Horseshoe Bend National Military Park | PARK AT A GLANCE

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

PARK OVERVIEW

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Daviston, Alabama, preserves a March 27, 1814, Creek Indian War battlefield on which American forces under the command of General Andrew Jackson met in battle against one thousand Red Stick Creek Indians. The Red Stick Creeks were a faction of Creeks who were against peace with the Americans, as opposed to the Lower Creek Indians who wanted peaceful relations. During the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the Lower Creeks, along with the Cherokee, fought with the American army. Numbering two thousand strong, the Americans and their Indian allies easily overwhelmed the Red Sticks, killing nearly 800 and taking the rest prisoners. This victory effectively ended the Creek Indian War. It was this battle and the defeat of the Creeks that helped Andrew Jackson become president of the United States in 1829. During his first term, Jackson was a driving force behind the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the legislation designed to remove all Indians—including his former Indian allies who helped him become president—from the southeastern United States.

The battle gets its name from a horseshoe-like bend in the Tallapoosa River located near present day Daviston and New Site, Alabama. The Red Sticks had built a temporary village within this horseshoe area that was naturally defended by the river to the rear and sides. To stop a frontal assault, they built a 400-foot barricade that ran from the east to west banks of the river. Andrew Jackson positioned his army to attack the barricade while General John Coffee and his 700 infantrymen, along with 600 Cherokee and Lower Creeks, surrounded the Red Sticks to the rear along the bank on the opposite side of the river. A daring plan by a group of Cherokee resulted in Coffee’s men being able to cross the river and attack from the rear while Jackson attacked from the front, allowing for the Red Sticks to be quickly overrun.

Horseshoe Bend National Military Park features a Visitor Center with a small museum that focuses on the Creek Indians and the battle that ended the Creek Indian War, an automobile tour of the battlefield with stops at five key positions, and a 2.7-mile Nature Trail. Two picnic areas and a boat ramp are also within the park. Shore fishing is allowed from the boat ramp.


OPERATING HOURS

The Visitor Center for Horseshoe Bend National Military Park is open daily from 9 AM to 4:30 PM, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The tour road is open from 8 AM to 5 PM. Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the park.

The Miller Bridge boat ramp is open from dawn until dusk.


FEES

There is no charge to enter Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. Donations are always welcome.


SCHEDULING YOUR VISIT

Visitor Center
allow 1 hour

Battlefield Automobile Tour
allow 1 hour

Nature Trail
allow 1.5 hours


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Last updated on March 21, 2023
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