General Andrew Jackson was appointed commander of the Southern Department; General Coffee was his second in command. They defeated the Creeks at Talladega, where the Indians lost nearly three hundred. Their great leader was Weathersford, a half-breed, who was brave and humane. He gathered his tribe at a bend in the River Tallapoosa, shaped like a horseshoe. The women and children were there. He had a great quantity of corn, and erected breast works, determined to defend it to the last. There were more than twelve hundred Indians in all. General Jackson had two thousand soldiers and friendly Indians and two cannon. He sent General Coffee, with the friendly Indians and a portion of the troops, to the south side of the bend, to prevent the Indians from escaping, and attacked the breast works with the rest of the troops. The Indians opened fire. Colonel Williams, with the United States troops, led the advance. Behind them came the volunteers from Tennessee. "Follow me!" shouted Major Montgomery, leaping upon the breastworks, to go down with a bullet through his brain. By his side was a boy--Sam Houston-who was wounded by a barbed arrow. JOHN COFFEE. Over the breast works streamed the soldiers, bayonetting the Indians, who soon fled in terror-some swam the river, to be shot down by the men under Coffee. "All who will surrender shall be spared," shouted a messenger to the Indians, repeating Jackson's order; but the Creeks, instead of surrendering, shot the messenger. The exasperated soldiers then shot them down. without mercy. Of the one thousand Indian warriors, all except twohundred were killed. Jackson lost one hundred and twenty-five. The chief, Weathersford, escaped on a horse; but he could fight no longernearly all his warriors had been killed. The sun was setting, five days after the battle, when a man on a white horse rode up to General Jackson's tent and alighted. "I am Weathersford," he said. "I have nothing to request for myself —you can kill me; but I came to beg for the lives of the women and children, who are starving in the woods. I hope you will send out parties to bring them in and feed them. I did what I could to prevent the massacre at Fort Nims. I have fought the United States; if I had an army I would still fight, but I have not. I ask nothing for myself. I am your prisoner. For my people, I can only weep over their misfortunes." General Jackson admired him; but there was no safety for the brave man even under General Jackson's protection. The relatives of those who had been massacred at Fort Nims thirsted for his blood. He was obliged to flee; but when the war with England was over he returned, and became a respected citizen of Alabama. The troops went out, and brought in the Indians and gave them food. So the Creek war was ended. The President and the Cabinet and nearly everybody else thought, when the war began, that the fighting would all be along the lakes and in Canada. The idea now came to them that England would threaten Washington and Baltimore. In August, 1814, a great fleet, commanded by Admiral Cockburn, and several thousand troops, under General Ross, made their appearance in the Chesapeake. Commodore Barney, who commanded a fleet of gun-boats, was obliged to flee up the Patuxent River. The British followed, and Barney destroyed his boats. General Ross and Admiral Cockburn landed, and the British army marched toward Washington, only twenty miles distant. President Madison and the inefficient Secretary of War, General Armstrong, were astounded. Orders were issued for the militia of Maryland to hasten and repel the invaders. They were commanded by General Winder, a brave and gallant officer, who had a hard task before him; but the ablest and bravest man that ever lived could have done very little under the circumstances. The WILLIAM H. WINDER. British army was composed of veteran troops. The Americans were mostly farmersmen who had had no military training. No one knows how the story started, but it was whispered that the slaves in Maryland and Virginia were going to take the opportunity to make themselves free, by murdering their masters and mistresses. There was not a word of truth in it; but women whispered it, with white lips, and many of the militia were very reluctant to leave their homes. Those who hastened to the rendez vous had only shot-guns. They were undisciplined. What could they do against soldiers who had been fighting in France and Spain? The British troops numbered five thousand, while General Winder had but thirty-five hundred. Yet he determined to fight a battle at Bladensburg. President Madison, General Armstrong, and the Secretary of the Navy, James Monroe, were there, but hindered far more than they helped by giving orders-thus upsetting his plans. The Americans were on the west bank of the eastern branch of the Potomac, which General Ross must cross before he could reach Washington. The sailors, under Commodore Barney, fought bravely. General Ross lost more than five hundred men before getting across the river; but when he got a foothold on the west side he turned the left flank of the militia, who threw down their guns and fled, and the British marched on to Washington. Admiral Cockburn, vice-admiral of the English navy, a high officer with great pay, entered the Capitol, which was only partly finished, stood in the Speaker's chair with his muddy boots, swung his hat, and gave a cheer. "Burn the building!" he shouted, and very soon the flames were bursting out of the windows. All the records, all the government papers, the library-all were consumed; nothing but the blackened walls remained. Sir George Cockburn did not comprehend what the verdict of the world would be-that though |