USA > Georgia > Wilkinson County > History of Wilkinson County > Part 4
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It now appeared that peace would reign along the Oconee and that the settlers would not be afflicted with the Creek massacres and Spanish intrigues any longer, now that McGillivray had formed an alliance with the Ameri- can Government. However, in this they were to be rudely disappointed. Thoroughly alarmed at McGillivary's di- plomacy in turning to the United States, Spain began to take steps towards counteracting this and ere long McGillivray was drawing a salary of thirty-five hundred dollars a year from that power. The establishment of the trading post at Rock Landing by the federal gov- ernment about this time was another serious blow to
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HISTORY OF WILKINSON COUNTY
both Spain and to Panton, Leslie & Co., for while the for- mer was losing the enormous customs to which she had been accustomed to collect on the goods destined for the Creek nation, the latter was losing the great profits inci- dent to the Indian trade, for the post at Rock Landing was not only selling goods cheaper but was paying the In- dians higher prices for their peltry.
Rock Landing was now an important center. Roads were leading here from Augusta, Savannah by way of Sandersville, and from both up and down the river on the Georgia side. The trails leading across the Indian lands were now more and more traveled as the Indians would bring their produce to market and exchange it for supplies and firewater. Traders with their packhorses likewise were constantly passing to and fro along these well de- fined trails. All of this the Spaniards viewed with concern.
Although the treaty of New York was perhaps the best possible settlement of the bloody dispute between Georgia and the Indians yet it was very unpopular in Georgia. They felt that President Washington had betrayed this state in setting at naught the treaties of Augusta, Galphin- ton and Shoulderbone and granting back to the Indians the Tallassee country. Criticism galore was heaped upon the chief executive. He was burned in effigy and other in- dignities heaped upon him, notwithstanding the fact that a careful examination of all the facts leading up to and surrounding the executing of these treaties might not re- dound altogether to the glory of the Empire State of the South.
For a time it seemed that peace would now reign along the Oconee, but no sooner had McGillivray been pacified, than new discordant elements appeared on the horizon. The Spaniards had now redoubled their efforts to arouse the Indians against the Georgians. In this they were aided in one of the provisions of the treaty of New York which provided that in October, 1791, delegations of the Creeks
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should meet at the Rock Landing and in company with the Americans should mark out the boundary line above the south branch of the Oconee. Emissaries of the Spaniards worked in concert with the traders of Panton, Leslie & Co. and began to inflame the passions of the Indians against the Georgians and sentiment was soon strong among the Indians against the running of the line. Criti- cisms of the treaty and of McGillivray, himself, began to break out among the Creeks, and apparently he saw the handwriting on the wall for when the date set for the tracing of the line arrived, he found some excuse to ab- sent himself.
About this time an entirely new element was added to the already complicated international and domestic situa- tion. Hitherto, from the close of the Revolution it ap- peared that Great Britain had abandoned all intrigue with their old Creek allies. It is true Panton, Leslie & Co. was a British firm and purchased the greater part of their merchandise in England but up to this time the traders of this firm among the Creeks seems to have devoted their activities towards influencing the natives in favor of the Spaniards. But Panton, Leslie & Co. having antagonized Lord Dunmore, the latter set about taking revenge. He soon found a most willing and competent tool in William A. Bowles, who as a Tory from Maryland had seen serv- ice during the Revolution among the Lower Creek tribes. Furnished with supplies by Dunmore he appeared among the Seminoles, the tribe which still claimed this section, claiming to be Emperor of the Creeks. Quickly allying many of the Tories and Seminoles to his side he rose rap- idly in influence among the whole Creek nation. Taking advantage of the terms of the treaty of New York he played upon the prejudices of the Indians and soon had alienated a large portion of the Creeks from their absolute domination by McGillivray. Promising the Indians the return of the British and a resumption of the rich presents
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which that nation had been accustomed to bestow upon the Indians he was soon a factor not to be despised.
