USA > Georgia > The history of Georgia: containing brief sketches of the most remarkable events, up to the present day, Vol. I > Part 17
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pelled to bear arms against his countrymen : he acknowledged that he had always been a brother to him, and hoped he would now assist him in projecting the means of escape from this perilous situation. The old man took him by the hand, told him he might rely upon his friendship, that he had given him one proof of his esteem, and intended to give him another, so soon as his bro- ther should return and help him to concert the measure : he said he was fully apprized of the evil designs of his countrymen, and the fatal con- sequences which would be the result; and should he go and persuade the garrison of fort Prince- George to surrender by capitulation, as fort Loudon had done, what could be expected but that they would share the same treacherous dis- mal fate.
Strong and uncultivated minds carry friend- ship, as well as enmity, to an astonishing length. Among the savages, family friendship is a na- tional virtue, and civilized nations may blush, when they consider how far barbarians have often surpassed them in the practice of it. The instance I am going to relate, is as singular and memorable as many that have been recorded in the annals of history.
Attakullakulla claimed captain Steuart as his prisoner, and had resolved at every hazard to save his life, and for this purpose there was no time to be lost : accordingly he signified to his countrymen that he intended to go hunting for
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a few days, and carry his prisoner with him to eat venison : at the same time captain Steuart went among his soldiers, and told them that they could never expect to be ransomed by their gov- ernment, if they gave the smallest assistance to the Indians against fort Prince-George. Having settled all matters, they set out on their journey accompanied by the old warrior's wife, his bro- ther and two soldiers, who were the only persons of the garrison that knew how to convey great guns through the woods. For provisions they depended upon what they might kill by the way : the distance to the frontier settlements was great, and the utmost expedition necessary, to prevent any surprise from Indians pursuing them. Nine days and nights did they travel through a dreary wilderness, shaping their course by the sun and moon for Virginia, and traversing many hills, vallies and paths, that had never been travelled before but by savages and wild beasts. On the tenth they arrived at Holston's river, where they fortunately fell in with a party of three hundred men, sent out by colonel Bird for the relief of such soldiers as might make their escape that way from fort Loudon. On the fourteenth day the captain reached colonel Bird's camp, on the frontiers of Virginia, where having loaded his faithful friend and his party, with presents. and provisions, he sent him back to protect the un- happy prisoners until they should be ransomed, and to exert his influence among the Cherokees
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for the restoration of peace. Captain Steuart's first reflections, after his escape from the savages, were exercised to concert ways and means for the relief and ransom of his garrison : he des- patched expresses to Georgia and Carolina, in- forming them of the sad disaster that had hap- pened to the garrison of fort Loudon, and of the designs of the Indians against fort Prince-George. In consequence of which, orders were given to Major Thompson, who commanded the militia on the frontiers of Georgia and Carolina, to throw in provisions for ten weeks into that fort, and warn the commanding officer of his danger. The settlers near Augusta, secured their families as well as they could in stockade forts. A mes- senger was sent to Attakullakulla, desiring him to inform the Cherokees, that fort Prince-George was impregnable, having vast quantities of pow- der buried under ground every where around it, to blow up all enemies that should attempt to come near it. Présents of considerable value were sent to ransom the prisoners at fort Loudon, a few of whom had by this time made their es- cape : and afterwards, not only those that were confined in the towns and in the vallies, but also all that had survived the hardships of hunger, disease and captivity, in the upper towns, were released and delivered up to the commanding officer at fort Prince-George.
