One of the most celebrated American heroes of the Creek War, Sam Dale was a witness to Tecumseh’s famous speech at Tuckabatchee in 1811 and a participant in the Battle of Burnt Corn Creek and the campaign against the Holy Ground. He is most famous for his role in the Canoe Fight, in which he and two others killed nine Red Stick warriors in the Alabama River. He later served in the Alabama legislature and subsequently spent his last years in Mississippi. Dale County, Alabama, and the community of Daleville, Mississippi, are named in his honor.

Dale's gravesite, marked by a memorial to him and his accomplishments, is located in Sam Dale Historical Site, just off Highway 39 north Meridian, Mississippi.