Although he hated Georgia as much as did McGillivray and in arousing the Indians against this state he was play- ing into the hands of Spain, yet he also hated Spain with a still greater hatred, if possible, and lost no opportunity to injure that power. Added to this was his deadly hatred for Panton, Leslie & Co., whose ships he loved to capture, and whose rich stores he loved to loot with his bands of red warriors. Absolutely fearless and a born leader, Bowles was leader after the Indians' own hearts. He pos- sessed that which the great McGillivray lacked in order to endear himself completely to the wild savages, leader- ship in battle. The advent of this new bold adventurer was thus threatening to overturn the existing order of things and appeared to be giving Great Britain the as- cendancy in the great diplomatic battle which was being waged between England, Spain, and America for the Creek influence. The outcome of this diplomatic warfare meant much to the peace of the Georgia frontiers.
Not only was Spain thoroughly alarmed at the situation and began taking steps towards counteracting Bowles' in- fluence, but McGillivray, himself, shared in the general alarm, and he was not long in invoking the strong arm of both Spain and the United States towards removing this troublesome factor from the midst of the Indians.
The treaty of New York having provided that the line between Georgia and the Indians should be marked out in October, 1791, pressure began to be exerted on McGilli- vray and the chiefs to perform this duty.
A new misunderstanding now arose concerning where the line should strike the Oconee. The treaty provided that the south branch of the Oconee and the Indians con- tended that the north branch of the Oconee should be the line, according to their understanding. They insisted that the treaty had never been presented to the nation by
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McGillivray for their ratification. Here was another op- portunity for Bowles and he was not long in availing him- self of it. Criticism and feeling against McGillivray was rife throughout the Creek nation and his power began to wane while the influence and power of Bowles was daily growing stronger among the Creeks and was extending into the Cherokee nation as well. Still another event which encouraged the Indians to resist the running of the line was the total defeat of St. Clair's army by the northern Indians which caused the Creeks to hold the American troops in less awe.
In the spring of 1792 the American government con- tinued its pressure upon McGillivray and in order to aid him in overcoming the growing power of Bowles and hav- ing sent two additional companies of soldiers to Rock Landing together with considerable sums of money and merchandise suitable for the Indians at the same time wrote McGillivray that these federal forces were avail- able for his needs towards ridding the nation of Bowles, and that the merchandise and money was for his use in ac- complishing the same purpose. (Indian Aff. Vol. I, pages 246, 249, 254.)
About this time another event took place which for the time being effected the purpose of removing Bowles but not his influence. His repeated raids upon the Spaniards in Florida had so incensed this power against him that by strategem they succeeded in making him a prisoner, and he was soon sent to Havana. But the spirit of opposition to the running of the line was kept alive by his numerous followers and the influence of McGillivray was at an end. The treaty of New York had proved his Waterloo.
While McGillivray was betraying the Americans on the one hand, and perfidiously playing with the Spaniards on the other, his tribesmen aware of his treachery towards these two nations were losing confidence in him, and the Mad Dog began to assume in a small way the greatly
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needed leadership of the Upper Creeks. None knew the treachery McGillivray was capable of better than the Mad Dog. He was one of the few Indians who knew of the secret treaty McGillivray entered into at New York with President Washington.
None knew the weakness of McGillivray for entering into treaties which would fill his personal pockets as did the Mad Dog. We thus find him when in 1792 McGilli- vray was making his plans to meet with the Americans at Rock Landing for the purpose of running the boundary gathering together a few strong chieftains and firmly re- fusing to permit McGillivray to leave the nation.
At this time rumors were rife throughout the Creeks that Bowles, who was still claiming to be emperor of the Creeks would soon be in the nation, that England and the U. S. would again be in war with each other.
While not an adherent of Bowles the Mad Dog real- ized what it would mean for the nation to be worse divided on the question of the line. Already Bowles was taking ad- vantage of the fact that the Creek nation was split asun- der on account of the treaty of New York and was using these dissensions to unite the discordant elements against McGillivray.
This act of the Mad Dog at the head of the other chief- tains might well be termed a peaceful revolution. The reign of the erstwhile Indian monarch had ceased, in spite of the fact that the United States continued to recognize him as chief and was asking the Indians to support him (Indian Aff. p. 301 ).