It might be expected that the vindictive spirit of the savages would now have been satisfied,
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and that they would have been disposed to listen to terms of accommodation : the treacherous con- duct to the soldiers at fort Loudon, they intend- ed as a satisfaction for the harsh treatment their hostage friends and relations had met with at fort Prince-George; and dearly had the provinces of Georgia and South-Carolina paid for the impri- sonment and massacre of the chiefs at that placc. Still, however, a great majority of the nation spurned at every offer of peace : the lower towns had all been destroyed by colonel Montgomery, the warriors in the middle settlements had lost many friends and relations; and several French- men had crept in among the upper towns, and helped to foment their ill humor against the southern provinces. Lewis Latinac, a French officer, was among them, and proved an indefati- gable instigator to mischief: he furnished them with arms and ammunition, and urged them to war, persuading them that the English had noth- ing less in view than the extermination of their race from the face of the earth : at a great meet- ing of the nation, he pulled out his hatchet, and sticking it into a log, called out-" Who is the man that will take this up for the king of France ?" Saloue, a young warrior of Estatoe, laid hold of it and cried out, " I am for war ! the spirits of our brothers who have been slain, still call upon us to revenge their death-he is no better than a woman who refuses to follow me." Many others seized the tomahawk, yet dyed with the stains of
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innocent blood, and burned with impatience for the field. Finding the provinces still under the most dreadful apprehensions from their savage neigh- bors, who continued insolent and vindictive, and ready to renew their ravages and murders; ap- plication was again made to general Amherst for assistance. Canada being now reduced, the com- mander in chief could the more easily spare a force adequate to the purpose intended. Colo- nel Montgomery, who conducted the former ex- pedition, having embarked for England, the command of the Highlanders devolved on lieu- tenant colonel James Grant, who was ordered to . relieve the distresses of the southern provinces : on the Ist of January he landed at Charleston, where he quartered for the winter. Georgia was yet but a narrow strip of settlement on the south- ern frontier of Carolina, consequently barely able to protect herself at home. Carolina determined to exert herself to the utmost, that in conjunction with the regular forces, a severe correction might be given to those troublesome savages : for this purpose a provincial regiment was raised, and the command of it given to colonel Middleton : presents were provided for the Indian allies, and several of the Chickesaws and Catabaws engaged to assist them against the Cherokees. The Creeks whose help was also strongly solicited, played an artful game between the English and French, and gave the one or the other encourage- ment, according to the advantages they reaped
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from them. All possible preparations were made for supplying the army with provisions at differ- ent stages, and with such means of conveyance as were. thought necessary to the expedition; and they flattered themselves that by one resolute exertion, they would tire the savages of war, and oblige them to accept of such terms of peace as were dictated to them. After being joined by the provincial regiment and Indian allies, colonel Grant mustered in all, about two thousand six hundred men. With this force he took up his line of march early in the spring : he had served some years in America, and had been in several engagements with Indians, he was therefore no stranger to their method of making war : he was sensible how ready they were to take all advan- tages by surprise, srtatagem or otherwise, that the nature of the country afforded : caution and vigilance were not only necessary on his part, but to prepare an army for such service, the dress, arms and discipline, should all be adapted to the nature of the country, in order to give the men every advantage. According to the Indian manner of attack, the eye should be habituated to perpetual watchfulness; the body should be so clothed as to be free from encumbrance, and equipped in such light armor as would be most manageable in a thick forest; the feet and legs should be fortified against briars and brushy woods ; and those men who had been accustom- ed to hunting, being quick-sighted, were found
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to be of great service in scouring the dark thick- ets, and as guards to the main body. Europe- ans, who were strangers to the country and mode of Indian warfare, were not well calculated for military service in America. Many brave of- ficers, ignorant of the peculiar circumstances of the country, have fallen a sacrifice to their own rashness, and the numerous snares to which they were exposed by savage cunning.
On the 27th of May, colonel Grant arrived at fort Prince-George, and Attakullakulla, having re- ceived information that he was advancing against his nation with a formidable army, hastened to his camp, to signify his earnest desire for peace : he told the colonel that he always had been, and ever would continue to be, a firm friend to the English ; that the outrages of his countrymen covered him with shame, and filled his heart with grief ; nevertheless he would gladly interpose in their behalf, in order to bring about an accom- modation. He said he had often been ignomini- ously censured by his countrymen, for his pacific disposition, and that the young warriors of his nation had delighted in war, and despised his counsels, after he had endeavored to get the war-club buried, and the former good correspon- dence with the provinces re-established. Now he was determined to set out for the nation to persuade them to consult their safety, and speedily agree to terms of peace ; and warmly begged the colonel to proceed no further until he returned.
