This historical marker is located beside Madison Road about three miles east of Gainestown in south Clarke County (GPS coordinates 31.445267, -87.644307). Following is the inscription on the marker:
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The Canoe Fight
On November 12, 1813, the Canoe Fight, one of the key assaults of the Creek War, took place nearby at the mouth of Randon’s Creek where it flows into the Alabama River. Following the Fort Mims Massacre in August, small bands of Creek warriors persisted in attacks on settlements in the region. Capt. Sam Dale, stationed at Ft. Madison in Clarke County, volunteered to lead a mission to drive the Creeks from the area. The American militiamen, led by Dale, had launched their canoe the day before at Brazier’s Landing (now French’s Landing) and moved upriver where they encountered a canoe containing nine Indian warriors. The American militiamen were: Dale, Jeremiah Austill and James Smith. A ferryman named Caesar paddled the canoe and as the battle ensued, he held the two canoes together. One Indian was thrown into the water and the other eight were killed. As a result of this battle, the inroad of the Creek warriors on the west side of the Alabama River was checked and the settlers of Clarke County were able to return to their plantations and gather their crops and enlarge their improvements.
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This marker was erected by the Clarke County Historical Society in 2013.