Archaeological Survey of the Old Federal Road in Alabama

dotted lines across the Alabama River representing bits of the Federal Road branch that headed west to St.Stephens. Penciled in west of the fort is the 1-mile square section of land reserved for John Weatherfordunder the Treaty of Fort Jackson, in recognition of his steadfast support of the Americans during theCreek War. Weatherford’s plantation originally extended along both banks of the river, as Major Tatumdescribed, and included the site of the fort and part of the town. While treaty reserves were supposed toencompass previous clearings, structures, and other “improvements” made by the claimant prior to thewar, the government’s claims adjudicator recognized the conflict with military and private developmentin this case and shifted Weatherford’s reserve to the west. 34Figure 5-38. Thomas Freeman’s ca. 1817 plat of Township 7 North, Range 5 East, showing Fort Claiborne,the Town of Claiborne, John Weatherford’s treaty reserve, and bits of the Old Federal Road (dashedlines) across the river (courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office).Fort Claiborne retained its importance as a military post through the continuing conflicts withsmall bands of anti-American Creeks after the war. In February 1816 the murders of Daniel Johnson (whohad established a plantation about 35 miles upriver from the fort) and McGaskey (or McCaskill orMcCorkell) created great anxiety among the thousands of newly-arrived American settlers. Creek Indiansliving on reserve lands, sensing a rapidly growing anti-Indian sentiment among their new neighbors, tookthe initiative to capture two of the murderers and turn them over to the U.S. military at Fort Jackson. 35However, doubts arose about who really killed Johnson and McGaskey near Fort Claiborne, when thesame band murdered a Mr. Glass at Burnt Corn Springs in July of the following year. Colonel Sam Daleand local militia pursued the perpetrators, but could not catch them. 36132