Samuel Butts (November 24, 1777 – January 27, 1814) was an American militia officer who served in the

Creek War The Creek War (also the Red Stick War or the Creek Civil War) was a regional conflict between opposing Native American factions, European powers, and the United States during the early 19th century. The Creek War began as a conflict within th ...

. Butts was born at his family's farm in

Southampton County, Virginia Southampton County is a county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. North Carolina is to the south. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 17,996. Its county seat is Courtland. History In the earl ...

, to parents Martha and Simmons. His ancestors included many veterans of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The Butts family moved to

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, when Samuel was young. As an adult, Butts moved to

Monticello, Georgia Monticello is the largest city in and the county seat of Jasper County, Georgia, United States. The city includes historic buildings such as the Jasper County Courthouse, Monticello High School, and the Monticello Historic District. The popu ...

, and became a businessman. In 1813, Butts joined the local militia of Jasper County as a private in order to fight in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. He was quickly made captain of his unit, and they fought under the command of General John Floyd in battles at Autossee, Tallasee and Camp Defiance. On January 27, 1814, Butts was killed in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

at the Battle of Calebee Creek (referred to as Chillabee in some sources). In 1825, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

named

Butts County, Georgia Butts County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,434,US 2020 Census Bureau report, Butts County, Georgia up from 23,655 in 2010. The county seat is Jackson. The ...

in honor of Captain Butts. A Georgia chapter of the

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

is named after him as well.

Notes

References

* William J. Northen
''Men of Mark in Georgia''
A. B. Caldwell, 1912, pp. 174–177.
Capt. Samuel Butts Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution
* ttp://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2302 New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Butts County, Georgia 1777 births 1814 deaths People from Southampton County, Virginia People of the Creek War Butts County, Georgia American militiamen in the War of 1812 American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 People from Sparta, Georgia People from Monticello, Georgia {{GeorgiaUS-bio-stub