SW073 Showing Mercy and Compassion, the Creek Pocahontas Milly Francis Changed Whites Perception of Indians as Agents of their Destiny

Milly Francis was the daughter of a Creek prophet who changed the world by showing mercy and compassion for a captured U.S. Army private on the chopping block. This perplexed some whites at the time as they did not think Indians could show mercy or compassion but were, as the stereotypes went, savages. Other whites new the significance of her intervention to save that soldier’s life. They should have. Milly Francis, the Creek Pocahontas destroyed uninformed and prejudicial views of native Americans. She changed the world’s understanding of the civilization the Creek’s inhabited. She restored agency to the Creek in the public’s mind. By doing that she restored the Creek to their proper place as intelligent, resourceful people – like any group of whites viewed themselves.

Joining us to provide more detail on this fascinating woman dubbed “the Creek Pocahontas” is Rachael Conrad. Rachael is co-founder, producer and on-air talent for the award-winning travel channel, Two Egg TV.  Two Egg TV is the creation of Old Kitchen Books, exclusive publisher of works by noted Southern historian and writer Dale Cox. Two Egg TV shares adventures, stories and travels from “off the beaten path” places and locations around the South. Find them at: https://tv2egg.com/

Milly Francis: The Life & Times of the Creek Pocahontas https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0615894054/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_AR1DJ9KT24866J9RSFDH 

Rachael Conrad also portrays Milly Francis through living history presentations around southern Alabama and Florida. She says she uses this portrayal to help young people visualize Millie Francis as a real person so they can appreciate what Milly Francis did.

Rachael has co-authored two history books about the First Seminole War. Old Kitchen Media uses books and web ventures to support rural tourism, historic preservation, community improvement and protection of nature. When not engaged with presenting southern history with Two Egg, Rachael used her MBA from Troy University to teach undergraduate business students. And in the community, Rachael created initiatives such as Skills not Pills and Bugs Not Drugs to help kids choose better things than drugs. Drug prevention, Rachael says, is all about helping people never even try drugs.

Host Patrick Swan is a board member with the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a combat veteran and of the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Kosovo, and at the Pentagon after 9/11. A military historian, he holds masters degrees in Public History, Communication, and Homeland Security, and is a graduate of the US Army War College with an advanced degree in strategic studies. This podcast is recorded at the homestead of the Seminole Wars Foundation in Bushnell, Florida. 

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