Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne
Manuscript heading: Colonel F.L. Claiborne
Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne, father of the author J.F.H. Claiborne was born in Virginia in 1773. Colonel Claiborne was an influential leader in the Mississippi Territory.
In 1793 he served under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the fighting to control the Old Northwest Territory, which later became the states in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes Region. He rose in rank after his performance at the Battle of Falling Timbers which effectively ended the war.
Claiborne, settled in Natchez where his brother was territorial governor managing a plantation and operating a mercantile establishment. He and his wife, Magdalene Hutchins ‚the daughter of a British officer‚had seven children.
During the Creek War (1813-1814), he commanded Fort Claiborne and contributed to the expansion of U.S. control in the Gulf South. Throughout this period, he financed supplies for his troops by mortgaging his Natchez estate.
Claiborne, achieved victory over the Creek forces at Holy Grounds in what is now Alabama before returning to his Natchez plantation, known as “Soldier’s Retreat.”
He was elected to the Mississippi Territorial Legislature, briefly served as speaker of the House, and retired in 1815 due to health complications from his military campaigns. He died on March 22, 1815.
Source: Journey Through The Piney Woods, PDF pp. 19–20.