The ‘Battle of the Bluff’
From the Mountains
Hostile Cherokees were active in the area that would become Nashville, kidnapping, killing, stealing livestock, looting. They were hell-bent on driving the settlers from the many settlements on the borderland such as Bluff Station that would later be called Fort Nashborough before becoming Nashville. Station was the term given to early homesteads of pioneers such as Martin Station, Bluff Station and countless others.
The square log stockade fort was not a military garrison, but a stronghold built by settlers for protection against Cherokees whose resolve was to keep their homeland and hunting grounds. Their forefathers lived and hunted there for countless generations.
Cherokee activity abated during the winter months, but deadly strikes were planned for the settlers of Bluff Station in April 1781. The settlers had to be on guard against Cherokee attacks at all times, and had a large number of dogs whose purpose was to alert the men of approaching Cherokees and to help fight them off when the need arose.
On April 2, 1781, a force of Chickamauga Cherokees attacked the fort at the bluffs. In the attack known as the “Battle of the Bluff,” the Cherokees succeeded in luring most of the men out of the fort, then cutting them off from the fort.
Early on the morning of April 2, three braves skulked toward the fort (Bluff Station) and fired at the guard in the watchtower. After firing, they immediately ran a comfortable distance away, where they reloaded their weapons. They intentionally made no effort to conceal themselves as it was part of the ploy to draw the men out of the fort and past the first group of concealed Cherokees.
Col. James Robertson and additional men began the chase. They saddled their horses and took off after the three Cherokees, who continued their role-playing by feigning an attempt to escape, yet staying close together and in sight.
The war party numbering about 400 Cherokee under Chief Dragging Canoe made plans to ambush settlers at the fort. They hoped to follow up the successes of 1780 with early victories in 1781.
Since their arrival in the New World, the settlers continually pushed the Cherokees toward the western part of the continent. The Cherokees earnestly wanted to put the whites on their heels and push them from the lands their forefathers inhabited for centuries.
Immediately, about 200 Cherokees arose and charged from their hidden location and began firing deadly shots of arrows and gunshots at the settlers. An approximate number entered the fray along the banks of a small stream. Soon it was apparent that Fort Bluff would fall. Many were killed and many were injured.
The combination of gunfire, smoke and war-whoops spooked the horses of the fallen settlers. They raced toward the fort but were not let in because of the Cherokees fighting outside. The settlers were surrounded and in danger of total annihilation, but two things allowed the settlers to snatch victory from defeat.
First, the Cherokee warriors noticed the many riderless horses trying to re-enter the fort but then headed toward the sulfur springs when they were unable to re-enter the fort. The gatekeeper wouldn’t reopen the gate with many Cherokees scurrying about the area.
Many of the Cherokees decided to chase after the horses that became riderless during the fighting.
The horses continued running to the Sulfur Springs area where several of them were caught by Cherokees. The others outdistanced the warriors, ran back to the fort and were eventually let inside.
Many of the settlers were fighting desperately while dragging their wounded back toward the fort. A large pack of dogs that were trained to hate Cherokees were released from the fort. They made a mad dash toward the warriors as they closed in on the few surviving settlers. The attack of the canines caused the Cherokees to abort their onslaught. This allowed the survivors to return to the safety of the fort.
Only Isaac Lucas of the living was unable to return as he was shot and his thigh broken. He fought gallantly, holding the Cherokees at bay. During this melee, others escaped from the marauding Cherokees. The settlers began firing from the fort after seeing Isaac’s predicament. Several warriors were hit, while others fled. Finally, Isaac Lucas crawled to safety.
“Thank God for giving the Cherokees a love for horses as it saved the lives of many of our men,” Mrs. James Robertson said while patting the heads of several of their dogs. “And the grit of these dogs. Their fierce attacks on the Cherokees caused them to run from the battle. I dare not say what may have happened had they not been trained to warn us of danger and attack and repel the Cherokees that did attack us.”
The “Battle of the Bluffs” was only one in a long series of assaults aimed at ending the American occupation of Middle Tennessee. The Chickamauga and their Creek allies continued attacks on the settlements for the next fourteen years. The pioneer settlements had to be on guard against attacks at all times.
Jadon Gibson is a freelance writer from Harrogate. Thanks to Lincoln Memorial University, Alice Lloyd College and the Museum of Appalachia for their assistance.