Red Sticks facts for kids

The Red Sticks were a group of Creek people in the early 1800s. They got their name from the red-painted war clubs some of their warriors used. This group mostly came from the Upper Towns of the Creek nation. They wanted to keep their traditional ways of life and culture. They also wanted to protect their shared land for farming and hunting.

The Red Sticks became important when European-American settlers started taking more and more Creek land. The Creek people in the Lower Towns lived closer to these settlers. They often had mixed-race families and had already given up some of their land. The Red Sticks led a movement to fight against this takeover and against being forced to change their culture. These tensions led to the Creek War in 1813. This war started as a fight among the Creek people themselves. But soon, the United States joined in, while they were also fighting the British in the War of 1812.

What Were the Red Sticks?

The name "Red Sticks" came from a special weapon called an atássa. This was a wooden war club, about two feet long. It had a red-painted handle and a curved end with a small piece of iron, steel, or bone. This club was a favorite weapon for Red Stick warriors.

The Red Sticks were mainly from the Upper Towns of the Creek Confederacy. They strongly supported their traditional leaders and culture. They believed in keeping their land for everyone to use for farming and hunting. They did not want to adopt European-American ways of life.

Creek Culture and Divisions

The Creek people had a matrilineal culture. This means a person's family and social standing came from their mother's side. Children were considered part of their mother's clan.

The Creeks in the Lower Towns were a larger group. They had adopted more European-American customs. Many women from these towns married white traders and settlers. They also had more trade with the United States. Even so, children of mixed-race parents, like chiefs William Weatherford and William McIntosh, were usually raised within the Creek culture.

William McIntosh, a chief from Coweta, was a leader of the Lower Creeks. During the Creek War, he did not support the Red Sticks. Instead, he sided with the Americans. He even joined Andrew Jackson as a Major. Because he was partly white and seemed "civilized" to Jackson, he gained Jackson's trust. This meant that when Georgians attacked friendly Creek settlements, only McIntosh's complaints reached the government. His actions during the war made him less popular in Creek society afterward.

Outside Influence and the War of 1812

England and Spain encouraged Native Americans to fight against America. They hoped this would distract the Americans. England mainly influenced tribes from the Great Lakes region. But then, Tecumseh, a Shawnee leader, visited the Upper Creeks. He convinced them to go to war against the United States.

When news of the Creek War reached Vice Admiral Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane, he was impressed. He didn't know the Creeks were fighting a civil war. He also didn't know that other tribes like the Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Cherokees had joined the Americans. Cochrane wanted to attack the Gulf Coast and use Native Americans as a distraction from the war in Canada.

On May 10, 1814, Captain Hugh Pigot arrived at the Apalachicola River. His men gave weapons to the Native Americans and a small group of British soldiers joined them. Pigot reported that he could train up to 2,800 Creek and Seminole warriors in a few months. This report later helped lead to the Battle of New Orleans.

The time was difficult for the Creek people. Settlers were putting more and more pressure on their land. The Lower Creeks had already been forced to give up much of their land to the Americans. The Red Stick War, also known as the Creek War (1813–1814), was mainly a civil war. The Creeks were fighting among themselves about their future. When the Lower Creeks declared friendship with the United States, violence broke out. The Red Sticks attacked the Lower Creek towns. The British and Spanish supported the Red Sticks. The British were fighting the U.S. in the War of 1812. The Spanish wanted to keep their control in Florida and lands west of the Louisiana Territory.

Key Battles and Events

Fight Over Weapons

The Red Sticks were involved in a fight known as the Battle of Burnt Corn. This happened in 1813 when a group of Red Sticks were returning from Florida with weapons. American white militiamen attacked them. After the first attack, the Red Sticks regrouped and defeated the militia. Even though the militia started the fight, settlers and U.S. officials became worried about the Red Sticks' actions.

