The battles of
Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek are part of
Andrew Jackson'sAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . He was military governor of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy...
campaign in the
Creek WarThe Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
. They took place in January 1814 approximately 20 to 50 miles (30-80 km) northeast of
Horseshoe BendThe Battle of Horseshoe Bend , was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama...
.
After
TalladegaThe Battle of Talladega , was a battle fought between the Tennessee militia and the Red Stick Creek Indians during the Creek War, in the vicinity of the present-day county and city of Talladega, Alabama....
, Jackson was plagued by supply shortages and discipline problems arising from his men's short term enlistments. General
John CoffeeJohn Coffee was an American planter and military leader. He was considered the most even-tempered and least selfish of Jackson's lifelong friends...
, who had returned to
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
for remounts, wrote Jackson that the cavalry had deserted.
The battles of
Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek are part of
Andrew Jackson'sAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . He was military governor of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy...
campaign in the
Creek WarThe Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
. They took place in January 1814 approximately 20 to 50 miles (30-80 km) northeast of
Horseshoe BendThe Battle of Horseshoe Bend , was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama...
.
Background
After
TalladegaThe Battle of Talladega , was a battle fought between the Tennessee militia and the Red Stick Creek Indians during the Creek War, in the vicinity of the present-day county and city of Talladega, Alabama....
, Jackson was plagued by supply shortages and discipline problems arising from his men's short term enlistments. General
John CoffeeJohn Coffee was an American planter and military leader. He was considered the most even-tempered and least selfish of Jackson's lifelong friends...
, who had returned to
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
for remounts, wrote Jackson that the cavalry had deserted. By the end of 1813, Jackson was down to a single regiment whose enlistments were due to expire in mid January. Although Governor
Willie BlountWillie Blount served as Governor of Tennessee from 1809 to 1815. He was the younger half-brother of William Blount, representative of North Carolina to the Continental Congress and governor of the Southwest Territory....
had ordered a new levee of 2,500 troops, Jackson would not be up to full strength until the end of February. When a draft of 900 raw recruits arrived unexpectedly on January 14, Jackson was down to a cadre of 103 and Coffee, who had been "abandoned by his men."
Battles
Since new men had sixty day enlistment contracts, Jackson decided to get the most out of his untried force. He departed Fort Struther on the seventeenth and marched toward the village of Emuckfaw to cooperate with the
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
MilitiaThe term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. However, this was a risky decision. It was a long march through difficult terrain against a numerically superior force, and the men were inexperienced and insubordinate. A defeat of Jackson would have prolonged the war.
On January 22, 1814, Jackson was encamped about twelve miles (20 km) from Emuckfaw. At dawn, a strong force of
Red SticksRed Sticks is the English term for a traditionalist faction of Creek Indians who led a resistance movement which culminated in the outbreak of the Creek War in 1813....
, camped three miles (5 km) away, attacked Jackson's position but were driven off after about thirty minutes. Jackson sent Coffee with a force of 400 to burn the Indian camp. Upon seeing the strength of their position, Coffee did not attack and returned to Jackson's position. The Red Sticks attacked again. Coffee was seriously wounded when he led a small party to turn their
flankIn military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
. The Creek were driven off with a loss of 54 killed. At this point, Jackson had no choice but to retreat to Fort Struther.
Because of the difficulty of the earlier crossing of the Emuckfaw, Jackson took a longer route back to Fort Strother. Even so, the crossing was difficult. On the morning of January 24, 1814, he began to recross the creek. When Jackson's artillery was about to enter the ford, alarm shots sounded in the woods. Having anticipated an attack, Jackson had ordered his advance guard to counterattack and attempt an envelopment. The rear guard panicked and retreated. For reasons unknown, the Red Sticks were unable to take advantage of the situation, and a handful of defenders drove them off. Jackson's losses for the two engagements were 24 killed and 71 wounded.
Aftermath
Although Jackson had been forced to withdraw, the Red Sticks had lost their best opportunity for a decisive victory against the American forces. Jackson returned to Fort Struther and did not resume the offensive until mid-March.
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