USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia, Volume I > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
In his next communication, under date of March 12th, he eon- veys the following information in regard to the extent of the province, the temper of the aboriginal population, and the prog- ress of colonization : -
" This Province is much larger than we thought, being 120 miles from this river to the Alatamaha. The Savannah has a very long course, and a great trade is carried on by the Indians, there having above twelve trading- boats passed since I have been here. There are in Georgia, on this side the mountains, three considerable nations of Indians; one called the Lower Creeks, consisting of nine towns, or rather cantons, making about a thousand men able to bear arms. One of these is within a short distance of us and has concluded a peace with us, giving us the right of all this part of the Country : and I have marked out the lands which they have reserved to themselves. Their King 2 comes constantly to Church, is desirous to be instrueted in the Christian religion, and has given me his nephew,3 a boy who is his next heir, to educate. The two other Nations are the Uchees and the Upper Creeks : the first consisting of two hun- dred, the latter of eleven hundred men. We agree so well with the Indians that the Creeks and the Uchees have referred to me a difference to determine which otherwise would have occasioned a war.
" Our people still lie in tents, there being only two clap-board houses built and three sawed houses framed. Our erane, our battery cannon, and magazine are finished. This is all that we
1 Reasons for Establishing the Colony of Georgia with Regard to the Trade of Great Britain, etc., p. 48. London. MDCCXXXIII.
2 Tomo-chi-chi.
8 Toouahowi.
127
DESCRIPTION OF SAVANNAH.
have been able to do by reason of the smallness of our number, of which many have been sick and others unused to labour; though I thank God, they are now pretty well, and we have not lost one since our arrival here."
In the South Carolina " Gazette " of March 22, 1733, may be found the following account of a visit paid by some Carolina gen- tlemen to Mr. Oglethorpe : -
" On Tuesday, the 13th Instant, I went on board a Canoe, in company with ME George Ducat and M' John Ballantine, with four Negroes ; and about 10 o'clock we set off from M' Lloyd's Bridge for Georgia and, passing by Port Royal on Wednesday Night we arrived on Friday Morning an Hour before Day at Yammacraw, -a Place so called by the Indians, but now Saran- nah in the Colony of Georgia. Some time before we came to the Landing the Centinel challenged us, and understanding who we were, admitted us ashore. This is a very high Bluff, - Forty Feet perpendicular from High-water Mark. It lies, according to Captain Gascoigne's Observations, in the Latitude 31 : 58. which he took off Tybee, an island that lies at the Mouth of the Savan- nah River. It is distant from Charles-Town S. W according to the Course and Windings of the Rivers and Creeks, about 140 Miles ; but, by a direct Course, 77, allowing Sullivants Island to be in the Latitude 32:47: from Augustine N E and by E about 140 Miles, and by the Course of the Rivers is distant from Fort . Moore 300 Miles ; but upon a direct Line but 115 Miles N. W and by W. This Bluff is distant 10 Miles from the Mouth of the Rivers on the South Side ; and Parrysburgh is 24 Miles above it on the North, and is so situated that you have a beauti- ful Prospect both up and down the River. It is very sandy and barren, and consequently a wholesome Place for a Town or City. There are on it 130 odd souls; and from the Time they em- barqued at London to the Time I left the Place there died but two sucking Children, and they at Sea. When they arrived, there was standing on it a great Quantity of the best Sorts of Pine, most of which is already cut down on the Spot where the Town is laid out to be built. The Land is barren about a Mile back, when you come into very rich Ground; and on both Sides within a Quarter of a Mile of the Town is choice. good Planting Land. Colonel Bull told me that he had been Seven Miles back, and found it extraordinary good.
" M" Oglethorpe is indefatigable, takes a vast deal of Pains ; his fare is but indifferent, having little else at present but salt
--
128
THIE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Provisions : He is extremely well beloved by all his People ; the general Title they give him is Father. If any of them is sick lie immediately visits them and takes a great deal of Care of them. If any difference arises, he is the Person that decides it. Two happened while I was there, and in my Presence; and all the Parties went away, to outward Appearance, satisfied and con- tented with his Determination. He keeps a strict Discipline ; I neither saw one of his People drunk or heard one swear all the Time I was there ; He does not allow them Rum, but in lieu gives them English Beer. It is surprising to see how chearfully the Men go to work, considering they have not been bred to it; There are no Idlers there ; even the Boys and Girls do their Parts. There are Four Houses already up but none finish'd ; and he hopes when he has got more Sawyers, which I suppose he will have in a short time, to finish two Houses a Week. He has ploughed up some Land, part of which he sowed with Wheat, which is come up and looks promising. He has two or three Gardens which he has sowed with divers Sorts of Seeds, and planted Thyme, with other Sorts of Pot-herbs, Sage, Leeks, Skellions, Celeri, Liquorice, &c, and several Sorts of Fruit trees. He was palisading the Town round, including some Part of the Common, which I do suppose may be finish'd in a Fortnight's time. In short he has done a vast deal of Work for the Time, and I think his Name Justly deserves to be immortalized.
