The number that we took prisoners, being added to the number we killed, amounted to one hundred and eighty-six; though I don’t remem ber the exact number of either. We had five of our men killed. We then returned to our camp, at which our fort was erected and known by the name of Fort Strother. No provisions had yet reached us and we had now been for several days on half rations. However we went back to our Indian town on the next day when many of the carcasses of the Indians were still to be seen. They looked very awful, for the burning had not entirely consumed them, but given them a very terrible appearance, at least what re mained of them. It was, somehow or other, found out that the house had a potatoe cellar under it and an immediate examination was made, for we were all as hungry as wolves. We found a fine chance of potatoes in it, and hunger compelled us to eat them, though I had a little rather not, if I could have helped it, for the oil of the Indians we had burned up on the day before had run down on them and they looked like they had been stewed with fat meat. We then again re turned to the army and remained there for seve ral days almost starving, as all our beef was gone. We commenced eating the beef-hides and con tinued to eat every scrap we could lay our hands on. At length an Indian came to our guard one night and hollered and said he wanted to see “Captain Jackson.” He was conducted to the general’s markee, into which he entered, and in a few minutes we received orders to prepare for marching.
In an hour we were all ready and took up the line of march. We crossed the Coosa river and went on in the direction to Fort Taladega. When we arrived near the place, we met eleven hundred painted warriors, the very choice of the Creek na tion. They had encamped near the fort and had informed the friendly Indians who were in it that if they didn’t come out and fight with them against the whites, they would take their fort and all their ammunition and provision. The friendly party asked three days to consider of it and agreed that if on the third day they didn’t come out ready to fight with them, they might take their fort. Thus they put them off. They then imme diately started their runner to General Jackson and he and the army pushed over, as I have just before stated.
The camp of warriors had their spies out and discovered us coming some time before we got to the fort. They then went to the friendly Indians and told them Captain Jackson was coming and had a great many fine horses and blankets and guns and every thing else; and if they would come out and help to whip him, and to take his plunder, it should all be divided with those in the fort. They promised that when Jackson came, they would then come out and help to whip him. It was about an hour by sun in the morning when we got near the fort. We were piloted by friend ly Indians and divided as we had done on a former occasion, so as to go to the right and left of the fort and, consequently, of the warriors who were camped near it. Our lines marched on as before till they met in front and then closed in the rear, forming again into a hollow square. We then sent on old Major Russell, with his spy company, to bring on the battle; Capt. Evans’ company went also. When they got near the fort, the top of it was lined with the friendly Indians crying out as loud as they could roar, “Howdy-do, brother, how-dy-do?” They kept this up till Major Russel had passed by the fort and was moving on towards the warriors. They were all painted as red as scarlet and were just as naked as they were born. They had concealed themselves under the bank of a branch that ran partly around the fort in the manner of a half moon. Russel was going right into their circle, for he couldn’t see them, while the Indians on the top of the fort were trying every plan to show him his danger. But he couldn’t understand them. At last, two of them jumped from it and ran and took his horse by the bridle and, pointing to where they were, told him there were thousands of them lying under the bank. This brought them to a halt and about this moment the Indians fired on them and came rushing forth like a cloud of Egyptian locusts, screaming like all the young devils had been turned loose, with the old devil of all at their head. Russel’s company quit their horses and took into the fort and their horses ran up to our line, which was then in full view. The warriors then came yelling on, meeting us, and continued till they were within shot of us, when we fired and killed a considerable number of them. They then broke like a gang of steers and ran across to our other line where they were again fired on. We kept them running from one line to the other, constantly under a heavy fire, until we had killed upwards of four hundred of them. They fought with guns and also with their bows and arrows, but at length they made their escape through a part of our line which was made up of drafted militia, which broke ranks, and they passed. We lost fifteen of our men, as brave fellows as ever lived or died. We buried them all in one grave and started back to our fort but before we got there, two more of our men died of wounds they had received, making our total loss seven teen good fellows in that battle.
We now remained at the fort a few days but no provision came yet and we were all likely to perish. The weather also began to get very cold and our clothes were nearly worn out and horses getting very feeble and poor. Our officers pro posed to Gen’I. Jackson to let us return home and get fresh horses and fresh clothing so as to be better prepared for another campaign, for our sixty days had long been out and that was the time we entered for.
But the general took “the responsibility” on himself and refused. We were, however, deter mined to go, as I am to put back the deposites, if I can. With this, the general issued his orders against it, as he has against the bank. But we began to fix for a start, as provisions were too scarce; just as Clay and Webster and myself are preparing to fix bank matters on account of the scarcity of money. The general went and placed his cannon on a bridge we had to cross and or dered out his regulars and drafted men to keep us from crossing; just as he has planted his Globe and K. C. to alarm the bank men, while his regu lars and militia in Congress are to act as artillery men. But when the militia started to guard the bridge, they would holler back to us to bring their knapsacks along when we come, for they wanted to go as bad as we did; just as many a good fellow now wants his political knapsack brought along, that if, when we come to vote, he sees he has a fair shake to go, he may join in and help us to take back the deposites.
