Horseshoe Bend National Military Park!

What Is Horseshoe Bend National Military Park?

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park preserves the site of Tohopeka and the final battle of the Creek War of 1813-1814!

What Makes It Historical?

After the US Revolution, the British ceded control of a lot of territory west of the 13 former colonies. Plantation owners were hungry for new land, but a large chunk of it was inhabited by the Muskogee or Creek! As early as 1790, they’d sent a delegation to New York to sign a treaty securing their traditional home, but by 1813, the settlers had moved in, and there was some serious disagreement on how to deal with them!

One faction called the Creek National Council believed in cooperating with the US government for mutual benefit, but another, the Red Sticks, saw the land grab for what it was. War broke out between the factions when two Creek warriors killed some settlers, and the National Council executed their own warriors! Meanwhile, the US Government, already at war with Britain, worried that the Brits would use the conflict to their advantage and got involved.

Andrew Jackson and the Tennessee militia burned 48 Creek towns before reaching this horseshoe bend in the Tallapoosa River, where the last Red Stick forces under Chief Menawa gathered in a fortified village called Tohopeka! While the artillery bombarded the village’s main wall, US allies among the Cherokee and Lower Creek crossed the river behind the village and surprised the inhabitants. This was the deciding battle in the Creek War, which concluded with the Treaty of Fort Jackson on August 9, 1814!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Volunteer at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park!
Donate to Horseshoe Bend National Military Park!
Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!