" M" Oglethorpe las with him Sir Walter Raleigh's written Journal, and, by the Latitude of the Place, the Marks and Tradi- tion of the Indians, it is the very first Place where he went ashore and talked with the Indians, and was the first English- man that ever they saw: And about half a Mile from Savannah is a high Mount of Earth under which lies their chief King ; and the Indians informed ME Oglethorpe, that the King desired, be- fore he died, that he might be buried on the Spot where he talked with that great good Man.
" The River Water is very good, and M' Oglethorpe has proved it several Ways and thinks it as good as the River of Thames. On Monday the 19th we took our Leave of ME Ogle- thorpe at Nine o'Clock in the Morning and embarked for Charles Town ; and when we set off he was pleased to honour us with a Volley of small Arms, and the Discharge of Five Cannon : And coming down the Rivers, we found the Water perfectly fresh Six Miles below the Town, and saw Six or Seven large Sturgeon leap, with which Fish that River abounds, as also with Trout,
129
OGLETHORPE'S VISIT TO CHARLES-TOWN.
Perch, Cat, and Rock Fish &c, and in the Winter Season there is Variety of Wild Fowl, especially Turkeys, some of them weigh- ing Thirty Pounds, and abundance of Deer." 1
In the absence of machinery, the labor of converting the pine logs into boards was tedious and severe. Nevertheless the work progressed, and one by one frame houses were builded. As rap- idly as they were finished the colonists were transferred from tents into these more permanent and comfortable lodgings. A public garden was laid out and a servant detailed, at the charge of the trust, to cultivate it. This was to serve as a nursery whence might be procured fruit trees, vines, plants, and vege- tables for the private orchards and gardens of the inhabitants. It was also largely devoted to the propagation of the white mul- berry, from the general cultivation of which, as food for the silk- worm, great benefit was anticipated.
Sensible of the courtesies and assistance extended by Carolina, Oglethorpe repaired to Charlestown to return thanks in behalf of .. his colony, and to interest the public still more in the develop- ment of the plantation. He was met at the water's edge by the governor and council, who conducted him to Governor Johnson's mansion where he formally received the congratulations of the General Assembly. In response to his application for additional assistance, a handsome sum was voted by the Assembly, and the citizens of Charlestown complimented him with a generous do- nation. When next in Charlestown (June 9, 1733), he took occasion to deliver before the governor and general assembly of the province an address framed and pronounced in special ac- knowledgment of Georgia's indebtedness to Carolina for aid most opportune and bounteous. "I should think myself," said he, "very much wanting in Justice and gratitude if I should neg- leet thanking your Excellency, you Gentlemen of the Council, and you Gentlemen of the Assembly, for the assistance which you have given to the Colony of Georgia. I have long wished for an opportunity of expressing my sense of the universal zeal which the inhabitants of this Province have shown for assisting that Colony, and could not think of any better opportunity than now when the whole Province is virtually present in its General Assem- bly. I am therefore Gentlemen, to thank you for the handsome assistance given by private persons as well as by the public. I am to thank you not only in the name of the Trustees and the
1 An Account showing the Progress of First Establishment, pp. 41, 42. London. the Colony of Georgia in America from its MDCCXLI.
9
----
-
130
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
little Colony now in Georgia, but in behalf of all the distressed people of Britain and persecuted Protestants of Europe to whom a place of refuge will be secured by this first attempt.