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Colonel Grant replied, that he had always enter- tained the highest opinion of his honesty and in- tegrity ; that he had always been a friend to the English ; that the observance of his wise policy would have produced the happiest effects, if the obstinacy of his nation had not forbidden them to follow his advice ; that he was but one man and did not speak the sentiments of the nation, which had been led astray by the falshood of French emissaries.
On the 7th of June, colonel Grant marched from fort Prince-George, carrying with him thir- ty days provision. A party of ninety Indians and thirty woodsmen from the frontiers, painted like Indians, under the command of captain Kenedy, were ordered to march in front and scour the woods. After them the light infantry and fifty rangers followed, consisting in all of about two hundred men; by whose vigilance and activity the commander imagined that the main-body of the army might be kept secure from surprise. For three days he made forced marches, in order to get over two narrow dangerous defiles in the mountains, which he accomplished without a shot from the enemy, but which might have cost him dear, had they been properly guarded and disputed by the Indians. On the 10th, various circumstances concurred to awaken suspicion in every direction, and orders were. given for the first time, to load and prepare for action, and the guards to march slowly forward, doubling their
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vigilance. As they frequently spied Indians around them, all were convinced that they should that day have an engagement : at length having advanced near the place where colonel Mont- gomery was attacked the preceeding year, the Indian allies in the van-guard, about eight in the morning, observed a large body of Cherokees posted upon a hill on the right flank of the army, and immediately gave the alarm. The savages rushed down and commenced a heavy fire upon the advanced guard, which being supported, the enemy was soon repulsed, and again formed upon the heights : under this hill the army was obliged to march a considerable distance. On the left was a river, from the opposite bank of which, a large party of Indians fired briskly on the troops as they advanced. Colonel Grant or- dered a party to march up the hill and drive the enemy from the heights, while the line faced about and gave their whole charge to the Indians who annoyed them from the side of the river : the engagement became general, and the savages seemed determined obstinately to dispute the lower grounds, while those on the hill were dis- lodged only to return with redoubled ardor to the charge. The situation of the troops was in several respects unfavorable : fatigued by a tedi- ous march in rainy wcather ; surrounded with woods, so that they could not discern the enemy ; galled by the scattered fire of the savages, who when pressed always kept aloof, but rallied again
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and returned to the ground ; no sooner did the army gain an advantage over them on one quar- ter, than they appeared in force on another. While the attention of the commander was occu- pied in driving the enemy from their lurking- place on the river side, the rear was attacked, and so vigorous an effort made to take the flour and cattle, that he was obliged to order a party back to the relief of the rear-guard. From eight o'clock in the morning until eleven, the savages continued to keep up an irregular and incessant fire, sometimes from one place and sometimes from another, while the woods resounded with the war-whoop, and hideous shouts and yells, to intimidate the troops. At length the Cherokees gave way, and being pursued for some time, scattered shots continued until about two o'clock, when the enemy disappeared. The loss sustain- ed by the enemy in this action, was not accu- rately ascertained. Colonel Grant's loss was be- tween fifty and sixty killed and wounded : orders were given not to bury the slain, but to sink them in the river, to prevent their being dug up from their graves and scalped : to provide horses for those that were wounded, several bags of flour were thrown into the river; after which the army proceeded to Etchoe, a large Indian town, which they reached about midnight, and next day reduced to ashes : all the other towns in the middle settlement, fourteen in number, shared the same fate : the corn, cattle and other
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stores of the enemy were likewise destroyed, and those miserable savages, with their families, were driven to seek shelter and subsistence among the barren mountains. 4
It would be no easy matter to describe the va- rious hardships which this little army endured in the wilderness from heat, thirst, 'watching, dan- ·ger and fatigue : thirty days colonel Grant con- tinued in the heart of the Cherokee territories, with a handful of troops, compared to the num- ber of warriors in that nation; and upon his re- turn to fort Prince-George, the feet and legs of many of his men were so mangled, and their strength and spirits so much exhausted, that they were unable to march further without rest : he resolved therefore to encamp, to re- fresh his men, and wait the resolutions of the Cherokees, in consequence of the chastisement which he had given them. Besides the nume- rous advantages their country afforded for de- fence, it was supposed that some French officers had been among them and given them assistance. When the Indians were driven from their advan- tageous posts and thickets, they were wholly dis- concerted, and though the repulse was far from being decisive, yet after this engagement they returned no more to the charge, but remained the tame spectators of their towns in flames, and their country laid desolate. .
