The Battle of Talladega was a battle fought between the Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 militia

Militia

The 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...

 and the Red Stick Creek Indians

Creek people

The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...

 during the Creek War

Creek War

The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...

, in the vicinity of the present-day county and city of Talladega

Talladega

Talladega can have multiple uses:*Talladega, Alabama, a city in northern Alabama, USA*Talladega County, Alabama, which has the city of Talladega as its seat*Talladega National Forest in Alabama...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

.

Background

When General John Coffee

John Coffee

John Coffee was an American planter and military leader. He was considered the most even-tempered and least selfish of Andrew Jackson's lifelong friends...

 returned to Fort Strother

Fort Strother

Fort Strother was a stockade fort at Ten Islands in the Mississippi Territory, in what is today St. Clair County, Alabama. It was located on a bluff of the Coosa River, near the modern Neely Henry Dam in Ohatchee. The fort was built by General Andrew Jackson and several thousand militiamen in...

 after defeating the Red Sticks at the Battle of Tallushatchee

Battle of Tallushatchee

The Battle of Tallushatchee was a battle fought during the Creek War on November 3, 1813, in Alabama. Between Red Stick Creeks native Americans and United States dragoons.-Background:...

, General Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

 received a call for help from friendly Creeks who were being besieged by Red Sticks at Talladega.

Battle

On November 9, 1813, Jackson's army arrived outside the village. The Red Sticks, inflicted 100 casualties upon Jackson. However, Jackson inflicted 410 casualties on the Red Sticks and drove them from the field.
Click Here to see a hand-drawn map of the battlefield from 1813.

Aftermath

After the battle, there was a significant lull in the fighting between the Red Sticks and Jackson's army. By December, the U.S. force was down to almost 500 because of desertion and enlistments running out. In January, in order to support the Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 militia, Jackson marched toward the village of Emuckfaw with an inexperienced force. This move resulted in the Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek

Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek

The battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek are part of Andrew Jackson's campaign in the Creek War. They took place in January 1814 approximately 20 to 50 miles northeast of Horseshoe Bend.-Background:...

. After these battles Jackson retired to Fort Strother. When Jackson received additional reinforcements (some of them regular U.S. troops), he once again went on the offensive and met the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend.

External links

• A map of Creek War Battle Sites from the PCL Map Collection at the Universtity of Texas at Austin.
• Holy Ground & William Weatherford