Pushmataha was succeeded by Netakacha, even as Pushmataha succeeded the great chief Pukshanubbee. According to his own belief he had no parents; the lightning struck a great oak and out jumped Pushmataha with his paint and feathers, as a full-fledged warrior, capable of leading this tribe! He was one of three medal chiefs of the Choctaw nation who was given the title and uniform of a general in the United States army in 1813, and in November of that year brought fifty-one warriors against the Creeks. Lieutenant Callahan directed the work of this little command of (indians), but it was Pushmataha who led them. Prior to this he won renown in every raid on the trans-Mississippi towns, always returning with scalps enough to decorate the village pole. Claiborne relates many incidents in the life of this (great indian leader), which cannot be overlooked. During his service against the Creeks, a soldier offered him some insult, when the chief struck him with the flat of his sword. General Claiborne told him that such a breach of discipline could not be permitted; but the stoical Indian related the character of the insult and concluded by stating: "Being only a private I struck him with the flat of my sword, but had it been you, general, I should have used the edge." On another occasion he discovered a soldier tied to a post and was told the fellow was drunk. The chief looked upon him as a martyr and , untying the prisoner, remarked, "Many great warriors get drunk." He was a polygamist of no mean character. Seeing what numbers of young warriors were annually swept away by war, he reasoned that those who were not killed should claim as many wives as possible, so that the strength of the nation may be kept up to a certain standard. His death took place immediately after his historical interview with General Lafayette, and while his old friend, General Andrew Jackson, looked on the dying warrior.