the argument for his greatness. Civilian atrocities committed by Native Americans are presented with detail while the same atrocities don't warrant a mention when perpetrated by Americans against indigenous people. These are just a sample of the myriad dated assumptions about race, class, gender, and nationalism that creep into the text.

Reading Eggleston caused me to reflect on our current "woke" moment, in which we often pat ourselves on the back for transcending the prejudices of our ancestors, and proclaim that we live in a newly enlightened era. I am sure that when "Red Eagle and the Wars with the Creek Indians of Alabama" was released, Eggleston was celebrated as a voice of enlightened liberalism. I am also sure that the conservatives of the day reviled his "SJW posturing" even if they called it something much more colorful at the time. And yet, so much of his point of view seems dated and even silly today.

This book is a good reminder that despite our best efforts and intentions we might be blind to our prejudices, and that no matter how close we may think we are to enlightenment, the reality is that we have a long way to go.

[Astor Teller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, published in 2024 (according to Amazon) confounded me with an old fashioned language and use of words no longer in print, such as Indians, half-breeds a the N-word. So I checked Goodreads which stated it was published in 1980, but when I finally checked Wikipedia, I read it was published in 1878, which explains the odd language and dear-reader-approach.

Although a dated book (old mindset and what we would consider a biased author), it was interesting to read what George Cary Eggleston had collated from the few sources available about the life of Red Eagle, aka William Weatherford, a half-Creek (which seems to be common).

But the story is more about Andrew Jackson who Red Eagle fought against, and Jackson’s problems with logistics (getting food) and perennial mutiny by the militiamen and volunteers. The Creek come around as much more civilised and many of them live and fight by modern standards. Red Eagle was into horse racing and seemed to live like a gentleman before and after the war.

And the reason for the war was political. Tecumseh wanted to gather the tribes to resist the push westward by the white settlers, but the book deals only with the war against the Creek (after the massacre on Fort Mims), the faction called the “red sticks” (the “white sticks” sticked to the white).

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horseshoe Bend

As a child growing up my Grandparents used to take me there and it wasn't until I was older that I could fully understand what happened. Over the years I have endeavoured to take my children and now Grandchildren to this hallowed spot on the Tallapoosa river and continue a legacy that began over 50 years ago.

[Lin]

Interesting factual account of General Jackson and Red Eagle.

I love reading historical documents. This book told both the military commanders and Native American warriors strategies of fighting and the strong character of so many individuals.

[Lindie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading the different versions of historical battles. This book doesn't disappoint. Took awhile to read, because there was always something more to read and check out.