446 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



my on tlie St. Lawrence. Sucli, 

 however, was the delay produced in 

 the first instance by adverse weather 

 of unusual violence and continu- 

 ance, and such the circumstances 

 attending the final movements of 

 the army, that the prospect, at one 

 time so favourable, was not realis- 

 ed. The cruelty of the enemy, in 

 enlisting the savages into a war 

 vi'ith a nation desirous of mutual 

 emulation in mitigating its ca- 

 lamities, has not been confined 

 to any one quarter. Wherever 

 they could be turned against us, 

 no exertions to effect it have been 

 spared. On our south-western 

 border, the Creek tribes, who, 

 yielding to our persevering endea- 

 vours, were gradually acquiring 

 more civilised habits, became the 

 unfortunate victims of seduction. 

 A war in that quarter has been the 

 consequence, infuriated by a bloody 

 fanaticism recently propagated 

 among them. 



It was necessarj' to crush such a 

 war, before it could spread among 

 the contiguous tribes, and before 

 it could favour enterprises of the 

 enemy into that vicinity. With 

 this view a force was called into 

 tne service of the United States, 

 from the states of Georgia and 

 Tennessee, which, with the nearest 

 regular troops, and other corps 

 from the Mississippi territory, 

 might not only chastise the savages 

 into present peace, but make a 

 lasting impression on their fears. 



The progress of the expedition, 

 so far as it is yet known, corres- 

 ponds with the martial zeal with 

 which it was espoused ; and the 

 best hopes of a satisfactory issue 

 are authorised by tlie complete 

 success with which a well-planned 

 enterprise was executed against a 



body of hostile savages, by a de- 

 tachment of the volunteer militia 

 of Tennessee, under the gallant 

 command of General Coffee ; and 

 by a stiil more important victory 

 over a larger body of them, gained 

 under the immediate command of 

 major general Jackson, an officer 

 equally distinguished for his patri- 

 otism and his military talents. 



The systematic perseverance of 

 the enemy, in courting the aid of 

 the savages in all quarters, had the 

 natural effect of kindling their or- 

 dinary propensity to war into a 

 passion, which, even among those 

 best disposed towards the United 

 States, was ready, if not employed 

 on our side, to be turned against 

 us. A departure from our pro- 

 tracted forbearance to accept the 

 services tendered by them, has thus 

 been forced upon us. But, in 

 yielding to it, the retaliation has 

 been mitigated as much as possi- 

 ble, both in its extent and in its 

 character, stopping far short of the 

 example of the enemy, who owe 

 the advantages they have occasion- 

 ally gained in battle chiefly to the 

 number of their savage associates; 

 and who have not controlled them 

 either froiii their usual practice of 

 indiscriminate massacre on de- 

 fenceless inhabitants, or from 

 scenes of carnage without a paral- 

 lel, on prisoners to the British 

 arms, guarded by all the laws of 

 humanity and honourable war. 



For these enormities the enemy 

 are equally responsible, whether, 

 with the power to prevent them, 

 they want the will ; or, with the 

 knowledge of a want of power, 

 they still avail themselves of such 

 instruments. 



In other respects the enemy are 

 pursuing a course which threatens 



