The Gulf Coast region of the United States has, since the earliest settlement, attracted some of the most intriguing characters in American history. Long after the establishment of the United States, the region remained a frontier with claims staked by the Spanish, French, English, Americans and Native Americans that had long made the area their home. One such historical figure is William Augustus Bowles.

Bowles was born in 1763 in Maryland. His wealthy Tory family insured that he gained an extensive education and became a well rounded Englishman. He entered the British military at age 13 during the American Revolution and became a Navy ensign by age 15. In 1777, he sailed with the British Navy to Jamaica and later to Pensacola where he was dismissed and stripped of his rank for insubordination and dereliction of duty.

Bowles found himself stranded in Pensacola with no way home and no means of support. He thus decided to join the Creek Indians who came to Pensacola routinely to be resupplied by the British. For the next couple years, Bowles moved between the Gulf Coast and the Creek towns along the Chattahoochee River. He returned to Pensacola, however, to fight with a contingent of Creeks that battled against Spanish forces under the command of Bernardo Galvez. The city eventually fell to the Spanish but Bowles’ efforts were commended by the British which removed much of the tarnish placed upon him earlier when he was dismissed from service.

Among his many exploits was Bowles’ determination to establish a Creek Indian nation in the American southeast. He maintained that the Indians living in the region (territory that included areas claimed by Spain, England and the United States) had been guaranteed, through a legal treaty the right to lawful inhabitation by Britain and Spain. Furthermore, he was resolute in that this nation should include the Choctaw and Cherokee tribes as well. To advance his cause, Bowles travelled as far north as Nova Scotia and to the Bahamas to rally British support. He also actively sought support from the leaders of the Creek nation.

Bowles ultimately made himself the “Director General and Commander-In-Chief of the Muskogee Nation.” And on October 31, 1799, he issued a proclamation declaring the 1795 treaty between Spain and the United States void because it ignored the Indian’s sovereignty over Florida. He disputed the fact that the 1795 Treaty of San Ildefonso ceded all of West Florida above the 31st Parallel to the United States. On April 5, 1800, Bowels made Spain an official enemy of the Muskogee State when he declared war against that nation. This came after the Spanish had attempted to root Bowles and his followers out of Florida by raiding his camp on the Ochlockonee River (southeast of present-day Tallahassee).

Bowles next move was to capture the stores, including powder and shot, housed by the Panton-Leslie Company at San Marcos on the St. Marks River also near Tallahassee. He was successful, yet the Spanish recaptured the facility by June 1800. Bowles then began to conspire against the United States from which he demanded the return of Indian land. While unsuccessful in this endeavor, he did manage to raise the ire of the United States government which resulted in his placement squarely in the middle between two unforgiving enemies; the Spanish and the United States.

In the end, the State of Muskogee’s borders were never firmly established. There was no central government save for the edicts issued by Bowles. And although he did create an Army and Navy, both were severely limited and poorly trained. The Navy consisted of only three ships and the Army centered on a band of individual-minded Creek and Seminole warriors that lacked formal training.

The extraordinary character of William Augustus Bowles    

By John Jackson

Contributing writer

The Gulf Coast region of the United States has, since the earliest settlement, attracted some of the most intriguing characters in American history. Long after the establishment of the United States, the region remained a frontier with claims staked by the Spanish, French, English, Americans and Native Americans that had long made the area their home. One such historical figure is William Augustus Bowles.

Bowles was born in 1763 in Maryland. His wealthy Tory family insured that he gained an extensive education and became a well rounded Englishman. He entered the British military at age 13 during the American Revolution and became a Navy ensign by age 15. In 1777, he sailed with the British Navy to Jamaica and later to Pensacola where he was dismissed and stripped of his rank for insubordination and dereliction of duty.

Bowles found himself stranded in Pensacola with no way home and no means of support. He thus decided to join the Creek Indians who came to Pensacola routinely to be resupplied by the British. For the next couple years, Bowles moved between the Gulf Coast and the Creek towns along the Chattahoochee River. He returned to Pensacola, however, to fight with a contingent of Creeks that battled against Spanish forces under the command of Bernardo Galvez. The city eventually fell to the Spanish but Bowles’ efforts were commended by the British which removed much of the tarnish placed upon him earlier when he was dismissed from service.

Among his many exploits was Bowles’ determination to establish a Creek Indian nation in the American southeast. He maintained that the Indians living in the region (territory that included areas claimed by Spain, England and the United States) had been guaranteed, through a legal treaty the right to lawful inhabitation by Britain and Spain. Furthermore, he was resolute in that this nation should include the Choctaw and Cherokee tribes as well. To advance his cause, Bowles travelled as far north as Nova Scotia and to the Bahamas to rally British support. He also actively sought support from the leaders of the Creek nation.

Bowles ultimately made himself the “Director General and Commander-In-Chief of the Muskogee Nation.” And on October 31, 1799, he issued a proclamation declaring the 1795 treaty between Spain and the United States void because it ignored the Indian’s sovereignty over Florida. He disputed the fact that the 1795 Treaty of San Ildefonso ceded all of West Florida above the 31^st Parallel to the United States. On April 5, 1800, Bowels made Spain an official enemy of the Muskogee State when he declared war against that nation. This came after the Spanish had attempted to root Bowles and his followers out of Florida by raiding his camp on the Ochlockonee River (southeast of present-day Tallahassee).

Bowles next move was to capture the stores, including powder and shot, housed by the Panton-Leslie Company at San Marcos on the St. Marks River also near Tallahassee. He was successful, yet the Spanish recaptured the facility by June 1800. Bowles then began to conspire against the United States from which he demanded the return of Indian land. While unsuccessful in this endeavor, he did manage to raise the ire of the United States government which resulted in his placement squarely in the middle between two unforgiving enemies; the Spanish and the United States.

In the end, the State of Muskogee’s borders were never firmly established. There was no central government save for the edicts issued by Bowles. And although he did create an Army and Navy, both were severely limited and poorly trained. The Navy consisted of only three ships and the Army centered on a band of individual-minded Creek and Seminole warriors that lacked formal training.