Fort Claiborne (Monroe County, Alabama)
Monroe County · Alabama · Creek War
History & Significance
Claiborne began building a fort on Weatherford's Bluff in November 1813 and named it Fort Claiborne. Fort Claiborne consisted of a 200-square foot stockade with three blockhouses and a half-moon battery and was completed by the end of the month.
The battery faced the Alabama River so as to protect the fort from an amphibious assault. In December 1813, General Claiborne wrote General Jackson that he planned to carry out an offensive against the Red Sticks.
On December 13, Claiborne's force set out for the Creek encampment Holy Ground. On December 23, 1813, the Battle of Holy Ground was fought.
The force consisted of the 3rd U.S. Regiment, Mississippi Territory volunteers, a cavalry battalion, local militia under the command of Samuel Dale, and Choctaw warriors under the command of Pushmataha. In 1816, the community of Claiborne was founded near the site of the fort and soon engulfed the fort and surrounding area. The fort served as a critical staging point for American operations against the militant Red Stick faction during the war's most intense phase, enabling supply lines and military campaigns that shifted the balance of power in the region.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Claiborne
- https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/claiborne/
- https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/ferdinand-claiborne/
- https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/creek-war-1813-1814
- https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/al.html
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=47641