Canoe Fight
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The Canoe Fight was a skirmish between Mississippi Territory militiamen led by Captain
Samuel Dale Samuel Dale (1772 – ), known as the "Daniel Boone of Alabama", was an American frontiersman, trader, miller, hunter, scout, courier, soldier, spy, army officer, and politician, who fought under General Andrew Jackson, in the Creek War, la ...
and
Red Stick Red Sticks (also Redsticks, Batons Rouges, or Red Clubs), the name deriving from the red-painted war clubs of some Native American Creeks—refers to an early 19th-century traditionalist faction of these people in the American Southeast. Made ...
warriors that took place on November 12, 1813 as part of the Creek War. The skirmish was fought largely from canoes and was a victory for the militiamen, who only had one member wounded. The victory held little military value in the overall Creek War but its participants gained widespread notoriety for their actions during the fight. The fight has been depicted in multiple illustrations, but only a historical marker currently exists near the site of the fight.


Background

During the Creek War, the United States allied themselves with Creek, Choctaw, and
Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
warriors who were supportive of the United States in fighting Creeks who were hostile to the United States. The supportive Creeks (known as White Sticks), had championed the enlargement of the Creek governing body known as the National Council and paid off existing debt to the United States by selling Creek lands in present-day
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
and
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. The Creeks who were hostile to the United States, known as Red Sticks, were angered at the growing power of the National Council and felt governmental duties should instead be handled by Creek clans. The Red Sticks were also angered over the selling of traditional Creek lands to the United States and the arrival of settlers on Creek land. Prior to the Creek War, the disagreements over the National Council had led the White Stick and Red Stick warriors to engage in civil war. The United States hoped to prevent the Red Sticks from allying themselves with
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as part of the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
. Red Stick warriors began sporadically attacking settlers who encroached on Creek lands. In response, citizens of the Mississippi Territory built protective forts in addition to United States military action against the Red Sticks. After the Fort Mims massacre militias were formed in present-day southern
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
to protect settlers while they were gathering the fall harvest. Red Stick warriors continued to attack settlers in the area. Captain
Samuel Dale Samuel Dale (1772 – ), known as the "Daniel Boone of Alabama", was an American frontiersman, trader, miller, hunter, scout, courier, soldier, spy, army officer, and politician, who fought under General Andrew Jackson, in the Creek War, la ...
, who was recovering from wounds received at the
Battle of Burnt Corn The Battle of Burnt Corn, also known as the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek, was an encounter between United States armed forces and Creek (people), Creek Indians that took place July 27, 1813 in present-day southern Alabama. The battle was part of th ...
, volunteered to lead a group of 30 Mississippi Territory volunteers and 40 volunteers from the surrounding area to drive away the Red Stick warriors. On November 11, the party left
Fort Madison Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...
headed southeast towards the Alabama River. They crossed the river at French's Landing (labeled as Brasier's Landing on the map to the right) near modern Gainestown where they camped. After procuring two canoes the party turned northward along the river. Six to eight men remained in the canoes under the command of Jeremiah Austill, while the remainder of the force marched up the eastern bank of the river. Austill spotted a canoe with Red Sticks coming down the river, who soon reversed direction. Firing was then heard near the mouth of Randon's Creek as Dale and his volunteers ambushed a band of warriors who were preparing food, killing one (Dale identified the victim as a métis named Will Milfort, son of Le Clerc Milfort and Jeannet McGillivray, who was
Alexander McGillivray Alexander McGillivray, also known as ''Hoboi-Hili-Miko'' (December 15, 1750February 17, 1793), was a Muscogee (Creek) leader. The son of a Muscogee mother and a Scottish father, he had skills no other Creek of his day had: he was not only liter ...
's sister). The volunteers began gathering the food and supplies the warriors left behind. Due to difficulty marching up the east bank, Dale ordered the men to cross the river to the west bank. All but twelve men, including Dale, Austill, and James Smith crossed the river. These twelve were preparing some of the captured food when they heard the volunteers from the west bank warn they were surrounded by Creek warriors.