To represent the situation of the savages, when reduced by this severe correction, would be
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difficult : even in time of peace they are desti- tute of that foresight, which in a great measure provides for future events ; but in time of war, when their villages are destroyed, and their fields plundered, they are reduced to the extreme of want : driven to barren mountains, the hunters being furnished with ammunition, might indeed obtain a scanty subsistence for themselves, but women, children and old men, must suffer great- ly, when almost deprived of the means of sup- porting life.
A few days after colonel Grant's arrival at fort Prince-George, Attakullakulla, attended by seve- ral chiefs, came to his camp and expressed a de- sire for peace. Severely had they suffered for breaking their alliance with the English, and giv- ing ear to the deceitful promises of the French : convinced at last of the weakness and perfidy of the latter, who were neither able to assist them in time of war, or to supply their wants in time of peace, they resolved to renounce all connec- tion with them forever : accordingly terms of peace were drawn up and proposed, which were no less honorable to colonel Grant, than advan- tageous to the southern provinces. The differ- ent articles being read and interpreted, Attakul- lakulla agreed to them all, excepting one, by which it was demanded, that four Cherokee In- dians should be delivered up to colonel Grant at fort Prince-George, to be put to death, in the front of his camp, or four green scalps be brought
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to him within twelve days. Attakullakulla declar- ed that he had no such authority from his nation, that he thought the stipulation unreasonable and unjust, and that he could not voluntarily grant it. Colonel Grant withdrew this offensive article ; after which peace was formally ratified, and their former friendship being renewed, all expressed a hope that it would last as long as the sun should shine and the rivers run.
On the 30th of October 1760, sir James Wright was appointed the successor of Henry Ellis, as governor of Georgia. Soon after his arrival at Savannah, which was early in 1761, he issued writs of election, and assigned to each parish the number of members proportioned to its popula- tion, as follows :
CHRIST CHURCH PARISH.
Savannah-Joseph Ottolenghe, Gray Elliott, Lewis Johnson, Joseph Gibbons. Acton-William Gibbons,
Vernonbourgh-Edmund Tannatt.
Sea-Islands-Henry Yonge.
Little Ogechee-James Read. ST. MATTHEW'S PARISH.
Abercorn and Goshen-William Francis.
Ebenezer-William Ewen, N. W. Jones, James de Veaux.
ST. GEORGE'S PARISH.
Hallifax-Alexander Wylly, James White- field.
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ST. PAUL'S PARISH. Augusta-Edward Barnard, John Graham, Williams, or L. McGillvray. - ST. PHILIP'S PARISH. Great Ogechee-Elisha Butler, John Max- well.
ST. JOHN'S PARISH.
Midway and Sunbury-Thomas Carter, Par- menus Way, John Winn.
ST. ANDREW'S PARISH. Darien-Robert Baillie, John Holmes. ST. JAMES'S PARISH. Frederica-Lachlan McIntosh.
