USA > New York > Pioneer history of the Holland Purchase of western New York : embracing some account of the ancient remains > Part 35
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Under the instructions of Congress, President Washington, immediately after the peace of '83, despatched Baron Steuben to Quebec to make the necessary arrangements with Sir Frederick Haldimand, for delivering up the posts that have been named. His mission not only contemplated the delivery of the posts to him, but preparations for their occupancy and repairs. The Baron met Gen. Haldimand at the Sorel, on a tour to the Lakes. He was informed by him that he had received no instructions from his government to evacuate the posts, nor for any overt act of peace, save a suspension of hostilities. He regarded himself as not at
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liberty to enter into any negotiations - complained of a non-fulfil- ment of treaty stipulations -and even refused the Baron a passport to Detroit. Thus ended the mission; and a long succession of negotiations and embarrassments followed, which belong to the province of general history. Our object here has only been to furnish an induction to local events.
The withholding of the posts, was coupled with the assumption of jurisdiction and guardianship over the Indians, the Six Nations included. Extracts from the Maryland Journal :-
" WHITESTOWN, July 9, 1794."
" We learn by a gentleman immediately from the county of Onondaga, that the greatest part of the Onondaga tribe of Indians, who have heretofore resided in that part of the country, and annually received an annuity of 500 dollars from the State. have removed into the British territory of the Province of Upper Canada. That on the 25th ult., those Indians who were on their way, and had collected at the Onondaga Salt Springs, to take leave of the few who remained behind, and could not be pre- vailed on (notwithstanding the most insinuating and indefatigable exertions of the British lions of the North) to quit their country; the Indians were collected in coun- cil, and the inhabitants, alarmed at the movement of those tawny sons of cruelty, were also collected."
" PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1, 1794."
" An Express arrived at the War Office on Saturday last from the Genesee country (within the State of New York) with despatches for the Executive of the United States, which were immediately laid before the President. Several private letters. received by the same conveyance, advise that a peremptory order had been issued by Col. Simcoe, the Governor of Upper Canada, requiring an immediate removal of the inhabitants who have been for some time settled on a tract of land in that country. within the bounds of the United States, agreeably to the treaty of peace. They like- wise inform, that Capt. Williamson, and the other citizens of the United States, who are principally concerned in the settlement of those lands, were determined to resist the said order, and were preparing to oppose any force that may be sent to deprive them of their lawful rights and property."
" PHILADELPHIA, Sept, 1, 1794."
" SIR :- If after the information, upon which my letter of the 20th of May, was founded, any considerable doubt had remained, of Gov. Simcoe's invasion, your long silence, without a refutation of it, and our more recent intelligence, forbid us to question its truth. It is supported by the respectable opinions, which have been since trans- mitted to the Executive, that in the late attack on Fort Recovery, British officers and British soldiers were, on the very ground, aiding our Indian enemies.
" But, Sir, as if the Governor of Upper Canda was resolved to destroy every possi- bility of disbelieving his hostile views, he has sent to the Great Sodus -a settlement begun on a bay of the same name on Lake Ontario-a command to Captain Williamson, who derives a title from the State of New York, to desist from his enter- prise. This mandate was borne by a Lieutenant Sheaffe, under a military escort; and in its tone corresponds with the form of its delivery, being unequivocally of a military and hostile nature: ---
"I am commanded to declare that during the inexecution of the treaty of peace
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between Great Britain and the United States, and until the existing differences respecting it shall be mutually and finally adjusted, the taking possession of any part of the Indian territory, either for the purposes of war or sovereignty, is held to be a direct violation of his Britannic Majesty's rights, as they unquestionably existed before the treaty; and has an immediate tendency to interrupt, and, in its progress, to destroy that good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between his Britannic Majesty and the United States of America. I therefore require you to desist from any such aggres- sion.
R. H. SHEAFFE,
Lieutenant and Qr. Mr. Gen'l Dept. of his Britannic Majesty's service."
Captain Williamson being from home, a letter was written to him by Lieutenant Sheaffe, in the following words:
"SoDus, 16th August, 1794."
