Troup County, Georgia Involvement in
the
Creek War of 1836
The antagonism between the early settlers and the Indians
continued to grow and culminated in warfare and pitched battles. In 1836
quite a panic was produced by an uprising of the Indians. The people of
LaGrange expected momentarily to be attacked and there was an exodus of
citizens towards the eastern part of the county. Rufus Broome, grandfather
of Mrs. J. E. Dunson, Jr., gathered all the remaining women and children in
the court house, and strongly barricaded it, resolving to protect them or
die.
Judge Blount C. Ferrell used to tell an amusing story of a stranger in the
town, who becoming frightened and fearing to lose his scalp, bought a small
Indian pony on which to flee. The man weighed about three hundred pounds,
and the poor little pony had only gone five miles when he succumbed.
Fortunately for him the hastily assembled militia had pursued the Indians
across the Chattahoochee River, and soon afterward destroyed their village.
Col. Julius C. Alford was commander of the battalion of cavalry, and Captain
Robert H. Sledge with Walker Dunson as First Lieutenant are known to have
participated in these conflicts, and it is probable that all the militia
companies were assembled for the conflict.
The first alarm brought into West Point, where the Indians were thickly
settled on the west banks of the Chattahoochee, was a report by a Mr.
Freeman, who came from Blackstone, now called Cusseta, Alabama. He reported
all the inhabitants killed except himself. At this disquieting news, Major
John C. Webb at once summoned every militia member in the 701st district to
appear with arms and ammunition. Major Webb moved forward with his command
to Blackstone, and to his amazement found the people all alive and the
Indians quiet.
The last act on this condition of affairs was the
burning of an Indian village on the banks of
the Chattahoochee in land lot 44 of the 16th district in reprisal by the
pioneers for the continual raids and annoyances by the dissatisfied
tribesmen. The following story is quoted from White's Historical
Recollections and is reprinted with some minor corrections.
A partial list of a company which participated in the Indian conflict, made up by the old members from reminiscent recollections of old citizens, is given below:
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Source: History of Troup County, Smith, Clifford L.; Atlanta, Ga.: Printed by Foote & Davies Co., c1935, 330 pgs.