After the usual ceremonies, a variety of sub- jects were submitted by the governor for legis- lative consideration, judiciously selected for the advantage of the colony. It is to be regretted that little can be said of the progress which was made in agriculture or commerce, under the ad- ministration of governor Wright's predecessors. The want of talents in Reynolds, and the want of morality and proper exertion in Ellis, occasioned the colony to be left in a less prosperous state than they had found it : the province had long suffered for want of credit, and the political fore- sight of governor Wright, was soon evidenced by his judicious arrangements : bills of credit to. the amount of seven thousand four hundred and ten pounds sterling were put in circulation, and ways and means applied for keeping up its crc»
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dit. The good effects of this policy were soon experienced : thirty-seven vessels were fully freighted in one year, and the rich swamps of Georgia invited laborers to the cultivation of rice. By the peace which was soon after made with Spain, the boundaries were extended to the Mississippi on the west, and on the south to latitude 31°, andthe St. Mary's river. East and west Florida were also given up by Spain, and though of themselves but little more than a barren waste, formed an important acquisition to Geor- gia ; it deprived the Spaniards of a strong hold, from which they had sent out armed forces to har- ass the province, and which was an easy avenue through which it had been often invaded : it re- moved troublesome neighbors out of their way, who had often excited the savages to hostilities against them, and made Augustine an asylum for fugitive slaves : it opened some convenient ports for trade with Britain and the West Indies, and for annoying the French and Spanish ships com- ing through the gulf of Florida, in case of any future rupture : it formed a strong frontier for Georgia, and furnished an immense tract of va- luable land for reduced officers, soldiers and others, to settle and cultivate. . To testify the high sense the king had of the conduct and brave- ry of his officers and soldiers during the late war, and to encourage the settlement of Georgia, tracts of land were offered to them as rewards for their services. Orders were given to the gov-
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ernor, to grant without fee or reward, five thou- sand acres to each field officer who had served in America ; three thousand to every captain ; two- thousand to every subaltern ; two hundred to every non-commissioned officer, and fifty to every private soldier, free of tax for ten years ; but sub- ject at the expiration of that term, to the same as the other lands in the province, and to the same conditions of cultivation and improvement. For the encouragement of the settlers, they were al- lowed civil establishments similar to those of other royal governments on the continent, so soon as their circumstances would admit, and the same provision was made for their lives, li- berties and properties, under the new as under the old government.
No province on the continent felt the hap- py effects of this public security, sooner than Georgia, which had long struggled under m. ny difficulties arising from the want of credit f um friends, and the frequent molestations of enemies. During the late war, the government had been given to a man who wanted neither wisdom to discern, nor resolution to pursue, the most effect- ual means for its improvement : while he proved a father to the people, and governed the province with equity and justice, he discovered at the same time the excellence of its low lands and river swanips, by the proper management and diligent cultivation of which, he acquired in a few years a plentiful fortune. His example and success, gave
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vigor to industry, and promoted a spirit of emu- lation among the planters for improvement : the rich lands were sought for with that zeal, and cleared with that ardor, which the prospect of riches naturally inspired. The British merchants observing the province safe and advancing to a hopeful and promising state, were no longer back- ward in extending credit to it, but supplied it with negroes, and goods of British manufacture, with equal freedom as other provinces on the continent. The planters no sooner got the strength of Africa to assist them, than they labored with success, and the lands every year yielded greater and greater increase. The trade of the province kept' pace with its progress in cultivation ; the rich swamps attracted the attention not only of strangers, but even of the planters of Carolina, who had been accustomed to treat their poor neighbors with the utmost contempt, several of whom sold their estates in that colony, and re- moved with their families and effects to Georgia. Many settlements were made by the Carolinians about Sunbury, and upon the Alatamaha. The. price of produce at Savannah increased as the quality improved, a circumstance which contrib- uted much to the prosperity of the country. The planters situated on the opposite side of Sa- vannah river, found in the capital of Georgia, a convenient and excellent market for their staple commodities. In short, from this period the rice, indigo and naval stores, arrived at the markets in 2
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Europe, of equal excellence and perfection, and, in proportion to its strength, in equal quantities with those of its more powerful and opulent neighbors.
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CHAPTER VII.
FREQUENT ruptures had occurred among the different nations of Indians, and it had re- quired the exercise of no small share of policy, to steer a course which would free them from the necessity of taking an active part in their wars : the Creeks particularly, held in remem- brance the assistance which they had rendered general Oglethorpe in his attack upon Augustine, as well as the services which he had received from them when the Spaniards attacked him on St. Simon's island.
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