"SIR :- Ilaving a special commission and instructions for that purpose from the Lieutenant Governor of his Britannic Majesty's Province of U. Canada, I have come here to demand by what authority an establishment has been ordered at this place, and, to require that such a design be immediately relinquished, for the reasons stated in the written declaration accompanying this letter; for the receipt of which protest I have taken the acknowledgment of your agent, Mr. Little. 1 regret exceedingly in my private as well as public character, that I have not the satisfaction of seeing you here. but I hope on my return, which will be about a week hence, to be more fortunate. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant.
R. H. SHEAFFE,
Lt. 5th Regt. Q. M. G. D."
" The position of Sodus is represented to be seventy miles within the territorial line of the United States - about twenty from Oswego, and about one hundred from Niagara.
" For the present, all canses of discontent, not connected with our western territory, shall be laid aside; and even among these shall not be revived the root of our complaints, the detention of the posts. But while peace is sought by us through every channel, which honor permits, the Governor of Upper Canada is accumulating irritation upon irritation. He commenced his operations of enmity at the rapids of the Miami. He next associated British with Indian force to assault our fort. He now threatens us, if we fell our own trees and build houses on our own lands. To what length may not Governor Simcoe go? Where is the limit to the sentiment which gave birth to these instructions? Where is the limit of the principle which Governor Simcoe avows?
" The treaty and all its appendages we have submitted to fair discussion, more than two years ago. To the letter of my predecessor of the 29th of May, 1792, you have not been pleased to make a reply, except that on the 20th of June 1793, the 22d of November, 1793, and the 21st of February, 1794, no instructions had arrived from your court. To say the best of this suspension, it certainly cannot warrant any new encroachments, howsoever, it may recommend to us forbearance under the old.
" It is not for the Governors of his Britannic Majesty to interfere with the measures of the United States towards the Indians within their territory. You cannot, Sir, be insensible that it has grown into a maxim, that the affairs of the Indians within the boundaries of any nation, exclusively belong to that nation. But Governor Simcoe, disregarding this right of the United States, extends the line of usurpation in which he marches, by referring to the ancient and extinguished rights of his Britannic Majesty. For, if the existing condition of the treaty keeps them alive on the southern side of Lake Ontario, the Ohio itself will not stop their career.
" You will pardon me, Sir, if under these excuses of Governor Simcoe, I am not
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discouraged by your having formerly disclaimed a control over, and a responsibility for, the Governors of his Britannic Majesty, from resorting to you on this occasion. You are addressed from a hope, that if he will not be restrained by your remonstrances, he may at least be apprized, through you, of the consequences of self-defence.
I have the honor to be, Sir, &c.
EDM. RANDOLPH.
Hon. GEORGE HAMMOND,
Minister Plenipotentiary of his Britannic Majesty."
To this letter of Secretary Randolph, Mr. Hammond replied, under date, New York, Sept. 3, 1794, that he should transmit copies of Mr. Randolph's letter by the earliest opportunity, to Gov. Simcoe and His Majesty's ministers in England. The invasion of Gov. Simcoe referred to at the commencement of Mr. Randolph's letter, was the marching of British troops by Gov. Simcoe's orders, and taking post and erecting a fort on the Maumee river, early in 1794.
Between these movements of Gov. Simcoe, and a passage in the " Travels of the Duke de la Rochefoucauld Liancourt." which has already been quoted in another connection, there is a remarkable coincidence. The Duke visited the Governor at Niagara, about the period of these acts of aggression. The passage is as follows: " He," (Gov. Simcoe,) "discourses with much good sense, on all subjects, but his favorite topies are, his projects and war, which seem to be the objects of his leading passions. He is acquainted with the military history of all countries; no hillock catches his eye without exciting in his mind the idea of a fort which might be constructed on the spot. and with the construction of this fort, he associates the plan of operations for a campaign, especially of that which is to lead him to Philadelphia." It is not presuming too much, to conclude that his aim was to embroil the frontiers of Western New York, and the North West Territory in difficulties, which he designed should eventuate in war; and he, at the head of a British Army, take the high road to Philadelphia, and to fame.