" Your charitable and generous proceeding, besides the self-satis- faction which always attends such actions, will be of the greatest advantage to this Province. You, Gentlemen, are the best Judges of this since most of you have been personal witnesses of the dangerous blows which this country has escaped from French, Spanish and Indian Arms. Many of you know this by experi- ence, having signalized yourselves personally either when this Province by its own strength, and unassisted by anything but the courage of its inhabitants and the Providence of God, repulsed the formidable invasions of the French, or when it defeated the whole body of the Southern Indians who were armed against it and was invaded by the Spaniards who assisted them. You Gentlemen, know that there was a time when every day brought fresh advices of murders, ravages, and burnings ; when no pro- fession or calling was exempted from arms; when every inhabit- ant of the Province was obliged to leave wife, family, and useful occupations, and undergo the fatigues of war for the necessary defence of the Country ; and all their endeavors scarcely sufficient to gnard the western and southern frontiers against the Indians.
" It would be needless for me to tell you who are much better judges, how the increasing settlement of a new Colony upon the southern frontiers will prevent the like danger for the future. Nor need I tell you how every plantation will increase in value by the safety of the Province being increased ; since the lands to the southiward already sell for above double what they did before the new Colony arrived. Nor need I mention the great lessening of the burden of the people by increasing the income of the tax upon the many thousand acres of land either taken or taking up on the prospect of future security.
" The assistance which the Assembly have given, though not quite equal to the occasion, is very large with respect to the pres- ent circumstances of the Province ; and as such, shows you to be kind benefactors to your new come countrymen whose settlements you support, and dutiful subjects to his Majesty whose revenues and dominions you by this means increase and strengthen.
" As I shall soon return to Europe I must recommend the in- fant Colony to your further protection ; being assured, both from your generosity and wisdom that you will, in case of any danger or necessity, give it the utmost support and assistance."
131
OGLETHORPE CONGRATULATED.
Although the colony of Georgia was, from its location, particu- larly beneficial to Carolina, its maintenance and development were not without importance in the esteem of the more northerly English plantations in America. Pennsylvania and Massachu- setts, at an early period of the settlement, gave every assurance of their good wishes for its confirmation and success. Thus Thomas Penn, proprietor of the former colony, in a letter ad- dressed to the trustees and written from Philadelphia on the 6th of March, 1733, approved very highly of the undertaking, promised to contribute all the assistance in his power, and ac- quainted them with the fact that he had himself subscribed one hundred pounds sterling, and was then engaged in collecting from others all sums he could influence, that they might be sent to them and expended for the purposes designated in their charter.
From Boston, on the 3d of May, 1733, Governor Belcher wrote to Mr. Oglethorpe as follows : --
" It is with great pleasure that I congratulate you upon your safe arrival in America ; and I have a still greater in the ad- vantages which these parts of his Majesty's dominions will reap from your noble and generous pursuits of good to mankind in the settlement of Georgia. May God Almighty attend you with his blessing, and crown your toils with success."
Ever on the alert to promote the best interests of his infant colony, Oglethorpe omitted nothing which could possibly conduce to its security, good order, advancement, and substantial pros- perity.
CHAPTER IX.
OGLETHORPE'S CONCILIATORY CONDUCT TOWARD THE INDIANS. - CHARAC- TER AND INFLUENCE OF TOMO-CHI-CHI. - GEORGIA'S DEBT OF GRATI- TUDE TO THIS MICO. - CONVENTION OF CHIEFS. - ARTICLES OF FRIEND- SHIP AND COMMERCE PROPOSED AND RATIFIED.
IN nothing were the prudence, wisdom, skill, and ability of the founder of the colony of Georgia more conspicuous than in his conduct toward and treatment of the Indians. The ascendency he acquired over them, the respect they entertained for him, and the manly, generous, and just policy he ever maintained in his intercourse with the native tribes of the region are remarkable. Their favor, at the outset, was essential to the repose of the set- tlement ; their friendship necessary to its existence. In the be- ginning, few in numbers and isolated in position, a hostile breath would have blown it into nothingness. As claimants of the soil by virtue of prior occupancy it was important that the title they asserted to these their hunting-grounds should, at an early mo- ment, be peaceably and formally extinguished. A resort to the sword in assertion of England's dominion over this territory would have led at once to ambush, alarm, and bloodshed. The adoption of a violent and coercive course toward the aborigines would have aroused their hostility and imperiled the success of the plantation. Far better the plan of conciliation. This Ogle- thorpe fully recognized, and shaped his policy accordingly.
