Captain Samuel Butts (November 24, 1777 – January 27, 1814) was a militia officer in the

Creek War The Creek War (1813–1814), also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, was a regional war between opposing Indigenous American Creek factions, European empires and the United States, taking place largely in modern-day Alabama ...

. Butts was born at his family's farm in

Southampton County, Virginia Southampton County is a county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. North Carolina is to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,996. Its county seat is Courtland. History In the early 17th century ...

, to parents Martha and Simmons. His ancestors included many veterans of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. The Butts family moved to

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, when Samuel was young. As an adult, Butts moved to

Monticello, Georgia Monticello is the largest city and the county seat of Jasper County, Georgia, United States. The city includes historic buildings such as the Jasper County Courthouse, Monticello High School and the Monticello Historic District. The populati ...

, and became a businessman. In 1813, Butts joined the local militia of Jasper County as a private in order to fight in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He was quickly made captain of his unit, and they fought under the command of General John Floyd in battles at Autossee, Tallasee and Camp Defiance. On January 27, 1814, Butts was killed in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

at the

Battle of Calebee Creek The Battle of Calebee Creek (also spelled ''Calabee'', ''Callabee'', or in the official report at the time, "Chalibee") took place on January 27, 1814, during the Creek War, in Macon County, Alabama, west of Fort Mitchell. General Floyd, wit ...

(referred to as Chillabee in some sources). In 1825, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

named

Butts County, Georgia Butts County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Georgia, central part of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 25,434, up from 23,655 in 201 ...

in honor of Captain Butts. A Georgia chapter of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

is named after him as well.

Notes

References

* William J. Northen
''Men of Mark in Georgia''
A. B. Caldwell, 1912, pp. 174–177.
Capt. Samuel Butts Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution
* ttp://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2302 New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Butts County, Georgia 1777 births 1814 deaths People from Southampton County, Virginia People of the Creek War Butts County, Georgia American militiamen in the War of 1812 American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 People from Sparta, Georgia People from Monticello, Georgia {{GeorgiaUS-stub