McGillivray, now, no longer able to wield his authority over his people was forced to see the powerful Creek na- tion slip back into a bedlam of confusion, to split into fac- tions led by petty chieftains ; himself to lose utterly the con- fidence of the American authorities as well as that of the Spanish. Small wonder that this once powerful monarch to whose nation the hills and vales of Wilkinson belonged
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should slip away and spend the few remaining months of his life in seclusion at Pensacola, dying in February, 1793.
The death of McGillivray left the Creek nation in a terrible condition-great famine was stalking the land, and the American government ignoring the intermittent warfare which this nation had been waging for years against the Georgia and Tennessee frontiers was supply- ing them with corn. Bowles had returned from his cap- tivity in Madrid and renewed his claim as emperor of the whole Creek nation, and now that his erstwhile rival was no more it appeared that his aspirations would meet with success. To aid him in his designs the British had sent Shawnee emissaries throughout the Creek nation promis- ing them the aid of the British in a war against the Ameri- cans. For months Capt. Oliver had been disseminating Spanish propaganda among the nation and the Pensacola arsenal was supplying the Creek as well as the Cherokee nation with arms and munitions to such a degree that they were better armed than the Georgia militia.
Added to this, a spirit of jealousy had been created be- tween the Georgia militia and the federal troops on her border, and a feeling of contempt on the part of the peo- ple of Georgia for the federal officials located in the state, so much so that at times serious clashes were narrowly averted and even Seagrove's life was threatened.
CHAPTER VIII INDIAN WAR CLOUDS GATHERING
IN the meantime, Seagrove had been appointed superin- tendent of Indian affairs for the Creeks and estab- lished his headquarters at Rock Landing from which place he carried on an extensive correspondence with the Creek chieftains.
The continued efforts of Seagrove towards getting the Indians to meet him at Rock Landing bore some fruit and in May, 1792, a body of two hundred Creeks met him there. Nothing of benefit was accomplished at this meet- ing. Instead of this remedying the situation it had the ef- fect of aggravating it, as the large number of hunting parties of Indians gathered near the frontiers began to be troublesome to the settlers. Thieving bands would cross the Oconee and steal horses and cattle. The losers be- gan to complain to Seagrove and were on the verge of at- tacking the Indians. Seagrove set off along the Indian trail leading through this county down the Oconee during the month of June. From one Indian camp to another he went collecting the stolen property and restoring all he could to the owners. Though the plundering bands were al- most daily occurrences for the time being the whites of Washington county were doing all in their power to avert a general Indian war which was appearing more and more imminent.
In July of 1792 two hundred Creeks without any invi- tation from the federal authorities returned to the Rock Landing for a conference, for the purpose of calling a meeting of the Creeks to be held at St. Mary's. Again the presence of the Indians on this frontier resulted in trouble between the Georgians and the Indians. Col. Samuel Alex- ander, the famous Indian fighter of Greene county, came
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to the Rock Landing and while there had a difficulty with Charles Weatherford, the brother-in-law of McGillivray. Numerous other difficulties arose before the Indians re- turned to the nation.
It was during this month that Captain Benjamin Harri- son had six horses stolen from him by the Uchees at Carr's Bluff in Washington county. As the year 1792 wore on, the discord among the Indians continued to grow in vio- lence. Spain was now more strongly than ever trying to carry into effect her plans of allying the four great Indian nations, the Creeks, the Cherokees, the Chickasaws and the Choctaws into a confederacy. Arms, ammunition and supplies were now poured into these nations and every possible effort made to cultivate their friendship. During I792 a failure of the corn crop brought the Creek nation almost to the verge of starvation and President Washing- ton supplied them with ten thousand bushels of corn. But even this could not keep their warriors from attacking the frontiers of Georgia.
The clouds of war continued to gather as the year 1792 wore on. The state of Georgia was bending every possible effort towards preparingfor the inevitable conflict, a strug- gle which threatened to involve not only Spain but also England. South Carolina thoroughly alarmed at the im- pending struggle, recognizing that her own frontiers were in danger of feeling the weight of the Red invasion hur- riedly put her thousands of militia on a war basis, and pre- pared to rush them at a moment's warning to the aid of her sister state. At the same time her governor was writ- ing a most urgent letter to President Washington in- forming him of the dire peril with which Georgia was being confronted. (Ind. Affairs, Vol. 1, 316.)
