ever landed. They were sunk by
Lieutenant Bean's command ere they reached the bank." :
Quoting again from Jackson —
The enemy, although many of them fought to the last with that kind of bravery
which desperation inspires, were at last entirely routed and cut to pieces. The battle
may be said to have continued with severity for about five hours, but the firing and
slaughter continued until it was suspended by the darkness of night. The next
morning it was resumed and sixteen of the enemy slain who had concealed them-
selves under the banks. 3
It was supposed that the Creeks had about a thousand warriors,
besides their women and children. The men sent out to count the
dead found five hundred and fifty-seven warriors lying dead within the
inclosure, and Coffee estimates that from two hundred andto their numbers, their fighting having been hand to
hand work without protecting cover. In view of the fact that Jack-
son had only a few weeks before been compelled to retreat before this
same enemy, and that two hours of artillery and rifle fire had produced
no result until the, Cherokee turned the rear of the enemy by their
daring passage of the river, there is considerable truth in the boast of
the Cherokee that they saved the day for Jackson at Horseshoe bend.
In the number of men actually engaged and the immense proportion
killed, this ranks as the greatest Indian battle in the history of the
United States, with the possible exception of the battle of Mauvila,
fought by the same Indians in De Soto's time. The result was decisive.
Two weeks later Weatherford came in