In Patrolling the Border: Theft and Violence on the Creek-Georgia Frontier, 1770–1796, Joshua Haynes investigates the motives, methods, and consequences of Creek raids along the Creek-Georgia frontier in the late eighteenth century. Positioning Creek raiders front and center in his narrative, Haynes intervenes in key debates on southern Indian politics, Creek-Georgia relations, and Native American raiding strategies. Drawing on imperial, federal, and state records, he demonstrates that Creek raids are best understood as “border patrols” committed to a “broad political vision of territorial integrity and political sovereignty” (13–14). Anything but “aimless,” Creek raids championed Creek sovereignty and “acted in accord with consensus” reached in raiders’ towns (13).
The book’s eight original chapters track the ebb and flow of Creek raids. Probing damages claims lodged by Georgia settlers, Haynes finds that Creeks executed 977 raids on or near Georgia properties between 1770 and 1800. Creeks stole property more than they...
