Fort Williams (Fayetteville, Alabama, Alabama)

Fayetteville, Alabama · Alabama · Creek War

Quick BriefFort Williams was a supply depot built in early 1814 in preparation for the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. General Andrew Jackson dispatched Colonel John Williams and the 39th Infantry Regiment from Fort Strother, and a fort was erected at the site under topographical engineer Howell Tatum on March 22, 1814 and named for Colonel Williams. The original site was submerged under Lay Lake with the 1914 construction of the Lay Dam 14 miles downstream.

History & Significance

Located on the southeast shore where Cedar Creek meets the Coosa River, near Talladega Springs, Fort Williams served as the strategic midpoint in Andrew Jackson's supply-line architecture during the Creek War. The site was chosen as it was equidistant from Fort Strother to Holy Ground.

The majority of Jackson's forces were garrisoned at Fort Williams prior to the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and blazed a 52-mile trail from the fort to the battle site. After the war, Fort Williams was used as a holding area for Creeks during the Trail of Tears as part of the Indian Removal.

An unknown number of Creeks died here due to scarce provisions and were buried in unmarked graves in the adjacent cemetery. The Fort Williams Cemetery was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on May 12, 1976. The headstones from the military cemetery were relocated from their original site in 2006 due to the development of a neighborhood.