Fort Toulouse: The French Outpost at the Alabamas on the Coosa

by Daniel H. Thomas, Gregory A. Waselkov (Introduction)

Situated at the head of the Alabama River system—at the juncture of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers—Fort Toulouse in 1717 was planned to keep the local Indians neutral, if not loyal, to the French and contain the British in their southernmost Atlantic colonies. Unlike the usual frontier settlements, Fort Toulouse was both a diplomatic post, since its officers acted as resident ministers, and a military post. Because it was located in a friendly territory adjoining an area under a rival (British) influence, the post participated in psychological warfare rather than in blood-letting. It used trade and aid, and was familiar with spies and double-agents—welcoming and debriefing British defectors; no cannon was discharged in anger at Toulouse.

The most eminent figure to have been connected directly with Fort Toulouse was General Andrew Jackson, who established a military post there during the War of 1812 after his victory over the Indians at Horseshoe Bend. The outpost was named Fort Jackson in his honor and played a key role in the treaty negotiations and eventual settlement of the Indian land by Americans.

In addition to discussing geopolitical and military affairs and diplomatic relations with Indian chiefs, Thomas describes daily life at the post and the variety of interactions between residents and visitors. Waselkov's introduction places the original 1960 book within the context of the existing scholarship of that time and adds an extensive and enlightening review of the most recent archaeological and historical research to Thomas' pioneering work.

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 1989

About the author

Daniel H. Thomas was professor emeritus of history at the University of Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short little book but really jam-packed.

The introduction (half the book) is a detailed archaeological account of finds and good so long as you have the means to comprehend the archaeology.

The second half is a well written historical account if the fort. Best it weaves in not only local history but the events abroad that caused them. This is a surprisingly insightful book.

Best if all the role if native peoples and the enslaved are pointedly included. This is huge. These groups are far to often left out entirely.

It's a short little read but heavy calories, so to speak. And more important then you might think.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book expands on Fort Toulouse more than other nonfiction for the area. Mostly unknown or subject to rumors prior to 1950, Daniel Thomas brings life to a remote fort in the middle of the Alabama region. While starting as a master thesis in the 50's, Gregory Waselkov clarifies some of the details within his introduction with archeological analysis. A quick read for any lover of history of the US southeast. Be warned that the book is littered with some archaic language you would expect from the mid-20th century to describe Native American tribes. The comparison of Russian-American Cold War similarities between France and Great Britain was amusing in its own way.

[Berta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book because some of my ancestors were at Fort Toulouse.
While their names were not in the book it was still useful to better understand the time and place where they lived.