From the Maryland Journal, of Nov, 21, 1794. " WHITESTOWN, NOV. 5."
"A gentleman directly from Canandarquie, informs that 1600 Indians had come in to the treaty on Monday Se'nnight-and also that Wm. Johnson, a British Indian agent, and a Mr. Stecl, the Indian interpreter from Niagara, were also there, and had found means to collect 26 chiefs in a bye-place, and were haranguing of them in the most eloquent and flattering manner, when discovered by the inhabitants, they were using the most persuasive acts, together with offers of large presents, to induce the Indians to turn their arms against the United States. The meeting broke up in a disorderly manner. The inhabitants were greatly exasperated at this insolent conduct of British agents; and it is said that they gave out that if Col. Pickering did not cause their arrest, they would inflict upon them the Yankee punishment of tar and feathers."
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From same paper, of Dec. 9, 1794.
" ALBANY Nov. 27."'
" The Genesee treaty, we aro informed, has terminated much to the satisfaction of the commissioner of the United States, and of the Six Nations of Indians, who have relinquished all right and title to the Presque Isle territory, and a tract of land four miles wide, from Johnston's Landing to Fort Slauser, including Fort Niagara; and also granted to the United States, the right of passing and repassing through their country."
The disposition to renew the war, the work of mischief that was commenced and carried on among the Indians-perhaps the beligerent spirit of Gov. Simcoe, had been greatly promoted by a measure of Lord Dorchester, after the defeat of St. Clair. View- ing it now, after the lapse of over half a century, it is impossible to construe it in any other way than as a premeditated attempt to renew the Indian border wars; and as his Lordship had but recently returned from a visit to England, it would seem that he acted under home influences which contemplated a recommencement of hostil- ties upon a much larger scale. Having been waited upon by a deputation of Indians, of the west, for advice in reference to their existing boundary difficulties with the United States, he answered them in the following speech: -
"CHILDREN: - I was in expectation of hearing from the people of the United States what was required by them. I hoped that I should have been able to bring you together and make you friends. "CHILDREN: - I have waited long and listened with great atten- tion, but I have not heard one word from them.
"CHILDREN :- I flatter myself with the hope that the line pro- posed in the year eighty-three, to separate us from the United States, which was immediately broken by themselves as soon as the peace was signed, would have been mended, or a new one drawn, in an amicable manner. Here, also, I have been disappointed.
"CHILDREN :- Since my return, I find no appearance of a line remains; and from the manner in which the people of the United States rush on, and act, and talk, on this side; and from what I learned of their conduct towards the sea, I shall not be surprised if we are at war with them in the course of the present year, and if so, a line must be drawn by the warriors.
"CHILDREN :- You talk of selling your lands to the state of New York. I have told you that there was no line between them and us. I shall acknowledge no lands to be theirs which have been encroached on by them since the year 1783. They then broke the peace, and as they keep it not on their part, it doth not bind on ours.
"CHILDREN :- They then destroyed their right of pre-emption.
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Therefore all their approaches towards us since that time, and all the purchases made by them, I consider as an infringement on the King's rights. And when a line is drawn between us, be it in peace or war, they must lose all their improvements and houses on our side of it. Those people must all begone who do not obtain leave to become the King's subjects. What belongs to the Indians, will of course, be secured and confirmed to them.
"CHILDREN :- What farther can I say to you? You are wit- nesses that on our parts, we have acted in the most peaceable man- ner, and borne the language and conduct of the people of the United States with patience. But I believe our patience is almost exhausted."
As we have no information beyond the correspondence intro- duced, in reference to the affair between Lieut. Sheaffe * and Capt. Williamson, we are left to infer that the spirited communication of Secretary Randolph induced His Brittanic Majesty's plenipoten- tiary, to curb the further raging of loyal wrath in the bosom of Gov. Simcoe.
