Burnt corn Creek, battle of.
Peter McQueen, a half-blood Creek Indian of
Tallahassee, was a fiery leader among the war party of that nation, wherein civil war was raging in the spring of 1813.
This war
Tecumseh had stirred up, and the whole Creek nation had become a seething caldron of passion.
A British squadron in the
Gulf held friendly intercourse with the
Spanish authorities at
Pensacola.
To that port
McQueen and 300 followers, with pack-horses, went to get supplies and convey them to the war party in the interior.
That party was inimical to the white people settled in that nation, and it was the duty of the military in that region to protect the latter.
This protection was not furnished, and the white inhabitants and the peace party among the
Creeks prepared to defend themselves.
Col. James Caller called out the militia to intercept
McQueen.
There was a prompt response, and
Caller set out with a few followers.
He marched towards the
Florida frontier, joined on the
[
487]
way by the famous borderer
Capt. Samuel Dale and fifty men, who were engaged in the construction of a fort.
He was now joined by others from
Tensaw Lake and
Little River under various leaders.
Caller's command now numbered about 180 men, in small companies, well mounted on good frontier horses, and provided with rifles and shot-guns.
Setting out on the main route for
Pensacola on the morning of July 27 (1813), they found
McQueen encamped upon a peninsula formed by the findings of
Burnt Corn Creek.
It was resolved to attack him.
McQueen and his party were surprised, but they fought desperately a few minutes, and then fled towards the creek.
The tide then turned.
McQueen and his Indians arose from an ambush with horrid yells and fell upon less than 100 of
Caller's men.
Dale was severely wounded, but kept on fighting.
Over-whelming numbers at length compelled
Caller's force to retreat.
They lied in disorder, many of them leaving their horses behind them.
Victory rested with the hostile
Creeks.
Only two of
Caller's command were killed and fifteen wounded. The battle of Burnt Corn C(reek was the first in the
Creek war, a conflict which ruined that nation.
