No quarter was
asked and none given, on either side, and the battle quickly became a
butchery. Driven by fire from a thicket of dry brush in which they
took refuge, the Creek warriors were shot down or bayoneted by the
hundreds; those who plunged into the river for safety were killed as
they swam. Scarcely a hundred survived. Among the number was a youth
who could speak a little English, and whose broken leg one of the
surgeons undertook to treat. Three stalwart riflemen were required to
hold the patient. "Lie still, my boy, they will save your life," said
Jackson encouragingly, as he came upon the scene. "No good," replied
the disconsolate victim. "No good. Cure um now, kill um again!"
The victory practically ended the war. Many of the "Red Sticks," as
the Creek braves were called, fled beyond the Florida border; but
many--among them the astute half-breed Weathersford, who had ordered
the assault on Fort Mims--came in and surrendered. Fort Jackson, built
in the river fork, became an outpost of American sovereignty in the
very heart of the Creek district.
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