The Battle of Horseshoe Bend occurred in Alabama, north of Dadeville on the Tallapoosa River. (NPS)
By Troy Turner
AUBURN – Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, the site of Andrew Jackson’s decisive 1814 battle with the Creek Nation, will help host an academic symposium Aug. 22 at Auburn University’s historic Pebble Hill.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Pebble Hill Program Room and is free to the public.
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is located on Alabama Highway 49 north of Dadeville and preserves the story of the Jackson’s victory over Creek warriors, ending the Creek War and resulting in a land cession of 23,000,000 acres to the United States.
Andrew Jackson
The defining moment, which occurred also during the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain prior to his victory in the Battle of New Orleans, helped solidify Jackson as a national hero and contributed to his election as the seventh president of the United States.
Davy Crockett served as Jackson’s scout prior to the fight; and Jim Bowie of Bowie knife and Texas Alamo fame fought alongside Jackson.
The March 27, 1814, battle’s results cleared the way for Alabama to move from territory to statehood a few years later in 1819, but signaled an end to a way of life for American Indians living here.
The symposium is titled “Memory and Meaning and the Creek War” and will feature four speakers:
- “Soldier Memories and Commemorative Activities”
Kathryn H. Braund, Hollifield Professor of Southern History Emerita, Auburn University
A look at the immediate aftermath of the battle and how Jackson’s troops remembered, narrated and commemorated their victory.
- “The Battle to Create Horseshoe Bend National Military Park”
Keith S. Hébert, Draughon Professor of Southern History, Auburn University
An exploration of the decadeslong effort to preserve the battlefield and establish it as Alabama’s first National Park Service unit.
- “Remembering (and Forgetting) the Creek War in Alabama”
Mike Bunn, director, Historic Blakeley State Park
An overview of lesser known or overlooked Creek War sites and their significance in regional historical memory.
- “The Southeastern Struggle”
Jake Tiger, Traditional Heritage Interpreter
An in-depth view of the Mvskoke/Seminole Wars told by a Seminole tribal member.
“We’re excited to bring together these outstanding scholars to help visitors understand not only the events of the Creek War, but how generations have remembered and interpreted them,” said park Superintendent Andrew Miller.
Park Superintendent Andrew Miller showing off challenge coin gifted by the Mvskoke Riders. (Photo/NPS)
For program updates, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/hobe or go to the park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HorseshoeBendNMP.
Pebble Hill, also known as the Scott-Yarbrough House, is an 1847 antebellum cottage in Auburn located at 101 S. Debardeleben Street.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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