Mims, Fort, Massacre at
MIMS, FORT, MASSACRE AT
MIMS, FORT, MASSACRE AT took place on 30 August 1813 during the Creek Indian War. This "fort" was little more than a log stockade surrounding the home of Samuel Mims. The militia captain Daniel Beasley and a force of some 170 had occupied the post. In early August, the captain divided his forces among several nearby stockades, leaving only forty defenders at Mims. Beasley, a lawyer with no military knowledge, owed his position to political patronage. On 29 August 1813, he received word from two slaves that they had seen Creek Indians nearby. When a militia patrol failed to confirm the sighting, Beasley had the slaves flogged. Less than twenty-four hours later, around noon, a force of approximately one thousand Creek warriors assaulted the gates, which Beasley had left wide open, believing he could hold the fort against "any number of hostiles." The fighting and post-battle slaughter killed approximately 250 settlers. Word of the massacre became a rallying cry for regional settlers and helped seal the fate of the Creek.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Halbert, Henry S., and Timothy H. Ball. The Creek War of 1813 and 1814. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama, 1995. First published 1895, this reprint is edited, with introductions and notes, by Frank L. Owsley Jr. Material reflects social and cultural biases of initial publication date.
Robert L.Bateman