McGillivray, Alexander

McGillivray, Alexander (1759-1793) Principal Chief of the Creek Indians: McGillivray was of mixed Creek and European ancestry. and became a prominent figure during the Revolutionary War. His father, Lachlan, was well-connected in the trade with Native Americans, allowing Alexander McGillivray to move comfortably in Savannah circles and in the world of Creek civilization. His bilingual skills gained him a job as Assistant Commissary for the British Southern Indian Department at Little Tallassee. After 1777, his mother's influence among her people allowed him to acquire a position leading bands of Upper Creek warriors toward the Georgia frontier in the east and to Pensacola to support British troops fighting there . Once the attacking Spanish troops were pushed back at Pensacola, McGullivray's troops were responsible for changing the fortunes of the battle. In the nineteenth century, McGullivray was depicted as a coward, but such a characterization cannot be substantiated. In 1783, McGullivray was chosen Upper Creek "Head Warrior," and worked for two years to preserve Creek autonomy by playing off various groups against each other, including tribal factions, Spanish officials, American diplomats, Georgia speculators, and his own business partners. A powerful presence for Creeks in the southern frontier, McGullivray served his mother's people until the end of his life, and his death left a vacuum in leadership that was never adequately filled.