Battle of Horseshoe Bend - War of 1812

Abednego Casteel (son of Abednego & Sarah; married Agnes Hensley) was a Private in the 2nd Reg't Mounted Gunmen - Brown's East Tennessee Volunteers Jan 1814 - May 1814 The Battle of Horseshoe Bend Col. J Brown commanded two separate regiments at different times during the war. The East Tennessee Volunteer Mounted Gunman was the second regiment that he commanded. With just over 200 volunteers in the unit, they were used primarily as guards for the supply wagons traveling through Creek territory. As part of Doherty's brigade, they were put under the command of Gen John Coffee at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (27 March 1814) where they participated in the fighting. Their line of march took them from East TN through Lookout Mountain, Fort Strother, Fort Williams and Fort Jackson. In Mar 1814 - The East Tennessee Mounted Gunmen answered the call of General Andrew Jackson for a full-scale campaign against the Creek Indians. The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was fought during the War of 1812 in central Alabama. On March 27th, 1814, United States forces and Indian allies under General Andrew Jackson defeated the Red Sticks, a part of the Creek Indian tribe inspired by the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, effectively ending the Creek War. Although having nothing to do with the British or Canadians, the battle is considered part of the War of 1812. More specifically, it was the major battle of the Creek War, in which Andrew Jackson sought to "clear" Alabama for American settlement. After leaving Fort Williams in the spring of 1814, Jackson's army cut its way through the forest to within 6 miles (10 km) of Chief Menawa's Red Stick camp near a bend in the Tallapoosa River, called "Horseshoe Bend," in central Alabama, 12 miles east of what is now Alexander City. Jackson sent General John Coffee with the mounted infantry and the Indian allies south across the river to surround the Red Sticks camp, while Jackson stayed with the rest of the 2,000 infantry north of the camp. On the morning of March 27th, Coffee's Cherokees and cavalry began crossing the river and fought the Red Sticks on their rear.

Sources:
War of 1812 Service Record; Roll Box 36, Roll Exct: 602
TNGenNet - Tennesseans in the war of 1812
http://www.tngenweb.org/1812war/muster.htm

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