On this day in Alabama history: Commander born
A Creek Indian war fort established in 1813 along the Alabama River near Perdue Hill, Monroe County, Alabama. Fort Claiborne, named for General Ferdinand L. Claiborne, was a Creek Indian War Fort established in 1813 along the Alabama River near Perdue Hill, Monroe County. The fort was abandoned in 1819. (John Stanton, Fortwiki.com)
March 9, 1772
Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne was born in Virginia on March 9, 1772. In 1794, Claiborne began serving in the war between U.S. forces and Indian tribes in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions. He was promoted several times serving at frontier posts before resigning from the Army in 1802. He settled his family in Natchez, Mississippi Territory, joining the militia. In 1811, Brig. Gen. Claiborne was put in charge of the entire Mississippi Territory militia. Two years later, a stockade was built near present-day Monroeville and named in honor of Claiborne. In 1815 he returned to Mississippi, briefly served as speaker of the state house and then died on March 22.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