It can well be imagined how all that we have been alluding to, helped to throw obstacles in the way of settlement, and perplex the backwoods adventurers. There was a long succession of harassing events, of fearful apprehensions and danger. The Six Nations of Indians not wholly reconciled, in their midst; far out- numbering them; conquered but not subdued; their jealousies and prejudices excited by such powerful influences as have been alluded to; their tomahawks and scalping knives still stained with the blood of their victims in the border wars; in whose bosoms rankled dire revenge for the retributive justice so lately inflicted upon them by Gen. Sullivan. Although there were no Indians on the Phelps and Gorham tract, yet numerous villages, teeming with their warriors, were in its immediate neighborhood,-the barrier of distance not intervening as a shield against their stealthy incur- sions. In the year 1793, after the defeat of Generals Harmer and St. Clair, in the Northwestern Territory, in which British officers and soldiers, as well as some of our own Indians participated with
* The then Lieut. Sheaffe, was afterwards the Maj. Gen. Sheaffe, of the war of 1812. At the commencement of the Revolution, he was a lad, residing with his wid- owed mother, in Boston. Earl Percy's quarters were in his mother's house. He became his protege, received from him a military education and a commission in the army, from which he rose to the rank of Major General. The commencement of the war of 1812 found him stationed in Canada. He professed a reluctance to ongage in it, and wished rather a transfer to some other country, than a participation in a war against his countrymen. For his exploit at Queenston Heights, he was created a Bar- onet. These facts are derived from a note in Stone's life of Brant.
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our enemy, and before the victory obtained by Gen. Wayne, over those Indians in 1794, the "Genesee Indians behaved very rudely, they would impudently enter the houses of the whites (in the Gen- esce country,) and take the prepared food from the tables without leave, but immediately after the event of the battle (Wayne's victory,) was known, they became humble and tame as spaniels." It was a fact known only at the time to Judge Hosmer and Gen. Israel Chapin, Superintendent of Indian affairs, residing at Avon and Canandaigua, "that the Genesee Indians were ready to rise upon the frontier dwellers of this state, as soon as it should be known that the Indians had been victorious over Wayne, which they did not doubt." Judge Hosmer and Gen. Chapin received this information from an American gentleman, living at Newark, (Niagara) Upper Canada. This gentleman's name, whose charac- ter stood high in the confidence of government, was ever kept a secret by those two gentlemen, nor was the rumor suffered to spread among the inhabitants, as it would probably have depopu- lated the country; but it put these two gentlemen on the guard until the contingency was settled.
For the foregoing information, we are indebted to George Hosmer, Esq.
Though there was no concerted or formidable participation of the Six Nations, in the war going on at the west, it is plain that they meant to keep themselves in a position to take advantage of any ill success of Wayne's expedition. It is inferred by Col. Stone that there were Seneca Indians in the final battle with Wayne, or if not, runners of that nation stationed near the scene of action, from the fact that the Indians of Western New York, were apprized of the result before the whites were.
The inference of the following letter from Gen. Wayne, to Corn- planter, and two other Seneca chiefs, is, that the position of the Senecas was an undefined one; that although it was professedly one of inaction, or neutrality, the government through the agency of Gen. Wayne, found it necessary, while quelling the western Indians, to lay anchors to the windward, to guard against the participation of the Senecas in the disturbances it was endeavoring to quell. The letter is copied from the original manuscript; attached to which, is the autograph signature of the brave, impetu- ous, but successful "Mad Anthony." There is no date to the letter, but the contents indicate about the period it was written :-
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BROTHERS !-
"It was the sincere wish and desire of the President (General Washington) to see you in Philadelphia at the Grand Council Fire of the Fifteen United States of America, "whilst the chosen Counsellors were assembled together from every part of this great Island:
"He, therefore, commanded me to send to invite you to come to Philadelphia to meet him in that Council & to inform you that he had sent to invite Red Jacket and other Chiefs to meet him also .-
" Pursuant to this command of the President, I sent Mr. Rosecrantz with a message to you from Pittsburgh on the 14th day of November last (more than four moons since ) inviting you to that Council Fire:
" You returned for answer " that you could not come at present, as you had so much business to do among yourselves, which you must first attend to."
" At the same time you were so good & friendly as to communicate the proceedings & result of the Grand Council of the Hostile and other Chiefs assembled at Au-Glaize which I received by Mr. Rosecrantz and Cayendoe, now present.