It will be remembered that upon his preliminary survey of the region when, in company with Colonel Bull, he selected a spot for primal settlement, he sought an interview with Tomo-chi-chi and, by friendly offers and kind arguments, won the favor of that chief and his tribe and obtained their consent that the expected colonists should occupy Yamacraw Bluff. A few days afterwards, when the emigrants did arrive, true to his promise, this aged mico, at the head of his little band, welcomed the new-comers at the water's edge ; and, when their tents were pitched upon the shore, repeated his salutations. Of the ceremonies observed on this occasion the following account has been preserved : In front advanced the " Medicine Man " bearing in each hand a fan of
133
TOMO-CHI-CHI WELCOMES THE COLONISTS.
white feathers, - the symbols of peace and friendship. Theu came Tomo-chi-chi and Scenauki, his wife, attended by a retinue of some twenty members of the tribe filling the air with shouts. Approaching Oglethorpe, who advanced a few paces to meet them, the medicine man, or priest, proclaiming the while the brave deeds of his ancestors, stroked the governor on every side with his fans, - apt emblems of amity. This done, the king and queen drew near and bade him and his followers welcome. After an interchange of compliments the Indians were entertained as hospitably as the means at command would allow.
This acquaintance with Tomo-chi-chi ripened into a friend- ship close and valuable.
That the Indians in the neighborhood might be impressed with the power and military skill of the emigrants, Oglethorpe fre- quently, when the opportunity offered, exercised the colonists in their presence in the manual of arms, in marching and in firing, and sometimes roused the forests from their slumbers by the thunders of his cannon. Well did he know that such exhibitions of superior power would exert a potent influence upon the minds of the red men and engender a respect for the English all the more wholesome because commingled with fear.
The situation of this feeble colony was, in the very nature of things, extremely precarious. Located in the depths of a prime- val forest, the tangled brakes and solemn shadows of which proclaimed loneliness and isolation ; the vast Atlantic rolling its waters between it and the mother country ; the Carolina settle- ments at best few in numbers and contending in a stern life- struggle for their own existence; Spaniards in Florida jealous of this disputed domain, and ready at any moment to frustrate by stealthy approaches and with force of arms all efforts of the Eng- lish to extend their plantations along the Southern coast ; and, above all, Indian tribes in the occupancy of the country attached to their grand old woods and gently flowing streams, watchful of the graves of their ancestors, imposed upon by Spanish lies, dis- quieted by French emissaries, cheated by Carolina traders, and naturally inclined to resist all encroachments by the whites upon their hunting-grounds, it did indeed appear that the preservation and development of this colony were well-nigh impossible. But its planting and perpetuation had been confided to the guardian care of one who was, perhaps, beyond all others, most capable of conducting the enterprise.
In his efforts to conciliate the native population he derived in-
-
-
134
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
calculable benefit from the friendship and kindly intervention of Tomo-chi-chi. This chief, whose memory is so honorably asso- ciated with the early history of Georgia, and whose many acts of kindness and fidelity to the whites demand and must ever receive the most grateful acknowledgment, although at this time far advanced in years, was a man of commanding presence, grave demeanor, marked character, established influence, of a philo- sophical turn of mind, and in the full possession of all his facul- ties. For some cause, the precise nature of which has never been fully explained, he had, with a number of his countrymen, suffered banishment at the hands of his people, the Lower Creeks. What- ever the real reason may have been for this action on the part of the Creeks toward Tomo-chi-chi, it does not seem that it was the result of any special ill-will, or that the expatriation was a punishment either for specific crime or general misconduct. The probability is that he went into voluntary exile for a season, or that he may have been temporarily expelled the limits of the nation, on account of some political disagreements. Queeka- chumpa, the great chief of the O'Conas, claimed kinship with him and saluted him as a good man and a distinguished warrior.
Removing from his former abode, after some wanderings he finally, and not very long before the arrival of the colony of Georgia, formed a settlement at or very near the present site of the city of Savannah, where he gathered about him the tribe of Yamacraws, consisting mainly of disaffected parties from the Lower Creeks, and, to some extent, of Yemassee Indians, by whom he was chosen mico, or chief. Prior to his removal to Yamacraw Bluff he tarried for a season with the Palla-Chucolas. But little can be gathered of his life previous to his acquaintance with Oglethorpe. Ninety-one years had been, amid the forest shades, devoted to the pursuits of war and the chase, and there is scarcely a tradition which wrests from oblivion the deeds and thoughts of this aged chieftain during that long and voiceless period.
