Henry Shepard, was a Lieutenant under Captain Daniel Childs in the Georgia militia from Wilkinson County. After the Chehaw Expedition of 1818 was carried out, Shepard learned that General Glaperek(?) gave the orders for Major Alston not to pay the soldiers who marched under the orders of Captain Wright, but to pay those who remained behind at Fort Dean during the expedition. The Chehaw Expedition refers to the event on April 23, 1818 when Captain Wright ordered the Georgia militia under his command to attack a Chehaw town, also called Au-muc-cul-le, in Southwest, Georgia, resulting in the slaughter of the villagers. The Chehaw town was located in Lee County, Georgia on the Flint River. The town, comprised of Creek Indians, was governed by their local chief, referred to as "Major Howard" by the whites. The occupants of this town were friendly to General Andrew Jackson during the First Seminole War, 1817-1819. In late January of 1818, the Governor of Georgia, William Rabun (1771-1819), made a requisition to place the lower counties militias under the control of Captain Daniel Childs of Wilkinson County and Captain Elijah Deans of Laurens County at the Big Bend of the Ocmulgee (river) at Fort Dean in Hartford, Georgia, for the purpose of guarding supplies and military stores. On the 18th of April, Captain Wright came into command of militias and obtained orders from Governor Rabun to destroy Chehaw towns under the control of the Chiefs Hopaunee (Oponee) and Phelemmee (Philemma) due to accounts of hostilities towards the locals. The expedition was outfitted with the infantry militia under Captains Childs and Deans, a mounted company under the command of Captains Robinson and Rogers and two detachments under Lieutenants Cooper and Jones. A third of the companies were left to guard the fort, while the rest were ordered to march on a "secret expedition". General Andrew Jackson later wrote to Governor Rabun condemning the incident. Captain Wright avoided prosecution by the state and fled before the federal inquiry could be arranged. Sources: Smith, Gordon Burns. History of the Georgia Militia, 1783-1861. (Milledgeville, Ga. : Boyd Publishing, 2000); and White, George. Historical Collections of Georgia. (Danielsville, Ga. : Heritage Papers, 1968).
From the description of Henry Shepard letter to F. Walker, 1824. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 182860364
