Fort Mims massacre: Red Stick Creeks storm the fort

Background. Tensions within the Creek Nation caused it to divide into factions, and civil war among the Creeks erupted during the summer of 1813. Although attacks on whites were few and limited in 1812 and early 1813, Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins did not consider the disruption in the Creek Nation or the increasing war dances a cause for concern. Red Stick chiefs Peter McQueen and William Weatherford then led an attack on Fort Mims, north of Mobile, on August 30, 1813.

The Attack. A large force of Red Stick Creeks stormed the fort and defeated the militia garrison. The attackers killed almost all remaining mixed Creek, white settlers, and militia at Fort Mims. The site was a fortified homestead 35–40 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, during the Creek War.

Regional Context. The massacre occurred during the broader Creek War, which is usually identified as an integral part of the War of 1812. Because Federal troops were largely occupied with the northern front of that war, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Mississippi Territory mobilized their militias to move against the Upper Creek towns that had supported the Red Sticks' cause. Territorial conflicts along the Gulf Coast that had previously helped the Creeks maintain control had shifted dramatically due to the Napoleonic Wars, the West Florida Rebellion, and the War of 1812.