Existing comment:
Charge!
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
"Having maintained for a few minutes a very obstinate contest, muzzle to muzzle, through the port-holes, in which many of the enemy's balls were welded to the bayonets of our musquets, our troops succeeded in gaining possession of the opposite side of the works. The event could no longer be doubtful... "
-- Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson, Tennessee Militia
After a two-hour cannon bombardment of the Red Sticks' barricade, Maj. Gen. Jackson discovered that some of the Gen. Coffee's Creek and Cherokee warriors had crossed the Tallapoosa and attacked the Red Sticks from the rear. Realizing his enemy was surrounded, Jackson gave the order for his men to charge the barricade at 12:30 p.m.
For a few brief but bloody minutes the fighting raged. Warriors and soldiers desperately struggled to control the barricade, shooting, hacking, and stabbing with muskets, tomahawks, and bayonets. Overwhelmed by numbers and firepower, the Red Sticks fell back to the river's banks. Many attempted to escape by crossing the Tallapoosa only to be shot by Coffee's men stationed on the opposite side.
Regulars of the 39th U.S. Infantry, wearing dark blue coats and gray trousers, attack the barricade. |