The Second Creek War: Interethnic Conflict and Collusion on a Collapsing Frontier

7. Flight through Southern Georgia

264 Local observers were correct: the Creek war was not finished. Because the Alabama and Georgia troops did not execute Scott’s strategy, a signi ficant number of rebels remained in the wild. Many of these people now set out for Florida, winding their way through the south Georgia swamps to the Seminoles, attacking settlers and fighting militiamen and volunteer troops all the way. In fact, the real combat of the Second Creek War began only after the supposedly decisive federal operation in June. Yet this part of the story has remained to this day largely untold. The engagements of July and August 1836 occurred in isolated swamps, hammocks, and fields scattered throughout the sparsely settled southern counties of Georgia. But no federal troops participated in these contests, hence few “official reports” reached Washington or the national periodicals. The war continued largely out of sight for most of the nation’s citizens. In fact, it took place in the unobserved interspace between Jesup’s removal efforts in Alabama and the dramatic Seminole War in Florida. For this reason, historians, writing from federal records, have focused on those two events, ignoring the full extent or significance of the second stage of the “minor” Creek conflict. Actually, rebel Creeks broke out of Scott’s trap even before he had time to set it. And they did so under his very nose. However, this realization was slow to dawn on the general. Stopping off at Fort Mitchell 7. Flight through Southern Georgia 4. War in southern Georgia S p r i n g F l i n t R i v e r O k m u l g e e River Ochlo c k o n e e R i v e r S t . M a r y ’ s River S u w a n e e R i v er Altamaha River C h a t t a h o o c h e e R i v e r Turkey Creek W i t h lacooc h e e R i v e r Little R i v e r A l a p a h a R i v e r S p r i n g F l i n t R i v e r O k m u l g e e River Ochlo c k o n e e R i v e r S t . M a r y ’ s River S u w a n e e R i v er Altamaha River C h a t t a h o o c h e e R i v e r Turkey Creek W i t h lacooc h e e R i v e r Little R i v e r A l a p a h a R i v e r Ft. Mitchell Ft. Mitchell Ft. Mitchell Irwinton Irwinton Irwinton Camp Sanford Camp Sanford Camp Sanford Ft. McCreary Ft. McCreary Ft. McCreary Pindertown Pindertown Pindertown Ft. Gaines Ft. Gaines Ft. Gaines Alford’s Camp Alford’s Camp Alford’s Camp Roanoke Roanoke Roanoke Ft. Jones Ft. Jones Ft. Jones Ft. Twiggs Ft. Twiggs Ft. Twiggs Columbus Columbus Columbus Chickasawhatchee Swamp Chickasawhatchee Swamp Chickasawhatchee Swamp Cow Creek Cow Creek Cow Creek Grand Bay Grand Bay Grand Bay Hentz’s Fight Hentz’s Fight Hentz’s Fight Brushy Creek Brushy Creek Brushy Creek Alford’s Skirmish Alford’s Skirmish Alford’s Skirmish Cooleewahee Swamp Cooleewahee Swamp Cooleewahee Swamp Ichawaynotchaway Ichawaynotchaway Ichawaynotchaway Hawkinsville Lumpkin Quarles’s Plantation Jones’s Plantation Kinchafoonee Swamp Cuthbert Bainbridge Thomasville Newton Ft. Mitchell Irwinton Camp Sanford Ft. McCreary Pindertown Ft. Gaines Alford’s Camp Roanoke Ft. Jones Ft. Twiggs Columbus Chickasawhatchee Swamp Cow Creek Grand Bay Hentz’s Fight Brushy Creek Alford’s Skirmish Cooleewahee Swamp Ichawaynotchaway Hawkinsville Lumpkin Quarles’s Plantation Jones’s Plantation Kinchafoonee Swamp Cuthbert Bainbridge Thomasville Newton FLO R IDA TER RITORY FLO R IDA TER RITORY FLO R IDA TER RITORY A LAB AMA A LAB AMA A LAB AMA FLO R IDA TER RITORY FLORIDA TERRITORY A LAB AMA ALABAMA DOOLY DOOLY DOOLY TELFAIR TELFAIR TELFAIR LEE LEE LEE STEWART STEWART STEWART RANDOLPH RANDOLPH RANDOLPH EARLY EARLY EARLY BAKER BAKER BAKER DECATUR DECATUR DECATUR THOMAS THOMAS THOMAS LOWNDES LOWNDES LOWNDES IRWIN IRWIN IRWIN APPLING APPLING APPLING WARE WARE WARE OKEFENOKEE OKEFENOKEE OKEFENOKEE DOOLY TELFAIR LEE STEWART RANDOLPH EARLY BAKER DECATUR THOMAS LOWNDES IRWIN APPLING WARE OKEFENOKEE 0 20 miles 0 20 kilometers Native Community Settler Community Battle Site...