Not only did the frontiersmen depend on their forts for protection but so great became the destruction from the Indians that it became necessary for patrols and spies to be sent across the river into this county for the purpose of
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keeping acquainted with the whereabouts of the attacking parties of the red men. The old Indian trail leading down the Oconee River now came in handy for the border pa- trols, as any skulking band of warriors were compelled to cross this path in order to get to the settlements and their horses would have to leave a trail which the patrol would be sure to discover. Ever on the alert for signs of the enemy, these patrols would daily ride up and down this old trail. Others would penetrate still farther on the trails that led to the Indian towns. Woe to the hapless Indian that fell into the hands of these patrols. So great was the desire for revenge on the part of the Georgians that they were not particular from what town the Indian· came, whether friendly or otherwise. One of these rangers was the son of Major David Adams of Hancock County. The major on one occasion stated to a federal officer that these rangers would "kill any they saw, let their tribe or business be what it would." (American State Papers, In- dian Affairs Vol. I, p. 414. )
The critical conditions of this section was soon realized by President Washington and the federal government be- gan pouring arms and ammunition into the arsenals of the state. Washington requested Governor Telfair of Georgia not to permit offensive expeditions against the Creeks, on account of the delicate state of our relations with foreign nations. During the spring of 1793 conditions were rapidly growing worse. Many frontiersmen were leaving their homes. Others built forts on their own lands and armed not only their families but their slaves. (Ind. Aff. Vol. 1, page 420.) The unbearable situation was such that the Georgia militiamen could no longer be re- strained from punitive expeditions. An Indian raid into Washington county near Carr's Bluff on the 18th of April, 1793, resulted in the death and scalping of William Pugh, the capture of a negro and four horses by the Indians. In May so great became the carnage and havoc in every di-
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rection on the frontier that the governor found it neces- sary to call out bodies of the Georgia militia and assemble them on Shoulderbone Creek in Hancock county, at the same time urging the Secretary of War to rush forward thousands of stands of more arms and supplies. General Irwin hurriedly erected forts at Carr's Bluff, Long Bluff, White Bluff and other places.
Rumors about this time came to the ears of the im- periled frontiersmen that John Galphin, now a chief of the warlike Coweta tribe, had started on the warpath with five hundred braves, that he would unite his forces with the Seminoles under King Paine and would sweep the white settlements from the Oconee to the Ogeechee. His deadly hatred for the people of Washington county whom he had once saved but whom he had charged with mis- treating him was well known, and this county must now feel the weight of his vengeance. The warlike character of the Seminoles was also well known and the great dread seized upon the Georgians.
A FLOOD AS AN ALLY
At this juncture when it seemed no power on earth could prevent the bloody tragedy which was approaching, a new ally came to the aid of the fear-stricken frontiers- men, in the form of Nature. Terrific rains began to fall and continued with such force that the Oconee became a raging torrent forming a wall of defense which the red warriors could not pass. For weeks the floods continued and the rage of the Indians seems to have slightly abated. (Ind. Aff. Vol. 1, pp. 368, 369.)
CHICKASAW WAR
Still another ally came to the aid of the hard pressed Georgians. Piomingo, the great Chickasaw warrior, was engaged in a quarrel with Efau Haujo, the Mad Dog of the Tuckabatchees, who was apparently the leading figure in the Creek nation. The Americans grasping this oppor-
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tunity to distract the attention of the Creeks from the Georgians and the Cumberland settlements encouraged Piomingo; Seagrove encouraged Efau Haujo with prom- ises of aid. The Mad Dog's brother was slain by the Chickasaws and the war between two Indian nations burst with a fury seldom equalled in the annals of Indian's warfare.
