The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-06
he following version of the afrair


that Sam Moniac had escaped from when
he refused to fight against the whites.
Iheir reason for the selection of this
particular place was that there was on
the north side of the river Nocoshatchy,
or Bear Creek, as called by the whites,
large area of the most impenetrable
swamps In the whole country.
But the movement of the whites were
so slow that the Indians grew careless and
a few very prominent ones, among them
Weatherford and Hosea Yoholo, the
Singing Sun" made what has been known
as the Holy Ground their headquarters.
But when military operations did COM
mence they swept the land like tempest
in its death-dealing fury. General Clai-
borne piloted by Sam Moniao and an old
McGillfvray negro, got near the place be-
fore the Indians discovered them. Then
the Indians began to carry their wives
and children across the river, and they
had scarcely time to do that before the
army arrived when the battle began
and the Indians, losing many men, gave
way in every direction. Weatherrord was
among the last to quit the place. He
made an attempt to go down the bank OF
the river but found that the soldiers
would intercept his passage and ne
turned up, keeping on the bluff near the
river, until he reached the ravine or
little branch that makes into the river
above where the town used to be. There
was a small footpath that crossed the
ravine near the river. He led his horse
down that path and instead of going out
of the ravine at the usual crossing he
kept up 1t toward it's head until he had
passed the lines of the whites. Major
Cowles of Montgomery and myself asked
Weatherford how the report had got cir
culated. He said Sam Moniac recognized
him and seeing him on horseback on the
brink of the bluff and then his sudden
disappearance, caused them to believe no
had gone over the bluff. He said that no
ran a greater risk in going the way he
did than he would had he gone over
the bluff, and but for MS much-loved
horse he would have gone over 1t ana
crossed the river. But 1t was to save
his pony that he risked passing between
two lines of the white soldiers. He said
that after he had escaped from the Holy
Ground he began to think of what was
next to be done. The Indians were with
out ammunition; had but little OF food,
while armies were marching in from all
quarters; the Spaniards at Pensacola
seemed afraid to aid them, as they had
done at the commencement of the war. In
fact, everything seemed to forebode the
utter destruction of him and his people.
Then he met with Savannah. or Sow
anoka Jack, and they consulted together
as to what was best
Jack advised bitter stand for their
rights, and proposed that they get to-
gether as many of their people as they
could; that In a few years the whites
would entirely surround them; the Span
iards In Florida would afford them no
protection. They then agreed to watch
the movements of the Georgia army, to
see If there was a chance to get ammu-
milton. This was a most desperate resort,
but they pursued 1t, and waited until
General Floyd camped near Calebee. They
had collected the largest number of war
riors that had been massed in one body
during the war. They saw that General
Floyd intended crossing the creek, from
his quitting the Tuckabatchy route; the
night before the fight, which commenced
before the daylight, the Indians camped
on the west side of McGirths branch, a
small creek, and held council. Wealth
erford proposed to walt until the army
started to cross the creek and as the
advance guard reached the hill the fire
on the guard should be the signal for the
attack: that the army was small, and
could be attacked on all sides, and that
they would at least stand a chance to get
hold of the ammunition, even II they did
not defeat the whites. But to attack the
white soldiers in their camps, who were
we'll supplied with ammunition and five
pieces of artillery, would. be folly, I'M
less the Indians had more ammunition
The Indian chiefs oyerruled him and he
(Weatherford) with a few Tuskegees,
quit the Indian camp and started back,
and when he reached Pole Cat Springs he
heard the firing commence. 1t is my be-
lief that had Weatherford's advice been
taken the result of that battle would have
been very different; for long before the
fight closed could understand the Indian
language sufficiently well to hear them
asking each other to "Give me some bull
let's: give me powder!' The friendly In
dams with us did us no good except
Timpoochy Barnard, and his band of
JJchees. Jim Boy and Billy Mcdonald, or
Billy McGillivray said they had between
1900 and 1000 warriors. but many of them
were without guns and only had war
club and bows and arrows"
The Indians were making last, des-
perate effort to retain possession of their
native land. At the battle of To-hope-ka,
known as the Horse Shoe, the curtain
fell, the lights were out and the gloom
of defeat settled upon their hopes. Ere
many years what was left of them were
beyond the Mississippi river. f.
An incident connected with the fight at
Holy Ground may be worth relating.
After peace was restored and the white
immigrants began to move in a hard
working man by the. name Of Stoker,
and his family, settled on the Autauga
side, and opposite the battlefield of Holy
Ground He toiled early and late, and
endured many privations that he might
be able to meet the payments due on
his land One day his little boys, while
out hunting found the irons of an old
trunk and among the decayed wooden
sides about $500 in silver coin. This was,
no doubt, plundered at Fort Mimms, and
the robber placed it where the boys
found 1t. and then went into the fight at
Holy Ground and was killed.
An incident full of pathos is thus re-
lated by General Woodward: Several
years before the Creek war. and when
I was quite young, l made occasional
visits to tho Ocmulgee river, which was
then the line between the whites and
Indians. The Indians claimed half the
river and In spring, or shad-catching
time, the Indians would come in great
numbers to the Ocmulgee. They could
be seen at every shoal as high up the
river as shad fish could run. and on down
to the Altamaha river, for the purpose OF
fishing. On one of my trips to Old Fort
Hawkins, became acquainted with an
Indian countrynnan by the name of John
Ward; and the first time ever visited
the Creek agency of the United States
government, which was then located on
Flint river, was in company with Ward,
also an old uncle OF mine. and Andrew
McDougald. Colonel Hawkins was then
holding a council with some Indian
chiefs from various parts of the nation. I
met with Ward several times afterward,
until the war commenced. and when Gem
sra1 Floyd moved his troops to Flint
river Ward was the interpreter for the Of
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