Shorly after the Battle of the Horseshoe Bend began, Major Lemuel Montgomery realized that the Red Sticks had done an excellent job of securing the position, an assessment which he shared with General Andrew Jackson. Jackson agreed. Montgomery suggested a frontal assault, and volunteered to lead it. Jackson accepted, realizing the peril Montgomery was agreeing to place himself in. Jackson ordered Montgomery's second-in-command, Ensign Sam Houston, to be prepared to carry on if Montgomery fell.
Jackson proved prescient. Montgomery was shot through the head moments after scaling a wall. Houston took command.
