Did any War of 1812 soldiers from Wilcox County, Alabama fight at the historic Battle of Horseshoe Bend?

This past Saturday was the 207^th anniversary of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, which took place on March 27, 1814 in what was then the Mississippi Territory.

During this historic battle, which was part of the War of 1812, a force of about 2,700 American soldiers and 600 Lower Creek, Cherokee and Choctaw Indians, led by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated a force of about 1,000 Red Stick Creeks in a well-fortified bend of the Tallapoosa River near modern-day Alexander City. This decisive battle led to the signing of the Treaty of Fort Jackson in which the Creek Nation ceded 23 million acres of Indian lands to the U.S. government. The state of Alabama was formed from much of this land about five years later, in December 1819.

Today, on the site of this battle, you will find Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, a 2,040-acre park that was established in 1956. This past Saturday, my teenage daughter and I rode up to Horseshoe Bend and spent about two hours exploring the old battlefield. We took the driving tour around the park and also walked the 2-1/2 mile hiking trail that loops around the battlefield.

Over the years, I’ve done quite a bit of research trying to determine if anyone from Wilcox County fought at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Units known to have fought there included the 39^th U.S. Infantry, two brigades of Tennessee militia, a brigade of Tennessee cavalry, Col. Gideon Morgan’s Cherokee Regiment and Capt. Jean Bean’s “Mounted Spies.” Aside from all the research that’s been done on the officers involved in the battle, there is little information available about the common soldiers who fought there and what ultimately became of them.

During my research, I did stumble across a document that showed that nine widows of War of 1812 veterans were living in Wilcox County as late as 1883. Those widows included Caroline Cook, Elizabeth McNeill and Susan C. Williamson, all of Camden; Caroline W. Boutwell of Clifton; Mary Waren of Fatama; Esther Bilbray and Nancy Eddins, both of Pine Apple; and Jane Hughs and Jane Smith, both of Snow Hill. The question remains, did their husbands fight at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend?

One of the most prominent War of 1812 veterans with Wilcox County connections was Alexander Outlaw Anderson. During the war, he served with Andrew Jackson and went on to become a prominent politician. Years later, after the War Between the States, he came to Wilcox County, where he worked for many years as a law partner of Aaron Burr Cooper, who is buried in the Creagh-Glover Cemetery. With that said, it’s still not known if Anderson actually fought at Horseshoe Bend.

In the end, please let me know if you know of any War of 1812 veterans who are buried in Wilcox County. I’m especially interested in those who fought at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend or at the Battle of New Orleans. Perhaps there are more of these old soldiers than we realize buried beneath the soil of Wilcox County.