The best books to understand the Creek War of 1813 to 1814

Why am I passionate about this?

I have spent a large part of my career researching and writing about the pivotal era in which these conflicts occurred, and continue to be intrigued by these cataclysmic events and their repercussions. Many conflicts in this nation’s history compete for the title of most unknown war, but the Creek War of 1813-1814 and the related southern campaigns of the War of 1812 have perhaps the best claim on that notoriety. Yet these conflicts nonetheless dramatically altered the United States’ history. They led to the forced removal of native tribes, ushered in the era of slave-based cotton agriculture in the Old Southwest, secured large portions of the Gulf South against European powers, and launched the career of one of America’s most influential military and political leaders. 


I wrote...

Battle for the Southern Frontier: The Creek War and the War of 1812

By Mike Bunn, Clay Williams,

Book cover of Battle for the Southern Frontier: The Creek War and the War of 1812

What is my book about?

This comprehensive book is the first to chronicle both wars and document the sites on which they were fought. It sheds light on the progress of the wars and how they led to the forced removal of Native Americans from the region, secured the Gulf South against European powers, facilitated increased migration into the area, furthered the development of slave-based agriculture, and launched the career of Andrew Jackson.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Paradise of Blood: The Creek War of 1813-14

Mike Bunn Why did I love this book?

Weighing in at 466 pages, Weir’s account of this transformative conflict is the most detailed yet published. He describes in-depth both the iconic events which led to the war and the course of its fighting, including the famed Creek conference at Tuckaubatchee at which Tecumseh spoke, the ensuing Creek Civil War, and the vicious fighting between Red Sticks and American forces at places like the Holy Ground, Autossee, Talladega, and finally at Horseshoe Bend—where more Native Americans died than at any other battle in American history.

By Howard T. Weir III,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Paradise of Blood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 1811, a portion of the Creek Indians who inhabited a vast area across Georgia, Alabama, and parts of Florida and Mississippi, interpreted an earth tremor as a sign that they had to return to their traditional way of life. What was an internal Indian dispute soon became engulfed in the greater War of 1812 to become perhaps the most consequential campaign of that conflict. At immediate stake in what became known as the Creek War of 1813-14 was whether the Creeks and their inconstant British and Spanish allies or the young United States would control millions of acres of…


Book cover of Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands: The Creek War and the Battle of New Orleans, 1812-1815

Mike Bunn Why did I love this book?

Drawn exclusively from primary sources by one of the preeminent historians of his era, this inclusive book was one of the first studies to comprehensively integrate the stories of the Creek War and the War of 1812 in the Gulf South. It was originally published in the 1980s, but it has stood the test of time extraordinarily well and still ranks as among the most authoritative studies on the subject to be printed. The book is a model of clarity and conciseness, and a great starting point for understanding what the historical records tells us about these interrelated conflicts.

By Frank Lawrence Owsley Jr.,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Struggle for the Gulf Borderlands as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The books in the Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series demonstrate the University Press of Florida's long history of publishing Latin American and Caribbean studies titles that connect in and through Florida, highlighting the connections between the Sunshine State and its neighboring islands. Books in this series show how early explorers found and settled Florida and the Caribbean. They tell the tales of early pioneers, both foreign and domestic. They examine topics critical to the area such as travel, migration, economic opportunity, and tourism. They look at the growth of Florida and the Caribbean and the attendant pressures on…


Book cover of A Conquering Spirit: Fort Mims and the Redstick War of 1813-1814

Mike Bunn Why did I love this book?

In this book, talented archaeologist and historian Gregory Waselkov finally gives the Battle of Fort Mims the thorough analysis it so long deserved. The book features the most detailed and informed account of the tragic attack which brought the brewing conflict on America’s southwestern frontier to the nation’s conscious. While its scope extends to the treatment of the larger region in which the fight occurred and the battle in historical memory, the richly informed account of the fight here is unparalleled and definitive.

