Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South
March 13, 2023
Cozzens (Tecumseh and the Prophet) concludes his trilogy on the dispossession of Native American lands with a fine-grained and often gruesome account of the 1813–1814 Creek War in present-day Alabama. After a vivid opening scene introducing Andrew Jackson as he recovered from his duel with Thomas Hart Benton, Cozzens details the historical and cultural context for the war, which pitted Jackson and other U.S. military leaders against the Upper Creeks. Sometime in the 18th century, Cozzens explains, the Creeks split into two affiliated but nearly autonomous groups: the Upper Creeks, who were further from Europeans in distance and culture, and the Lower Creeks, who were nearer to and partook more heavily of European trade. Tracing the origins of the conflict to a brutal raid on a white homestead near the Tennessee border in 1812, Cozzens details how it grew to involve England, France, Spain, and the Choctaw and Cherokee tribes. Recounting minor skirmishes and major battles, he viscerally describes the miserable conditions and lack of supplies that led to mutinous behavior among U.S. soldiers and draws conclusive links between Jackson’s pivotal victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and his signing of the 1830 Indian Removal Act that inaugurated the Trail of Tears. It’s a gut-wrenching account of a tragic chapter in American history.
Starred review from July 1, 2023
Cozzens (Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation) presents a history of the brutal 1813-14 war known as the Creek War, which pitted the Muscogee (Creek) Nation against U.S. forces. This conflict, which took place in present-day Alabama and along the Gulf Coast, was led by Andrew Jackson and resulted in the deaths of over a thousand Muscogee people. Jackson ultimately forced the Muscogee to surrender over 21 million acres in present-day southern Georgia and central Alabama. The conflict provided Jackson with his first combat leadership role and precipitated the 1830 Indian Removal Act, wherein the U.S. government forcibly displaced nearly all Indigenous peoples from east of the Mississippi River to barren western lands. Drawing upon original source documents, Cozzens provides a balanced account of the horrors enacted upon the Muscogee people during the United States' relentless westward expansion. Narrator Mark Bramhall steadily guides listeners through Cozzens's work, employing subtle vocal shifts to capture the words of the various writers and researchers whom Cozzens cites. His skillful voice-acting techniques--both informative and engaging--enrich Cozzens's extensively researched account. VERDICT An engrossing and important audiobook that pays homage to the complex history and heritage of the Muscogee people. Highly recommended.--Dale Farris
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