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JOHN [R.S.] HILL IN CREEK WAR - WAR OF 1812

Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Alabama

Christie (Hill) Russell

The original text of this article was published in the Northwest Territory Genealogical Society quarterly magazine, Northwest Trail Tracer, Vol. XX, Number 4, December 1999 [Knox County Indiana]. Additional research material has been added since that time with revisions made February 2001.

John [R.S.] and Mary Ann "Polly" (Clark) Hill were living in the northwest corner of Randolph County, North Carolina when they married October 29,1810. He was19 and she was 18. Shortly after their marriage they left for Tennessee where relatives from Randolph County had already migrated. They undoubtedly came through Jefferson County where John Smith, Polly’s uncle, was living and then on to Overton County where George Smith, another uncle and brother to above John¹, was living. Overton County is located in the mid-section of Tennessee, a northern county bordering the state of Kentucky. It is known as the Upper Cumberland region where the East and West Forks of the Obey River flow into the Cumberland River.

At the time John and Polly arrived, Monroe was the county seat, a thriving little village about 20 miles south of the Kentucky state line. Buffalo and deer ran through its streets.² There was a small log courthouse, jail, stocks, and a whipping post. Monroe was located on the Stock Road leading from Danville, Kentucky to Huntsville, Alabama. It was also on the road from Fort Blount in Jackson County [adjacent to Overton] to Monticello, Kentucky.

Just two years before John arrived, George Wallis opened a modest log store at Monroe, and was authorized by the legislature to retail merchandise as a peddler through the counties which composed the Winchester district. Merchandise came to Monroe in wagons from Baltimore and Philadelphia. A county history reports that the settlers raised superior horses, good mules, and fine cattle. Feed for farm animals was plentiful. Tobacco, corn, wheat, oats, cotton, and hay were planted. Bear, deer, buffalo, and wild turkeys were abundant. The Upper Cumberland was rich and beautiful. Monroe remained the county seat until 1823 when it was moved to its present location in Livingston. Today there is no sign of the village, but the area is still referred to as Monroe.

On October 31, 1811, John Hill received Grant No. 2097 from the State of Tennessee for one hundred acres of land lying in the District of Winchester, recorded in the East Tennessee District.³ The land was situated on the waters of the West Fork of Obed’s [Obey] River on the east side. It was adjoining the land of Andrew Means⁴ and along the line of Benjamin Means to a white oak marked "J H" and ran near the line of William Seargeant. It was here that, William [October 8, 1811] and Clark [April 9, 1813] were born.⁵ At that time clashes between frontier families and Native Americans began to increase and militia units were called upon to protect the settlements from attack. A history of Overton County Tennessee states that the military department was organized in 1807. The militia met at regularly scheduled intervals at various muster grounds over the county for the purpose of drill and instructions. Under the leadership of Colonel Stephen Copeland and his officers, the Overton County militia is reported to have been one of the best in the state.

War of 1812 records from the National Archives⁶ in Washington, D.C. show that John Hill served as a private in Captain David Williams’ company of militia under the command of Colonel Stephen Copeland. His enlistment term was from January 28, 1814 to May 10, 1814. It was during this time on March 27^th , 1814, that this company in which John Hill served was engaged in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The muster roll states that this company was mustered in at Camp Johnson near Huntsville, Alabama with their line of march taking them through Fort Deposit, Forth Strother, and finally to Fort Williams in Alabama. It was mustered out at Fayetteville, Tennessee. Captain Williams and Colonel Copeland were both from Overton County. Colonel Copeland’s company became part of the 3rd Regiment, West Tennessee Militia Infantry consisting of approximately 660 men. This Regiment was in General Thomas Johnson’s Brigade.⁷

Also serving in this company of 59 men were William Elder, son of John Elder and Margaret Hill, Abijah [Ahijah] and Andrew Means, sons of Andrew Means, George Hinshaw and Eli Newlin; all men known to have come from Randolph County, NC. William Elder was John Hill’s first cousin who also lived on the West Fork of Obey River.⁸ George Hinshaw was from a Quaker family of Randolph Co., NC.⁹ It is believed that the Eli Newlin noted here is probably the son of John Newlin and Sarah Holladay who married Polly Robbins, daughter of James Robbins and Elizabeth Yount of Randolph County, NC. Although Eli Newlin and George Hinshaw were from strong Quaker families who opposed military service, they may have felt compelled to serve in the militia to safeguard the homes of family and friends.

