Holy Ground Battlefield Park

In 1813-1814, the United States and Creek Indians grappled for control of the Southeastern frontier. A group of rebellious Creeks known as the “Red Sticks” (named for their red-painted war clubs) had rebelled first against their more peaceable Creek brethren, then against the United States. Driven by nativist religious beliefs, the Red Sticks believed the Creeks needed to spurn white culture and stand against white encroachment on native land. This Creek civil war descended into a wider regional conflict following clashes between American militia and Red Sticks at the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek and Fort Mims, where Red Sticks massacred over 200 American settlers.

To crush the Red Stick rebellion, which was centered in Creek lands in Alabama, the United States planned a three-pronged invasion. Tennessee militia and U.S. regulars under General Andrew Jackson would invade from the north. Georgian militia under General John Floyd would strike westward out of Georgia. And Mississippi militia and regulars under Brigadier General Ferdinand Claiborne would invade northward from vicinity of Mobile.

General Claiborne was an experienced soldier. As an officer in the U.S. army, he fought against Native-American tribes during the Northwest Indian War and participated in the American victory at the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers. Resigning his commission, he moved to Mississippi, where he rose to command of the territorial militia. Unfortunately for Claiborne, he was in overall command of local forces when the Red Sticks scored victories at the Battle of Burnt Corn and Fort Mims (the battles which sparked U.S. entry into the Creek war), and he viewed his planned expedition into Creek country as a means of redemption. In mid-December 1813, Claiborne marched north into enemy territory. His core of his command were 700 regulars of the 3rd U.S. Infantry, commanded by Colonel Gilbert C. Russell. Also present were 250 Mississippi militia (both infantry and cavalry), and fifty allied Choctaw warriors under Lieutenant Colonel Pushmataha.

With limited supplies on hand, General Claiborne’s plan was simple. His forces would march north into Red Stick territory and attack a village known as Holy Ground. Built recently by the Red Sticks, Holy Ground (or Econochaca) served as a reservoir for Red Stick warriors and supplies. Remotely located on the Alabama River, no white man in the expedition had actually seen the village. Two Red Stick leaders were charged with the village’s defense. William Weatherford commanded approximately 50 Red Stick warriors, while Creek religious prophet Josiah Francis led several hundred more. The small size of the Creek force was reflective of the three-pronged invasion of the United States; most other Creek warriors were away on the Tennessee and Georgia fronts. Also present to help defend Holy Ground were a small number of runaway slaves.

Claiborne’s force struggled north through swampy terrain, bitterly cold weather, and on limited corn rations. Although William Weatherford hoped to delay the enemy’s march through guerrilla tactics, Claiborne’s route allowed him to dodge Red Stick ambush. On December 23, the Americans approached Holy Ground in three advancing columns. William Weatherford guarded the town from a small ravine to its front. Also supposedly protecting the town was a magic “barrier” created by prophet Francis via native rituals. Francis promised that any white man who crossed the barrier would die, and his warriors felt confident in victory.

William Weatherford’s Red Sticks clashed with the advancing Americans along the ravine’s brushy banks. Yet the Americans’ overwhelming numbers forced Weatherford’s back from the ravine (a sizeable debate emerged post-battle as to whether the regulars or militia first crossed the ravine). As the Americans advanced into the town, Josiah Francis’s magical barrier failed to stop their attack. While Weatherford’s Red Sticks fought a valiant rearguard, Francis’s warriors fled in panic.

Fortunately for the Red Sticks, Mississippi cavalry failed to block the escape route across the river. Red Sticks piled into canoes or swam their way to safety. Others slipped away along the marshy riverbank. William Weatherford and his uncle Malcolm McPherson found themselves in a more dangerous position. American forces were closing in on the Red Stick leader, and as he and his uncle rode towards the river for safety, they discovered a cliff of fifteen feet (though perhaps more) overlooking the river. In a famous feat of bravery, Weatherford turned his horse around, gained a running start, and leapt into the Alabama River astride his steed. He splashed into river safely and escaped to the other side. Initially awed by the spectacle, his uncle Malcolm pulled of the same feat, and the pair escaped to fight another day.

Victorious, American forces occupied the town, and General Claiborne allowed his Choctaw allies to plunder freely. A shocking sight greeted the Americans in the town’s center: a large pole fluttered with the scalps of American settlers and friendly Creeks massacred at Fort Mims. The Americans burned the town. The flames forced an escaped slave hiding in the town out into the open; he was immediately shot. Foolishly for the Americans, they burned nearly 1,200 barrels of corn. In doing so, they not only deprived the Creeks of the provisions, but also themselves. The next day, a small party of Choctaws used canoes to cross the river and flush out a few lurking Red Sticks. Having secured a clear victory, burned Holy Ground to ashes, and running low on provisions (shortsightedly burning what they captured), the Americans marched back south.

The Battle of Holy Ground proved a clear, if incomplete, American victory. The Americans destroyed a major Red Stick village, one whose religious symbolism was important to the rebels. They had likewise destroyed an important cache of Red Stick provisions. Yet only 20 or so Red Sticks had been killed or wounded, and the vast majority had successfully escaped to fight another day. The Americans and Choctaws suffered seven dead and perhaps a similar number of wounded.

The Creek War would continue unabated until General Andrew Jackson triumphed over the Red Sticks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in March 1814. At the subsequent Treaty of Fort Jackson, the Creek Nation was forced to cede over 20 million acres of land to the United States.

Today, the site of Holy Ground is preserved by the Holy Ground Battlefield Park in White Hall, Alabama. The site interprets the village and battle and is traced by walking trails. Archeological digs have uncovered remains of the village, including the foundations of a cabin and heart. As historian Greg Waselkov noted, “Sites like this are pretty rare…When we first surveyed this site a few years ago, we were astonished to find household debris and other things just below the leaf litter.”[5]

1. Kathryn Braund. "Battle of Holy Ground." June 8, 2018. Encyclopedia of Alabama. Web. Accessed December 2, 2020. http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1811

2. Howard T. Weir, III. A Paradise of Blood: The Creek War of 1813-1814. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing, 2016.

3. John R. Elting. Amateurs, to Arms! A Military History of the War of 1812. New York: Da Capo Press, 1995.

4. Herbert J. Lewis. "Ferdinand Claiborne." July 26, 2012. Encyclopedia of Alabama. Web. Accessed December 2, 2020. http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3280

5. Mike Toner. "The Story of Holy Ground: Investigating a Legendary Battle Site." July 27, 2016. Archaeological Conservancy. Web. Accessed December 2, 2020. https://www.archaeologicalconservancy.org/3876-2/