The Crepe Myrtle

The first skirmish with hostiles occurred two days into the trip along the Tennessee; a small war party fired upon their floating forts causing no serious damage.  A barrel of drinking water was hit, along with some other provisions.  One of the Gibson men sustained a flesh wound to his leg after being struck by a musketball.  The women cleaned and dressed all the wounds as best they could, and both men soon recovered.  John’s younger brother, William, had an arrow removed from his shoulder, causing a bit of blood loss.  William had a rough time for several days, having come down with a fever from infection in his wounds.  Using provision cases for support, and with only one good arm, William was soon able to fire his musket well enough.  Several weeks later William and his musket would be sorely needed.

            After a few more days downriver, the Foster-Gibson party poled ashore near the juncture with the Hiwassee River and took on supplies and provisions at the small settlement’s trading post.  Finding little in the way of medical supplies, they would have to make do. 

            The Fosters and Gibsons camped near the trading post a couple of days, resting from the recent attack.  Gideon approached John, calling some of the older boys and the other men to a campfire.  “Wa’l, I jest larned a coupla’ river travelers’ whut wuz on th’ Tennessee River a day er so ago got attack’d by th’ Injuns; one wuz kilt, sev’ral injured.  We best be well stocked up with gunpowder ‘n rations, ya’ know?  No way o’ tellin’ what we may come ‘cross.”  Late August of 1781 found the Foster-Gibson party crossing into the region of west Florida that would one day become the Alabama Territory.

            John Foster paced along the front of the barge, feeling the heat and humidity that hung above the river.  Sure is peaceful ‘n quiet, John thought to himself; mebbe too quiet.  The hair on his neck started to rise.  He had just turned to shout something to Gideon when several musket shots shattered the stillness.  Both barges were taking heavy fire from their attackers along the east riverbank.  John yelled to no one in particular:  “There’s a lot o’ musket fire comin’ at us; everyone stay low.”  A few of the Foster and Gibson men cried out as they were struck by musket balls but fortunately none of the wounds proved very serious.  “Gideon,” John again shouted, “git yer barge closer t’ us, ‘n let’s see iffen we kin cons’n’trate air fire!”

            A sudden thought struck John.  “Gideon!  Load up yer mortar with a good charge o’powder, ‘n pack in some nails ‘n shrapnel.  Hurry!  ‘N aim o’er thet way, towards th’ poplars!”  John yelled at his men to load their mortars in the same way.  The women and some of the children kept busy reloading and ramming the balls and waddings down the musket barrels.  The older boys had quenched most of the fires, as these were now just smoldering and smoking up the barges.  John told his crew to aim their mortars a bit left of where Gideon’s was aimed.

Both mortars erupted with a blast of flame and smoke, and almost immediately the trees and underbrush along the riverbank rippled and shredded as the shrapnel and nails tore into and through them.  Simultaneously, there were screams and cries coming from the underbrush; they had hit their enemies pretty good.

John yelled to Gideon again, “Load up a’gin, this time with one o’ air mortar bombs, ‘n aim ‘bout th’ same as b’fore.”  His team did the same.  The Fosters and Gibsons had about half a dozen of the explosive mortar bombs which were already loaded with jagged bits of steel and other types of shrapnel.

“Gideon!  Whils’t they’r a bit rattled, pole yer barge o’er towards th’ right, so’s we kin get a bit o’ distance a’fore we set off th’ bomb blast.”  The men on the barges continued firing their muskets toward the smoke bursts coming from the attackers’ muskets.  The barrage of fire from the Fosters ‘n Gibsons was apparently taking its toll as the fire from shore seemed to be tapering off.  The women and children were now reloading the muskets with rapid skill, allowing a steady and deadly fire towards their enemies.