Eli’s Newlin’s first child, Mahala, was born in 1814 in TN and his second child, Jonathan, was born Dec. 30, 1815 in Indiana confirmed by later census records. It is learned that Eli, along with his brothers Jonathan and Nathaniel, was in Orange County, Indiana appearing on the 1816 Voter’s List with John Hill. He later migrated to Crawford County, Illinois.

Captain David Williams’ sworn statement from the Muster Records follows:

"I certify on my honor that each noncommissioned officer and private in the company under my command traveled three hundred and thirty miles marching to Camp Johnson in the place where they were mustered into Service and from Fayetteville the place where they were discharged to their residence in Monroe, Overton County Tennessee."

Signed: David Williams, Capt. ¹⁰

Description of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

As the white population increased, the Creeks began to divide among themselves into those who held more traditional views and those who were more assimilated through contact with whites. Tecumseh had traveled south from the Great Lakes to try to unite the Native Americans in a confederacy against white Americans. Most Upper Creeks, called "Red Sticks" because of their bright red war clubs, wanted to resist white encroachment. Most Lower Creeks, more accustomed to whites, were inclined toward peace. This division led to the Creek War of 1813-14, a part of the War of 1812. During this time, the warring Creek Indians were supported by Spain and England.¹¹

Marauding Creek were already on the warpath, plundering, scalping and killing. A war faction of the "Red Sticks" took part in a general uprising along the frontier. A party of frontier settlers clashed July 27, 1813 with some native Americans at Burnt Corn, Alabama about 80 miles north of Pensacola, Florida. This led directly to the Creek War which was opened by the Creek attack Aug. 30, 1813 on Ft. Mims 35 miles above Mobile, Alabama. Of the 550 persons in the fort, 250 were massacred and many others burned to death. When news of the Ft. Mims atrocity reached Nashville, General Andrew Jackson mobilized the Tennessee militia for a full-scale campaign.¹² In January 1814 with fresh supplies and supported by Lower Creek and Cherokee allies and a regiment of U.S. infantry, Jackson launched his campaign to drive south into the heart of Red Stick country between the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers.

A deep bend in the Tallapoosa River was known as the Horseshoe. The Horseshoe enclosed one hundred acres, furrowed with gullies and covered by small timber and brush. Across the narrow neck of the peninsula the Creek had built a log breastwork. At the point was a fleet of canoes to insure an avenue of retreat. On the morning of Sunday, March 27, 1814, Jackson sent Gen. John Coffee and 700 mounted militia and 600 Cherokee and Lower Creek allies to cross the Tallapoosa and surround the bend. Jackson and the troops of the Thirty-Ninth U.S. Infantry and Tennessee Militia Infantry, about 2,000 men including John Hill, marched into the peninsula of the Horseshoe to confront the 1,000 Red Sticks behind their log and dirt barricade. Jackson warned, "Any officer or soldier who flies before the enemy without being compelled to do so by superior force...shall suffer death."

The Red Sticks retreated in small bands into the rugged terrain. "Arrows, and spear, and balls were flying." recorded Ensign Sam Houston, "swords and tomahawks gleaming in the sun." The Great Spirit had promised victory, the Indian priests had assured the braves as they moved among them oblivious of the danger, chanting the rituals, and falling as the warriors fell. The tide would yet turn, they said. The sign would be a cloud in the heavens.

Jackson’s hope was to breach the barricade. For two hours "a brisk...galling fire" of cannon and musketry, a hail of iron shot and lead balls splintered the bark of the logs, but the "balls passed thro the works without shaking the wall... Notwithstanding every shot penetrated...and carried with it death..still such was the strength of the wall that it never shook," recorded Jackson. Meanwhile, Cherokees and White Creeks swam the Tallapoosa despite its frigid depth and swift current, stole canoes from the bank, and ferried militia soldiers across.