Attack at Fort Mims

The Red Sticks decided to attack Fort Mims in the Mississippi Territory. This fort was near present-day Tensaw, Alabama. They wanted to reduce the influence of the Tensaw Creek, who controlled the fort. Many white settlers and their slaves had also taken refuge there after the Battle of Burnt Corn.

The fort was not well protected. On August 30, 1813, the Red Sticks easily broke through its defenses. They killed most of the people inside. Estimates say between 300 and 500 people were at the fort, including whites, slaves, and Lower Creek. Only about three dozen people survived. At least 100 Creek attackers were also killed.

Some historians believe this attack was specifically aimed at the Tensaw group. This group of Lower Creek had moved away from traditional Creek values. So, the attack at Fort Mims might not show the whole picture of the conflict between the Upper and Lower Towns.

Battle of Horseshoe Bend

General Andrew Jackson led 3,000 men to Horseshoe Bend (called Tohopeka by the Creek). They left Fort Williams on March 14. His scouts had reported that about 1,000 Red Sticks warriors and their families were living there. Jackson's army had to march over 60 miles of rough land. Before they left, Jackson warned that anyone who retreated without a very strong reason would be executed.

Jackson's army arrived on March 26. They set up camp six miles away, near where the Battle of Emuckfau Creek had happened. The day before, the Red Sticks' commander, William Weatherford, had left to be with his pregnant wife. Chief Menawa was left in charge.

Jackson's cavalry and horsemen, led by Coffee, left at 3 a.m. They crossed the Tallapoosa River to block the Red Sticks' escape and stop any help from arriving. Coffee's group had 700 mounted infantry and 600 allied Native Americans. Meanwhile, Jackson marched to the Red Sticks' defenses. He had two cannons that started firing at 10:30 a.m. This lasted until noon. Jackson realized the cannons were not doing much good, so he decided to storm the defenses. The first person to climb over the wall was Major Lemuel Montgomery, who was immediately shot. The fight for the defenses was quick but bloody, and Jackson's men won.

The Red Sticks fell back to their second line of defense, made of logs and bushes. The Creeks refused to surrender. Their prophets told them that being captured would be worse. Jackson offered them a chance to give up, but the Creeks fired back. The fighting continued until sunset.

During the battle, many Red Sticks were killed. Only thirty-two Americans were killed, and ninety-nine were injured. In the end, only twenty Red Sticks escaped, including their leader Menawa.

Some famous people present at the battle were: Sam Houston, John Coffee, and Andrew Jackson.

What Happened Next?

The attack at Fort Mims had big effects. Settlers were very worried and demanded protection from the government. Since federal forces were busy with the War of 1812, states like Georgia, Tennessee, and the Mississippi Territory raised their own state militias. They also got help from Native American allies, like the Cherokee, who were traditional enemies of the Creek.

General Andrew Jackson led the state militias against the Red Sticks. The U.S. forces finally defeated the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814) on March 27, 1814. Most of the Creek warriors were killed or captured. However, some survivors escaped to Florida. There, they joined the Seminole tribe and continued to resist the United States.

The war started because of disagreements among the Creeks. Some, led by chiefs William Weatherford, Menawa, and Peter McQueen from the Upper Towns, wanted to resist changes and keep their traditions. The war made the relationship between the Creeks and Americans much worse. Americans had been steadily taking more and more land from the Creek and other Native American tribes. They forced tribes to sign treaties giving up land, but always wanted more. After the war, the Creeks were forced to give up half of their remaining lands to the U.S.

Within twenty years, the Creeks lost all their remaining lands. This happened because of the Indian Removal Act, which forced them to move to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Some Creeks chose to stay in Alabama and Mississippi and become U.S. citizens. But promises to protect their land were not kept, and many lost their homes. Some Creeks moved to Florida and joined the Seminoles.

Remembering the Past

The stockade and fort at Fort Mims have been rebuilt at the historic site. A plaque there explains that the British gave weapons to the Red Sticks. This was part of their plan against Captain Kaleb Johnson's troops during the War of 1812.

See also

In Spanish: Bastones Rojos para niños