Shortly after the commencement of the Creek War of 1813-14, Tennessee militia led by Gen. Andrew Jackson attacked Creek warriors of the Red Stick faction who had besieged a U.S.-allied group of Creeks occupying Fort Leslie near present-day Talladega, Talladega County. As a result of the attack on November 9, 1813, the siege was broken and approximately 300 Red Sticks were killed. American casualties were limited to 15 killed and approximately 85 wounded.

Although completely surrounded, a U.S.-allied Creek warrior, wrapped in a hog skin, managed to sneak past the Red Stick encampments to inform Jackson of the situation. Jackson was eager to come to their aid, but he initially was concerned about leaving all of his army's provisions and equipment, as well as 200 sick and wounded soldiers, at Fort Strother. He concluded, however, that the risk was minimal because additional forces from east Tennessee, under Brig. Gen. White, were expected to arrive shortly with much-needed supplies. With the destruction of Talladega almost certain if the Americans did not respond to the village's desperate call for help, Jackson decided to strike out with 1,200 infantry and 800 of Coffee's cavalry to break the siege. As Jackson was approaching Talladega, however, he received word that White's forces had been recalled and would not be relieving Fort Strother. Jackson had no choice at this point but to press forward to Talladega and return to Fort Strother as soon as he could.

Jackson's victory at Talladega was significant in two respects. The rescue of Creeks trapped at Fort Leslie further strengthened the alliance between the Creek Nation and the United States in the war against the Red Stick faction. Also, the combined victories at Tallushatchee and Talladega, which left more than 1,000 warriors dead, wounded, or missing, seriously depleted the number of Red Stick warriors available for the later Battle of Horseshoe Bend, which effectively sealed the fate of the Creek Nation in Alabama.
Additional Resources
Griffith, Benjamin W., Jr. McIntosh and Weatherford: Creek Indian Leaders. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1988.
Additional Resources
Griffith, Benjamin W., Jr. McIntosh and Weatherford: Creek Indian Leaders. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1988.
Halbert, H. S., and T. H. Ball. The Creek War of 1813 and 1814. 1895. Reprint, Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1969.