Stephen Copeland’s Regiment was located behind the three main positions in front of the breastworks erected by the Creek. This regiment guarded the supply wagons, packhorses and wounded; however, records show some wounded men among the regiment indicating that after the breastworks were breached, Copeland’s Regiment undoubtedly joined in the fighting.¹³

Ensign Sam Houston, was seriously wounded by a barbed arrow in the thigh. In the middle of the afternoon Jackson offered life to all who would surrender but the invitation was refused "with scorn." During the lull, a small cloud appeared. The Red Sticks believing this was the sign they had been waiting for, fired upon the messenger of peace and resumed the battle with fury. The sign of deliverance brought only a quiet shower and the "peninsula was strewed with the slain." The battle was over. One thousand Indian warriors had been inspired by their prophets to believe that victory would come easily and that their enemies would be swept away.

Five hundred and fifty-seven Indian dead were counted on the ground and the river held two hundred more.¹⁴ Nearly 900 warriors are believed to have perished in this decisive battle. The tips of the noses of the dead Creek warriors were cut off to ensure an accurate count. Jackson had lost forty-nine and one hundred and fifty-seven wounded. Jackson reported to Tennessee Governor Willie Blount:

"The conduct of the militia on this occasion has gone far towards redeeming the character of that description of troops. They have been as orderly in their encampments and on the line of march, as they have been signally brave in the day of battle."¹⁵

Stephen Copeland, Colonel of the Third Regiment of West Tennessee Militia Infantry, 1814-1816, submitted a bill of expenses to the U.S. War Department, to General Thomas Johnson’s Brigade, for equipment and materials used on the expedition against the hostile Creek Indians, January 28 to May 13, 1814. This bill was witnessed by Jesse Masters, and was in the hands of the late Miss Dorsa Peek of Livingston, TN .

The Pay Roll Records for Col. Copeland’s company showed that for the 4 months and 5 days of service, John Hill and every other private received $8 a month with a $2.86 subsistence, for a total of $36.19. A recapitulation of the company record shows that out of the 59 men, 12 were sick-absent, 1 dead, 1 on furlough leaving 36 privates and 9 officers who served the entire 4 months.

David Crockett had served with Jackson on earlier campaigns but missed being in this decisive battle as he was at home on furlough.¹⁶ He was with Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in 1814-1815. Sam Houston was left for dead on the battle field at Horseshoe, but survived the night and was taken on a horse drawn litter by Tennessee Militia men to Ft. Johnson where he recovered from his wounds. Houston and Crockett later gained fame in Texas where Davie died at the Battle of the Alamo and Houston was elected President of the Republic of Texas following its independence from Mexico. Andrew Jackson became the 7^th President of the United States.

When John returned home, Polly was four and a half months pregnant with their third child, Hannah, who was born October 14, 1814. With the threat of Indian attack now broken, the frontier families began pouring into the areas northwest of the Ohio River. John and Polly Hill with their three children were settled in Washington/Orange County Indiana Territory by 1815. A deed to land in Paoli township shows that John owned 172 acres. He was on the November Voters List of 1816 along with Eli, Nathaniel and Jonathan Newlin. He was elected a Captain of the Thirteenth Regiment, Indiana Militia, in 1817. Family tradition states that after three years in Orange County, John and Polly moved to Busseron township, Knox County Indiana where they deeded 200 acres adjoining the 200 acres deeded to George Clark, Polly’s brother. This property was known as "Three Spring Lot". In late April or early May of 1825, John and other parties using flatboats, took a load of hogs and cattle to market in New Orleans. On the return trip, John drank some river water and took "the fever" arriving home deathly ill and died within a week on May 29^th. After John’s untimely death, his brother, Absolem, assisted Polly in applying for a widow’s pension, but no record of the application has been located at the State or National Archives. Polly lived as a widow for forty years and raised nine children to adulthood. They are both buried in the Ockiltree Cemetery, about twelve miles north of Vincennes just off U.S. Rt. 41.

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is administered by the National Park Service. It is located on Alabama Route 49, 12 miles north of Dadeville and 18 miles northeast of Alexander City. The address is 1288 Horseshoe Bend Rd., Davison, AL 36256 [phone 205-234-7111].

