Battle and Massacre at Bayou Texar

In the closing phases of the First Seminole War (1817-1818), a U.S. supply boat was attacked by Creek Indians. The boat was ascending the Escambia River from Pensacola in Spanish West Florida, and was bound for Fort Crawford in the American Alabama Territory. The attack prompted Major White Young at Fort Crawford to launch an April 1818 assault by American forces into Spanish West Florida, the target being several Creek encampments on Bayou Texar that were only a mile away from Pensacola. Without Creek warriors present to protect them, Young’s assault on Bayou Texar resulted in the massacre of around 30 Creek women and children. This massacre partially prompted U.S. Army General Andrew Jackson to march his troops westward from St. Marks. In May 1818, Jackson captured Pensacola and the Spanish fortifications, which brought an end to the major military events in the war and convinced Spain of the futility of holding onto their colony of Florida.