The English and Spanish had overlooked the fact that at least some of the Americans could play the diplomatic game as well as the master diplomats of Europe. Sudden- ly their house of cards through American machinations tumbled. Instead of the powerful alliance of the four great Indian nations the Creeks, Cherokees, Chickasaws, and Choctaws and a combined attack with the fifteen or twenty thousand warriors they could bring into the field, there came the news of the outbreak of war between the Creeks and Chickasaws. Quickly the Choctaws aligned themselves on the part of the Chickasaws. It was thought the Cherokees would ally themselves with the Creeks. And thus almost overnight it appeared there were the four great southern Indian nations arrayed against each other. However, the Cherokees partly by Spanish inter- ference, partly by sad memory of a previous disastrous war with the embattled Chickasaws did not rush to the aid of the Creeks. Likewise Spanish influence seems to have affected the hostility of the Choctaws. In addition to this the Cussetah tribe of the Creeks claimed ancient friendship with the Chickasaws and could not enter a war against them.
KING PAYNE MAKES PEACE
In the meantime the federal agent, Seagrove, was not idle. Aware of the traditional hatred of the Seminoles for the Spaniards which had existed from the days when as Oconee their town had been burned by the Spaniards on the Oconee River, he began overtures of peace with
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Payne. A treaty with this chieftain meant much to this section, for he grudgingly yielded allegiance to the Creek nation except when it pleased him. Though he and his tribe lived in Florida yet the Creeks acknowledged that the Seminoles owned the lands below the Rock Landing. Thus this tribe as an ally would be not only worth much to the Georgians along the Oconee but their domicile be- ing in Florida and Payne having a penchant for fighting Spaniards, they would be a thorn in the side of Spain. Though Payne made peace, yet the war along the Oconee was continued by the other Indians.
CHAPTER IX EXPEDITIONS AGAINST THE INDIANS
O great was the alarm during the spring and early sum- mer of 1793 that the governor of Georgia determined upon sending an expedition against the Indians. Thus on June 8th, Major General Twiggs, with Brigadier-Gen- erals Irwin, Clark, and Blackburn, led a force of 750 men comprising 450 mounted and 300 foot across the Oconee at Rock Landing and took up the line of march for the Indian country. Col. Gaither gave them information as to which were the hostile towns. The route taken, however, led to the Buzzard Roost and had they succeeded in reach- ing the Indian country it is extremely probable that peace- ful towns would have been attacked thus aggravating the almost unbearable situation. The expedition marched across the distance separating the Oconee and Ocmulgee and after crossing the latter river built a fort. General Ir- win was ordered by General Twiggs to.command detach- ments of cavalry and march to the Uchee village on the Flint River and seize the head men of the town.
Before this order could be executed, it seems that dis- sension arose among the officers and men. Too many gen- erals appear to have been one trouble, lack of discipline and a refusal to yield themselves to authority another. The result was that a mutinous spirit took possession of a majority of the officers and men and they returned home forcing the others to do likewise without striking a blow. Major Gaither criticised this expedition in the strongest of terms, reporting to the War Department that Twiggs' command had been in open rebellion against the general government ever since November, 1792, violating the In- dian treaty, firing their rifles at the sign of the President, etc. (Ind. Af. Vol. I, p. 422.)
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The effect the utter failure of this expedition would have upon the Indians was much dreaded for the time be- ing, as it was thought it would inspire contempt for the Georgia forces and would be the incentive of fresh at- tacks upon the Georgia frontier. To counteract this, a let- ter was sent by the federal authorities to the Indians stat- ing the President had commanded the soldiers of Georgia to return. The Indians now began to be alarmed, the Georgia militia having come so near them. All the more so as a new report began to be circulated throughout the In- dian nation that Elijah Clarke was raising an army of 2,500 men to march against them. Having had bitter ex- perience with this general, they felt they had an enemy to dread.
BENJAMIN HARRISON
In the meantime the Washington countians along the Oconee, opposite this section did not take kindly to these Indian forays, but one expedition after another was sent into this country to overtake the Indian raiders.
Chiefest of these was Benjamin Harrison of Washing- ton county who believed in the doctrine of "an eye for an eye." Living opposite Carrs Bluff, his own and his neigh- bors' plantations often bore the brunt of Uchee raids. Time after time his horses were stolen, his cows killed, his neighbors scalped.
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