We got ready and moved on till we came near the bridge where the general’s men were all strung along on both sides, just like the office holders are now, to keep us from getting along to the help of the country and the people. But we all had our flints ready picked and our guns ready primed, that if we were fired on we might fight our way through or all die together, just as we are now determined to save the coun try from ready ruin or to sink down with it. When we came still nearer the bridge we heard the guards cocking their guns and we did the same; just as we have had it in Congress, while the “government” regulars and the people’s vo lunteers have all been setting their political trig gers. But, after all, we marched boldly on and not a gun was fired, nor a life lost; just as I hope it will be again that we shall not be afraid of the general’s Globe, nor his K. C. nor his regu lars, nor their trigger snapping; but just march boldly over the executive bridge and take the deposites back where the law placed them and where they ought to be. When we had passed, no further attempt was made to stop us but the general said, we were “the damned’st volunteers he had ever seen in his life; that we would vo lunteer and go out and fight and then, at our pleasure would volunteer and go home again, in spite of the devil.” But we went on; and near Huntsvile we met a reinforcement who were going on to join the army. It consisted of a re giment of volunteers and was under the command of someone whose name I can’t remember. They were sixty-day volunteers.
We got home pretty safely and in a short time we had procured fresh horses and a supply of clothing better suited for the season and then we returned to Fort Deposite, where our officers held a sort of a “national convention” on the subject of a message they had received from General Jackson, demanding that on our return we should serve out six months. We had already served three months instead of two, which was the time we had volunteered for. The next morn
ing the officers reported to us the conclusions they had come to and told us if any of us felt bound to go on and serve out the six months we could do so but that they intended to go back home. I knowed if I went back home I couldn’t rest, for I felt it my duty to be out and when out was, somehow or other, always delighted to be in the very thickest of the danger. A few of us, therefore, determined to push on and join the army. The number I do not recollect, but it was very small.
When we got out there, I joined Major Russel’s company of spies. Before we reached the place, General Jackson had started. We went on like wise and overtook him at a place where we esta blished a fort called Fort Williams and leaving men to guard it, we went ahead intending to go to a place called the Horse-shoe bend of the Talapoosa river. When we came near that place, we began to find Indian sign plenty and we struck up camp for the night. About two hours before day, we heard our guard firing, and we were all up in little or no time. We mended up our camp fires and then fell back in the dark, expecting to see the Indians pouring in and intending, when they should do so, to shoot them by the light of our own fires. But it happened that they did not rush in as we had expected, but commenced a fire on us as we were. We were encamped in a hollow square and we not only returned the fire, but continued to shoot as well as we could in the dark till day broke, when the Indians disap peared, The only guide we had in shooting was to notice the flash of their guns and then shoot as directly at the place as we could guess.
In this scrape we had four men killed and se veral wounded; but whether we killed any of the Indians or not we never could tell, for it is their custom always to carry off their dead if they can possibly do so. We buried ours and then made a large log heap over them and set it on fire so that the place of their deposite might not be known to the savages, who, we knew, would seek for them, that they might scalp them. We made some horse litters for our wounded and took up a retreat. We moved on till we came to a large creek which we had to cross. About half of our men had crossed when the Indians commenced firing on our left wing, and they kept it up very warmly. We had left Major Russel and his brother at the camp we had moved from that morning to see what discovery they could make as to the movements of the Indians and, about this time, while a warm fire was kept up on our left, as I have just stated, the major came up in our rear and was closely pursued by a large number of Indians who immediately commenced a fire on our artillery men. They hid themselves behind a large log and could kill one of our men almost every shot, they being in open ground and exposed. The worst of all was two of our colonels just at this trying moment left their men and, by a forced march, crossed the creek out of the reach of the fire. Their names, at this late day, would do the world no good and my object is history alone and not the slightest interference with character. An oppor tunity was now afforded for Governor Carroll to distinguish himself and on this occasion he did so by greater bravery than I ever saw any other man display. In truth, I believe, as firmly as I do that General Jackson is president, that if it hadn’t been for Carroll, we should all have been genteely licked that time, for we were in a devil of a fix; part of our men on one side of the creek and part on the other and the Indians all the time pouring it on us, as hot as fresh mustard to a sore shin. I will not say exactly that the old general was whip’d but I will say that if we es caped it at all, it was like old Henry Snider going to heaven, “mita tam tite squeeze.” I think he would confess himself that he was nearer whip’d this time than he was at any other, for I know that all the world couldn’t make him acknowledge that he was pointedly whip’d. I know I was mighty glad when it was over and the savages quit us, for I had begun to think there was one behind every tree in the woods.