Battle

The volunteers rushed to the river bank but neither canoe had returned from ferrying the other soldiers. They also spotted a canoe with eleven Red Stick warriors descending the river. When the warriors noticed the volunteers, they immediately reversed direction. For an unknown reason, the warriors who had surrounded the soldiers from the east never attacked. Two warriors in the canoe jumped into the river and swam towards the bank. Smith shot and killed one of the warriors. Dale called for eight of the soldiers on the opposite bank to paddle over in the larger of the two canoes. When these soldiers saw the number of warriors in the canoe, they retreated. The smaller canoe, paddled by a free Black named Caesar, had arrived on the eastern shore. Dale decided to take the smaller canoe into the river to meet the warriors and asked Austill and Smith to accompany him. With Caesar paddling, all three soldiers attempted to fire at the warriors. Austill and Dale's guns failed to fire due to the primer being wet and Smith's shot missed. Caesar continued to paddle towards the warriors' canoe. Before the canoes rammed into each other, the warrior chief reportedly exclaimed "Now for it, Big Sam!", ("Big Sam" being Dale's nickname among the Creeks). Accounts of the ensuing struggle differ: most accounts report that Austill was struck in the head by the chief with his gun stock. After recovering, Austill was then struck with a war club. Caesar held the boats together while both sides exchanged blows using their rifles as clubs. Austill used the war club that he was attacked with to kill one of the warriors. At one point during the struggle, Dale jumped into the warriors canoe. In addition to bludgeoning the warriors, Dale also used a bayonet during the fight. All nine Red Stick warriors who remained in the boat were killed. The four Mississippi volunteers all survived, with only Austill receiving significant wounds. After the warriors' bodies were thrown overboard, the remaining warriors on the east bank began shooting at the small canoe's occupants. Dale, Austill, Smith and Caesar reached the eight soldiers who remained on the east bank and were able to return them to the west bank unharmed. The combined group marched two more miles up the west bank, then returned to Fort Madison.


Aftermath

The victory was not of strategic importance in the overall Creek War. Dale became a hero to early Alabamians and was afterwards known as "The
Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...
of Alabama." He went on the serve in the
Alabama General Assembly The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers serv ...
and as a brigadier general of the Alabama militia. He later moved to Lauderdale County, Mississippi and died in
Daleville, Mississippi Daleville is an unincorporated community along Mississippi Highway 39 in North Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 39326. The settlement is named for Samuel Dale, Lauderdale County's first repre ...
. Austill served as a clerk for the
Mobile County Mobile County ( ) is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the second most-populous county in the state after Jefferson County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 414,809. Its county seat is Mobile, wh ...
Court then moved to a plantation in
Clarke County Clarke County may refer to: ;Places *One of five counties in the United States: **Clarke County, Alabama **Clarke County, Georgia **Clarke County, Iowa **Clarke County, Mississippi **Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a county in the Com ...
where he died in 1879. Smith continued to fight in skirmishes during the Creek War then moved to Mississippi prior to his death. Sources differ concerning Caesar's life after the skirmish: Austill stated that he remained with the Creek métis Josiah Fisher until his death ten years after the fight while Henry S. Halbert wrote that he was sold to Dale before dying in
Kemper County, Mississippi Kemper County is a county located on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,456. Its county seat is De Kalb. The county is named in honor of Reuben Kemper. The county is pa ...
in 1866.


Legacy

The Canoe Fight was chosen as the subject for two New Deal murals. In 1938, John Kelly Fitzpatrick created a mural study for the post office at
Ozark, Alabama Ozark is a city in and the county seat of Dale County, Alabama. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 14,907. Ozark is the principal city of the Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area, as well as a part of the Dothan-Ozark Combi ...
, that was not accepted. John Augustus Walker was commissioned to paint a collection of murals for
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's Old City Hall in 1936 that showed Austill and Caesar during the fight. The exact site of the skirmish is unknown. The canoe fight occurred near where Randon's Creek joins the Alabama River. The site where the warriors surrounded the twelve militiamen on the east bank has been confirmed and is located on private property. A historical marker that describes the Canoe Fight is located near Barlow Bend.


References


Sources

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External links


Jeremiah Austill's handwritten account of the Canoe Fight with sketch of the field and location
{{Battles of the War of 1812 Battles of the Creek War Battles involving canoes Conflicts in 1813 Native American history of Alabama Alabama River Naval battles and operations of the American Indian Wars November 1813 events Battles of the War of 1812 in Alabama