It was the summer of 1813, and the time of many indian
attacks. The settlers of Clark County AL were leaving their plantations
to find safety behind the walls of Fort Sinquefield. Soon the fort became
so over crowed that Abner James and Ransom Kimbell took their large families
to live at the Kimbell plantation about a mile from the fort. On Sept.1 during
the middle of the day, Francis and his warriors attacked the Kimbell house.
Sarah, the daughter of Abner James and wife of Mr. Merrill, was in the front
yard near the house when the attacked began. She was beaten and then her
scalp was taken. The warriors entered the house and began to savagely kill
all that were inside, mainly women and children.
Abner James was some distance from the house talking to
a Mr. Walker when he saw the indians attack. He was able to reach his daughter
Mary and 14 year old son Thomas and get them back safely behind the walls
of the fort.
Isham Kimbell and his little brother were at the blacksmith
shop, about 150 yards from the house. They too began to run for the safety
of the fort. As the warriors were chasing them through the woods, Isham fell
while crossing the river and when he got up to continue on, he realized his
younger brother was no longer following behind. No one knows what happened
to the younger of the Kimbell boys, was he captured, lost in the woods, or
killed?
Ransom Kimbell was out hunting when he heard the gun shots ringing
through the woods. By the time he reached his home the indians were no longer
in sight. Not knowing how long they had been gone and distressed by the bloody
sight of seeing his family beaten and scalped, he also took to the fort for
safety.
Having heard of the attack on Fort Mims,and fearing for the
safety of the residents of the Fort Sinquefield, the men started to reinforce
the security of the fort just encase the indians returned.
As night fell, it began to rain. The rain drops must have
revived Sarah as she lay bleeding in the yard. Soon the memories of the hours
before came flooding back to her, she entered the house and began to search
frantically for her one year old son William. There were two small male children
of about the same age living in the home, both the boys were wearing gowns
but one was fastened with buttons, the other with ribbon. Finding her son,
who had been thrown against a wall of the house, Sarah began to nurse and
comfort him. The sun was gone, the rain was falling, and in pain from the
attack, Sarah started on the mile long journey that would take her and her
son back to the safety of the fort. Every step was a struggle, and soon took
it's toll on her. Not knowing if she would make it, she decided to hide her
son in a hollow log and continue on alone. Upon reaching the fort she told
them where she had put her child and a group of men took off to get him.
Sarah suffered blindness for some time after due to a blow she
received from a war club. As time passed she and her son both recovered.
A messenger, that left before Sarah's return, was sent out
to get help. Mr. Merrill was away fighting under General Clairborne when
he heard the news of the massacre and was told that his wife and child were
among the dead. He continued on to fight in the Battle of Holy Ground, taking
out his revenge and pain on the indians he fought. Believing his wife and
child were dead, he had no desire to return to Clarke Co. so after the war
he moved to Tennessee. When other soldiers returned home they said Mr. Merrill
had been severely wounded during a battle, and since he never returned home
everyone assumed he had died.
As ironic as it seems, both Sarah and her husband thought the
other had died. Sarah later married Elijah Spencer Holtam and had a family
of their own. Mr. Merrill settled in Tennessee and it was there that
he remarried and began a new family. Years later Mr. Merrill decided to take
his family to Texas. He went by way of Clarke Co. in order to visit with
old friends. It was getting late when he finally reached Clarke Co.and
they came upon a man in his yard and asked if it would be all right if he
and his family could settle down there for the night. The man in the yard
was Elijah Holtam, not knowing the man before him was his wife's dead husband,
he agreed to put the weary travelers up for the night. He called to
Sarah, who was inside to come out, they had company. When Sarah and her first
husband saw each other,even after all these years, they recognized each other
instantly. Trying to regain her composure, and seeing his wife and children
in the wagon she invited them in.
As the men put the horses away they began to talk about how
to resolve the problem before them. They agreed that the decision would be
left up to Sarah. The two families gathered around the table to eat supper
that night and relay the events of the last several years. Sarah asked for
time to think of her decision and would give her answer the next morning.
The following day Sarah spoke to her first husband and told him that
Elijah Holtam had been very kind to her and to their son William. She assured
him Elijah was a good provider and would take care of them, and since they
had both started a new family it would be best to leave things as they were.
She prayed God would watch over Mr. Merrill and his family, as she bid them
farewell, as they set out for their new home in Texas.
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