We buried our dead, the number of whom I have also forgotten, and again made horse litters to carry our wounded and so we put out and re turned to Fort Williams, from which place we had started. In the mean time, my horse had got crip pled and was unfit for service and as another rein forcement had arrived, I thought they could get along without me for a short time so I got a furlough and went home, for we had had hard times again on this hunt and I began to feel as though I had done Indian fighting enough for one time. I re mained at home until after the army had returned to the Horse-shoe bend and fought the battle there. But not being with them at that time, of course no history of that fight can be expected of me.
SOON after this, an army was to be raised to go to Pensacola and I determined to go again with them, for I wanted a small taste of British fighting and I supposed they would be there.
Here again the entreaties of my wife were thrown in the way of my going, but all in vain; for I always had a way of just going ahead at whatever I had a mind to. One of my neighbhours, hearing I had determined to go, came to me and offered me a hundred dollars to go in his place as a substitute, as he had been drafted. I told him I was better raised than to hire myself out to be shot at but that I would go and he should go too and in that way the government would have the services of us both. But we didn’t call General Jackson “the government” in those days, though we used to go and fight un der him in the war.
I fixed up and joined old Major Russel again but we couldn’t start with the main army but followed on, in a little time, after them. In a day or two, we had a hundred and thirty men in our company and we went over and crossed the Muscle Shoals at the same place where I had crossed when first out and when we burned the Black Warriors’ town. We passed through the Choctaw and Chickesaw nations, on to Fort Ste phens, and from thence to what is called the Cut-off, at the junction of the Tom-Bigby with the Alabama river. This place is near the old Fort Mimms, where the Indians committed the great butchery at the commencement of the war.
We were here about two days behind the main army who had left their horses at the Cut-off and taken it on foot. They did this because there was no chance for forage between there and Pensacola. We did the same, leaving men enough to take care of our horses, and cut out on foot for that place. It was about eighty miles off but in good heart we shouldered our guns, blankets, and provisions and trudged merrily on. About twelve o’clock the second day, we reached the encampment of the main army, which was situated on a hill overlooking the city of Pensacola. My commander, Major Russel, was a great favourite with Gen’l. Jackson and our arri val was hailed with great applause, though we were a little after the feast for they had taken the town and fort before we got there. That evening we went down into the town and could see the British fleet lying in sight of the place. We got some liquor and took a “horn” or so and went back to the camp. We remained there that night and in the morning we marched back to wards the Cut-off. We pursued this direction till we reached old Fort Mimms where we remained two or three days. It was here that Major Russel was promoted from his command, which was only that of a captain of spies, to the command of a major in the line. He had been known long before at home as old Major Russel, and so we all con tinued to call him in the army. A Major Childs, from East Tennessee, also commanded a battalion, and his and the one Russel was now appointed to command composed a regiment, which, by agreement with General Jackson, was to quit his army and go to the south to kill up the Indians on the Scamby river.
General Jackson and the main army set out the next morning for New Orleans and a Colonel Blue took command of the regiment which I have before described. We remained, however, a few days after the general’s departure and then started also on our route.
As it gave rise to so much war and blood shed, it may not be improper here to give a little description of Fort Mimms and the manner in which the Indian war commenced. The fort was built right in the middle of a large old field and in it the people had been forted so long and so quietly, that they didn’t apprehend any danger at all and had, therefore, become quite careless. A small negro boy, whose business it was to bring up the calves at milking time, had been out for that purpose and on coming back, he said he saw a great many Indians. At this the inhabitants took the alarm and closed their gates and placed ou
t their guards, which they continued for a few days. But finding that no attack was made, they concluded the little negro had lied and again threw their gates open and set all their hands out to work their fields. The same boy was out again on the same errand, when, returning in great haste and alarm, he informed them that he had seen the Indians as thick as trees in the woods. He was not believed, but was tucked up to receive a flogging for the supposed lie and was actually getting badly licked at the very moment when the Indians came in a troop, loaded with rails, with which they stop’d all the port-holes of the fort on one side except the bastion, and then they fell in to cutting down the picketing. Those in side the fort had only the bastion to shoot from, as all the other holes were spiked up, and they shot several of the Indians while engaged in cut ting. But as fast as one would fall, another would seize up the axe and chop away until they suc ceeded in cutting down enough of the picketing to admit them to enter. They then began to rush through and continued until they were all in. They immediately commenced scalping, without regard to age or sex; having forced the inhabit ants up to one side of the fort, where they carried on the work of death as a butcher would in a slaughter pen.
An Autobiography of Davy Crockett Page 6