Part II

In my last column we were detailing the descriptions and locations of various forts that were built in Clarke County for the protection of its citizens during the Creek Indian War of 1813-14. In this column we will continue with the conclusion of that article.

Fort Madison. This fort was near the Alabama River, one and one half miles west of Suggsville. Settlers built this defensive fort some 225 yards north of Glass Redoubt in August 1813, and enclosed one acre of land (60 yards square). Just outside of the 12 ft. high walls was a trench 3 ft. deep. Portholes were cut in the walls for the use of sharpshooters inside. At night pitch pine was burned on scaffolds to illuminate the area outside the walls.

Soldiers, who had been sent to Glass Redoubt by Gen. Ferdinand L. Claiborne, aided in the construction of Fort Madison. After the attack on Fort Sinquefield, Glass and Lavier rushed to Fort Madison for more security. Unfortunately, depredations in the vicinity caused Claiborne to move 200 soldiers and 500 settlers from the fort to St. Stephens, creating consternation among the settlers who remained in the fort. However, Capt. Sam Dale and Capt. Evan Austill soon arrived with 80 militiamen for protection. Claiborne later retracted his former order and returned soldiers to Fort Madison.

Powell's Fort. This fort was on the Tombigbee River near Oven Bluff. The families of John McCaskey, James Powell, John Powell and about three others, were in this small fort about a mile from the river. After the fall of Fort Mims these families went to Carney's Fort and then to Mt. Vernon.

Fort Sinquefield. This fort was on the west bank of Bassett's Creek, approximately five miles southeast of Grove Hill, near present day Whatley. The spring that supplied the inmates with water is in a valley some 275 yards southwest of the fort site. Unmarked graves are 90 feet northwest of the site.

During the Creek War settlers erected this defensive fort, which was said to have been smaller than Fort Madison. After the massacre at Fort Mims, settlers flocked to Fort Sinquefield for safety, so the fort became overcrowded and conditions within became almost unbearable.

Because of those conditions, the families of Ransom Kimbell and Abner James chose to return to Kimbell's large cabin, which is only a mile from the fort. On Sept. 1, 1813, Red Sticks attacked the cabin without warning, killing 13 women and children. Six survivors escaped to the fort.

On Sept. 3, Josiah Francis and 100 Red Sticks attacked the fort killing one woman. The 35 defenders killed at least 20 of the warriors. The surviving Indians then retreated into the forest. The inmates of the fort, fearing an even larger attack by Weatherford and his 1,000 warriors, abandoned the position and hurried to the safety of Fort Madison.

Turner's Fort. This defensive stockade was near the northwestern bend of the Tombigbee River, in the West Bend neighborhood. In 1813, the pioneers living in northwestern Clarke County built this small fort at the residence of Abner Turner as a defensive position against the Red Sticks. It was constructed of split pine logs, which were doubled for thickness. There were two or three blockhouses on the site. In this fort 13 men and boys guarded the women and children of the community. Among the inmates was the heroic Tandy Walker, who had earlier saved Mrs. Gravely from the Red Sticks at Black Warrior's Town. Early in September 1813, the settlers evacuated the position and fled to the safety of St. Stephens.

Sometime in the early 1900s some of the logs from this fort were used to construct a corncrib on the Turner place. In 2001, this corncrib was donated to the Clarke County Museum. It was disassembled and carried to Grove Hill where it was reconstructed and restored on the museum grounds. This is the only known remnant of any of the Creek War forts.

Fort White. This small defensive fort was a short distance northeast of Grove Hill.

Very little information is available concerning this position. When Gen. Ferdinand L. Claiborne and his Mississippi Militia reached Mt. Vernon on July 30, 1813, he learned that this fort and several others had been erected by settlers as defenses against the Red Stick raids. It was probably abandoned soon after the fall of Fort Mims.

Clarke County was the scene of much activity during the war as evidenced by the number of forts that were built here. I have identified at least 28 forts that were built in Alabama during that time, and 13 of them were in Clarke County.

If any of us had lived in Clarke County during the Creek Indian War of 1813-14, the chances are pretty good that we would have spent at least some time as occupants of one of these many forts. It is difficult to imagine the hardships those people must have suffered, even if they were never attacked.