Red Eagle and the Wars with the Creek Indians of Alabama

Book excerpt: William "Red Eagle" Weatherford was a Creek (Muscogee) Native American who led the Creek War offensive against the United States. Like many of the high-ranking members of the Creek nation, he was a mixture of Scottish and Creek Indian. His "war name" was Hopnicafutsahia, or "Truth Teller," and was commonly referred to as Lamochattee, or "Red Eagle," by other Creeks. During the Creek Civil War, in February 1813, Weatherford reportedly made a strange prophecy that called for the extermination of English settlers on lands formerly held by Native Americans. He used his "vision" to gather support from various Native American tribes.