During the visit which he subsequently made to London, in company with Oglethorpe, his portrait was painted by Verelst, and hung for many years in the Georgia rooms. This likeness, which represents him in a standing posture with his left hand resting upon the shoulder of his nephew and adopted son, Toona- howi, who holds an eagle in his arms, was subsequently engraved by Faber and also by Kleinsmidt. That Tomo-chi-chi was noble in his connections we are fully advised, and there is that about the countenance of this venerable mico, as it has thus been
Tomo Chachi Mico oder Konig Con amacran und Joananowi Sans Bruders des Alles over Königes Fon Ctichitas dann. nach dem Landifthen, Original in Augsburg nachgestionen ron
Johns Bren Nta Broen With
135
GOOD-WILL OF TOMO-CHI-CHI.
handed down to us, which savors of intellect, dignity, manliness, and kingly bearing.
It will readily be perceived how important it was to the inter- ests of the colony that the good-will of this chief should be se- cured at the earliest moment, and his consent obtained for the peaccable occupation of the soil by the whites. On the occa- sion of his first interview with Tomo-chi-chi, as we have already seen, Mr. Oglethorpe was fortunate in securing the services of Mary Musgrove 1 as an interpreter. Perceiving that she possessed considerable influence with the Creeks, he retained her in this capacity, allowing her an annual compensation of £100. The meeting between the governor of the colony and the aged mico beneath the grand live-oaks and towering pines, the sheltering arms of which formed a noble canopy, was frank, cordial, and satisfactory. His personal friendship and the good-will of the Yamacraws were firmly pledged, and permission was granted for the permanent occupation of the site selected by Oglethorpe for the town of Savannah.
Although amicable relations had thus been established with the nearest Indians, it was necessary, in order to promote the seenrity of the colony, that consent to its foundation here should be ratified by other and more powerful nations.
Learning from Tomo-chi-chi the names and the abodes of the most influential chiefs dwelling within the territory ceded by the charter, Mr. Oglethorpe enlisted the good offices of the mico in extending to them an earnest invitation to meet him at Savannah at some early convenient day. The value of these interviews with and the generous intervention of Tomo-chi-chi cannot easily be overestimated in considering their influence upon the well- being and prospects of this lonely colony struggling for its primal existence. Had this chief, turning a deaf ear to the advances of Mr. Oglethorpe, refused his friendship, denied his request, and, inclining his authority to hostile account, instigated a determined and combined opposition on the part not only of the Yamacraws, but also of the Uehees and the Lower Creeks, the perpetuation of this English settlement would have been either most seriously imperiled or abruptly terminated amid smoke and carnage. When, therefore, we recur to the memories of this period, and as often as the leading events in the early history of the colony of Georgia are narrated, so often should the favors experienced at the hands of this Indian chief be gratefully acknowledged. If
1 Her Indian name was Coosaponakesee.
--
-
136
THE HISTORY OF GEORGIA.
Oglethorpe's proudest claim to the honor and the respect of suc- ceeding generations rests upon the fact that he was the founder of the colony of Georgia, let it not be forgotten by those who accord him every praise for his valor, judgment, skill, endurance, and benevolence that in the hour of supreme doubt and danger the right arm of this son of the forest and his active friendship were among the surest guaranties of the safety and the very ex- istence of that colony. The enduring and universal gratitude of the present may well claim illustrious expression from the lips of the poet, the brush of the painter, and the chisel of the sculptor.
To the day of his death these pledges of amity and the assur- ances of good-will and assistance given during these first inter- views were faithfully observed. The firm friend of the white man, the guide, the adviser, the protector, of the colonist, the constant companion and faithful confederate of Oglethorpe, -- as such let us always remember the aged mico of the Yamacraws.
True to his promise Tomo-chi-chi exerted his influence in be- half of the contemplated convention, and dispatched messengers to the various principal towns and chief men of the Georgia tribes, apprising them of the objects of the convocation and lead- ing their minds in advance to a favorable consideration of the propositions which had been intimated to him by Mr. Ogle- thorpe. The interval, which necessarily intervened prior to the assembling of the Indians, was improved by the founder of the colony in furthering the settlement at Savannah and in paying a visit to the province of Carolina. The fullest narrative of the meeting between Mr. Oglethorpe and the Indians, in pursuance of this invitation, is contained in the forty-sixth volume of the " Political State of Great Britain," and we repeat the account as it is there given : -
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.