By Gregory A. Waselkov,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Conquering Spirit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The August 30, 1813, massacre at Fort Mims left hundreds dead and ultimately changed the course of American history. The Indian victory shocked and horrified a young America, ushering in a period of violence surrounded by racial and social confusion. Fort Mims became a rallying cry, calling Americans to fight their assailants and avenge the dead. In ""A Conquering Spirit"", Waselkov thoroughly explicates the social climes surrounding this tumultuous moment in early American history with a comprehensive collection of illustrations, artifact photographs, and detailed accounts of every known participant in the attack on Fort Mims. These rich and extensive resources…


Book cover of Tennesseans at War, 1812-1815: Andrew Jackson, the Creek War, and the Battle of New Orleans

Mike Bunn Why did I love this book?

In this book longtime Tennessee archivist Tom Kanon presents the most detailed analysis of the Volunteer State’s role in the Creek War and the War of 1812. That role is disproportionately large, considering that it raised the majority of the troops involved in the former and supplied the pivotal American leadership which played significant roles in winning both in the form of Andrew Jackson. The book is not exclusively focused on Tennesseans despite the title, and does a commendable job of telling the story of the war and the Battle at New Orleans in their entirety.

By Tom Kanon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Tennesseans at War, 1812-1815 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tennesseans at War, 1812-1815 by Tom Kanon tells the often forgotten story of the central role citizens and soldiers from Tennessee played in the Creek War in Alabama and War of 1812.Tennesseans at War, 1812-1815 by Tom Kanon tells the often forgotten story of the central role citizens and soldiers from Tennessee played in the Creek War in Alabama and War of 1812.

Although frequently discussed as separate military conflicts, the War of 1812 against Great Britain and the Creek War against Native Americans in the territory that would become Alabama were part of the same forceful projection of growing…


Book cover of The Creek War of 1813 and 1814 (Library Alabama Classics)

Mike Bunn Why did I love this book?

This book was originally published in 1895 and was a model of scholarship for its period, featuring a significant amount of research, familiarity with the locations where the war raged, and informed by interviews with actual participants. Certainly, contemporary treatments are more informed on many details. But because this book reigned for decades as the essential and virtually the only book-length treatment of the subject and influenced generations of historians of the war, it is an invaluable reference source for anyone interested in the history of the Creek War.

By H.S. Halbert, T.H. Ball,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Creek War of 1813 and 1814 (Library Alabama Classics) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This account of the Creek War of 1813 and 1814 includes introductory material and a bibliography revised to reflect the advances in scholarship since the 1969 edition. The facsmile reproduction of the 1895 original provides an account of the Indians' point of view.


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The Forest Knights

By J. K. Swift,

Book cover of The Forest Knights

J. K. Swift Author Of Acre

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I love a good fight scene! It doesn’t need to be long and gruesome, but it must be visceral and make me nervous for those involved. Don’t get me wrong, I also love a good first-kiss scene but unfortunately, my past has made me more adept at recognizing and writing one over the other. I started training in martial arts at the age of nine and continued for thirty years. I don’t train much these days but I took up bowmaking a few years back and now spend a lot of time carving English longbows and First Nations’ bows. I recently also took up Chinese archery.

J. K.'s book list on with realistic fight scenes

What is my book about?

The greatest underdog story of the medieval age.

A wild land too mountainous to be tamed by plows. A duke of the empire, his cunning overshadowed only by his ambitions. A young priestess of the Old Religion, together with a charismatic outlaw, sparking a rebellion from deep within the forests. And an ex-Hospitaller caught between them all.

The Forest Knights

By J. K. Swift,

What is this book about?

A druid priestess enlists the help of an ex-Hospitaller warrior and a charismatic outlaw to fight Austrian tyranny in medieval Switzerland. A subtle blend of fantasy and history, ALTDORF (Book 1) tells the events leading up to one of the greatest underdog stories of the medieval age, the Battle of MORGARTEN (Book 2).


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Interested in the Creek War, the War of 1812, and Alabama?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about the Creek War, the War of 1812, and Alabama.

The Creek War Explore 6 books about the Creek War
The War Of 1812 Explore 52 books about the War of 1812
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