" They were partly the same as had been communicated to General Washington by yon & the other Chiefs of the Six Nations from Buffalo Creek some time before.
" But the President still wishing to see & talk with you at the Grand Council Fire then kindled in Philadelphia, ordered me to send you a second message to meet him there that he might hear & understand from your own lips the terms upon which the Hostile Indians would agree to make peace - and which would be more fully & better explained viva voce or, by word of mouth,-than in writing, as many questions might occur that were not thought of at the time of writing.
" In obedience to those orders, I sent you another invitation by Mr. Rosecrantz and Cayendoe to meet the President in Philadelphia at the Council Fire, hoping that by that time you had settled the business you had to transact among yourselves:
" You have now come forward -but, it is too late ; the fire is extinguished -and will not be rekindled until November next, i. e. between eight & nine moons from this time.
"I am however, happy to inform you that the Farmers brother, the young King the Infant, the Shining breast-plate & two others of inferior rank went forward and met the President & Grand Council of the Fifteen Fires in Philadelphia agreeably to the invitation which I mentioned had been sent to them by the President and from whom it is probable that the President and Council have received the required information ; those Chiefs must have returned to their towns about the time that you set off to come to this place ; and will be able to inform you of the Council held with them.
" I will now fully inform you of the intelligence I have just received from Gen'l Knox the Secretary : viz. agreeably to the request of the Six Nations assembled at Buffalo Creek last November .- The President & Grand Council of the Fifteen Fires of the United States have appointed three Commissioners to hold a conference with the Hostile Indians about the first day of June next at the Lower Sandusky : they will probably be at Niagara about the middle of May; from whence it's also probable that you with the other Chiefs of the Six Nations will accompany them to the treaty and use your influence & good offices to procure a permanent peace ; so much the true interest of all parties concerned.
" But if after all your good & friendly offices, aided by the sincere wish & desire of the President & Grand Council of the United States for Peace, it cannot be obtained but by the sacrifice of National Character & Honor, I hope and trust that there will be but one voice and mind to prosecute the war with that vigor and effect - that the
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Hostile Indians will have cause to lament that they did not listen to the voice of peace.
" Having thus communicated to you all the information that I have received respec- ting the proposed treaty and having spoken my mind openly & freely as a Warrior ever ought to do when speaking to friends & brothers,-
" I have now to request that you will also speak your minds freely & without reserve: so that we may perfectly understand each other: this is what you requested me to do- and what I have done.
" You will therefore make your minds easy-and consider yourselves in the midst of your friends and brothers .-
ANT'Y WAYNE, Major General &. Commander in Chief of the troops of the United States of America.
THE CORNPLANTER, NEW ARROW, GEYESUTHA and STIFF KNEE (alias) BIG TREE.
Chiefs of the Alleghany."
The effect of the decisive victory of Gen. Wayne, his thorough scourging of the hostile Indians of the west and northwest, put an end to all existing Indian disturbances. Its happy influences extended to all the interests of our country. The Indian wars had come when the government and people were tired of war, and were looking forward to peace and repose. But no where was the consummation hailed with greater joy, than among those who struggling with all the usual hardships and privations of new settle- ments, had been encountering the additional obstacle, the fear that the scenes of the border war, were to be re-enacted in their midst.
With the Six Nations, it was followed by the burying of the tomahawk, "never to be dug up." Settling down upon their
Reservations, they became gentle and inoffensive; friendly to the new settlers as they began to drop in around them; the faithful allies of the United States, in the contest of 1812; emphatically, it may be said, that in all the time that has intervened, from the period we have been speaking of, to the present, they have been far more " sinned against, than sinning."
The Society of Friends, of Philadelphia-or rather, what is termed the "Philadelphia yearly meeting,"-were the early, and have been the constant guardians of the welfare and interests of the Senecas, as the reader will observe in some of the early annals that will follow. Their good offices were interposed in counselling peace and the pursuit of peaceful avocations. Among some old manuscripts the author has in his possession, which belonged to Cornplanter and Red Jacket, is the following letter, which it will be observed bears date a few months after Wayne's victory. It
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