the proclamation of the treaty. Continuously plagued with attacks by hostile Native Americans who resisted the encroachment on their territory, the combined free and slave population of the Tombigbee District, a part of the Mississippi Territory since 1798, was approximately 1,250 people in 1800. The primary town in the district was St. Stephens, begun by the Spanish with the construction of Fort San Esteban in 1789. On June 4, 1800, the Tombigbee District became the central core of the newly created Washington County, Mississippi Territory. Washington County's original boundaries stretched east to west and north to south. The roughly of the county were later divided to create 16 counties in Mississippi and 29 counties in Alabama. Despite the great size of Washington County, the Tombigbee District remained the area of primary settlement. Tensions remained high between the American settlers and the Spanish in the Mobile District, in addition to the nearly constant threat of attack from hostile Muscogee tribes. Also, the United States had found it necessary to build Fort Stoddert in 1799 to prevent its own people from taking matters into their own hands and attacking the Spanish. Prior to the War of 1812 and Creek War, the Spaniards in Mobile had allowed British merchants to sell arms and supplies to the Native Americans to harass the American settlers in the Tombigbee District. Using this as a justification, the United States annexed the Mobile District into the Mississippi Territory in 1812. The city of Mobile remained in Spanish hands until General James Wilkinson took a force of American troops from New Orleans to capture it in April 1813. See also Battle of Burnt Corn Fort Mims massacre References Clarke County, Alabama Mobile County, Alabama Washington County, Alabama Geography of Alabama Native American history of Alabama Pre-statehood history of Alabama Choctaw