Battle Map of Horseshoe Bend

From a sketch accompanying Jackson’s report of the engagement to Governor Bount of Tennessee, now in the Tennessee Historical Society archives at Nashville. (1) Coffee’s cavalry. (2) Friendly Cherokees. (3) Creek village. (4) Broken ground. (5) Creek breastwork. (6) Island. (7) Jackson’s advance guard. (8) Artillery on a small hill. (9) Regulars. ( 10) Wagons, packhorses and wounded. (11 to 14) Militia. Copied from, Andrew Jackson, The Border Captain, Marquis James, Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, IN. page 180.

ENDNOTES

1. Mary Ann “Polly” Clark was the daughter of Nancy Ann Smith, daughter of David and Ann (Bryant) Smith, and Joseph Clark.

2. Our Wonderful Overton County Heritage, George Allen Knight, Southeastern Composition Services, Knoxville, TN, 1972. History of Overton County Tennessee 1776-1796, Robert L. and Mary Eldridge, Enterprise Printing Co., Inc., Livingston, Tennessee 38570.

3. Overton County, Tennessee Register of Deeds, Vol. C, Microfilm Roll #33; Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN, copied by Christie (Hill) Russell, 1999.

4. In an 1812 guardianship account in Randolph Co., NC for the heirs of Joseph Clark, Andrew Means is named as the representative for “Polly” Hill. Polly “Mary” [m. John Hill] , Hannah [m. James Elder], Jane [m. John Brown], Nancy [m. Solomon Blair], and George Clark [m. Ruth ?] were heirs of Joseph Clark. Their mother, Nancy Smith, remarried Benjamin Mendenhall who was the guardian of her children by Joseph Clark.

5. John served in the Tennessee Militia under Capt. William Copeland for three months in 1811. [Vol. 29 Tennessee Militia Records]. William Copeland was a Lieutenant in the 35th Tennessee Regiment, commissioned October 15, 1808 in Overton County, TN. David Williams was Captain in the 35th Regiment commissioned September 28, 1808.

6. National Archives, War of 1812, Card Numbers 38504054 and 38504113 with Company Muster Roll and Pay Roll 3rd Regiment (Copeland’s) West Tennessee Militia.

7. “Brief History of Tennessee in the War of 1812", Tom Kanon, Tennessee State Library and Archives; www.state.tn.us/sos/statelib/pubsvs/tn1812/htm, 10/14/1999.

8. William Elder was married to Martha “Patsy” Moore in 1810, Randolph Co., NC; he died 31 March 1869 in Overton Co. and is buried in the Eck Davis Cemetery, Rocky Ridge area near Monroe, TN. Pension record for War of 1812 from Microfilm M313-30 File # WO 4028, WC 3053; Bounty Land #20975 [80-50] #43568 [80-55]. Discharge date was 4 June 1814. Source: “Elder Family Newsletter”, Vol. 2, #2, 1994, pg 19.

9. George was the son of William and Mary Hinshaw who were members of the Holly Spring Friends Monthly Meeting, Randolph Co., NC. George’s brothers, Jesse, Benjamin, and Jacob appointed George their attorney to convey land in Overton Co., in their name as they were moving, dated 20 August 1811./p>

10. Muster Rolls, Tennessee Militia, War of 1812, Vol. 3, pgs 325-328 from Tennessee State Archives microfilm.

11. Using Primary Sources in the Classroom: Creek Indian War, 1813-1814 Unit, www.asc.edu/archives.

12. History of Overton County Tennessee, 1776-1976, Robert L. & Mary Eldridge, Livingston, TN, 1976.

13. Remarks by Tomas Kanon, Tennessee State Archivist.

14. James Marquis, Andrew Jackson, The Border Captain, Bobbs-Merrill Co., Indianapolis, IN.

15. Prelude to Horseshoe Bend, John Alden Reid, Savas Publishing.Com, excerpted from Vol. 1, No. 2 of “Journal of the Indian Wars”. Jackson to Willie Blount, “Battle of Tehopiska, or the Horse Shoe, March 31, 1814, Bassett, The Correspondence of Andrew Jackson, 492.

16. Richard Boyd Hauck, Crocket, A Bio-Bibliography, G