Fort Jackson (6)

 (1814-1817) - A U.S. Army War of 1812 Fort established in 1814 near Wetumpka, Elmore County, Alabama. Named Fort Jackson after General Andrew Jackson who established the fort. Used during the Creek Indian War (1814-1815) and the site of the Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814) that ended that war. Abandoned by the U.S. Army in 1817.

History
Established in April 1814 by General Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 after his victory over the Red Stick faction of the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. The fort was situated on the strategic confluence of the Coosa River and the Tallapoosa River where the Alabama River is formed.

The fort was built as earthworks with seven-foot-high picketed walls and a surrounding moat. The remains of Fort Toulouse provided little help with only the moat outlines remaining. Construction was completed by Carolinas militia under the direction of General Joseph Graham.

Just weeks after Jackson established the fort, William Weatherford, one of the Indian leaders of the Red Sticks, surrendered to Jackson at Fort Jackson. Weatherford was thought to be one of the leaders of the Fort Mims massacre, where the Red Sticks killed some 400 men, women and children. Jackson himself interviewed Weatherford and was impressed enough to enlist his aid in convincing the remaining Red Stick chiefs to sign a treaty. The Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814) was signed on 9 Aug 1814 at Fort Jackson. The treaty opened some 21 million acres of land to American settlement and isolated the Creeks from the British at Pensacola.

On 20 Sep 1814, over two hundred men of the militia mutinied at the fort and returned home in Tennessee without permission. They were tried in Mobile and 6 were executed in February 1815.

As the War of 1812 drew to a close, General Andrew Jackson renewed his campaign against the Spanish and British from Fort Jackson. The war came to a close just before Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans. After the battle, Jackson and his men returned to Fort Jackson. Regular U.S. Army units occupied the fort until the small settlement nearby moved to the site of present-day Montgomery and the Fort was abandoned in 1817.

Current Status
Part of Fort Toulouse-Jackson Park. Partial replica of Fort Jackson on the original site. The park also has a complete replica of Fort Toulouse (1).

See Also:
 * Fort Toulouse (1)
 * War of 1812
 * Creek Indian War
 * Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814)

Sources:
 * , page 7-8.

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Jackson
 * Wikipedia - Fort Jackson