USA > Ohio > The Revolution on the Upper Ohio, 1775-1777 > Part 5
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Brothers I have heard with great Concern that
73 Coshocton (Indian name Goschachgunk) lay in the forks of the Muskingum and Tuscarawas on the north side of the latter stream. It was built about 1775 and was composed of log-houses and a large council-house ranged along a regular street, and forming a considerable village. It was the chief town of the Turtle clan of the Delawares, and the capital of the tribe until its destruction by Brodhead in 1781. White Eyes's Town lay on a plain some ten miles south of the Tus- carawas, and east of Coshocton .- ED.
74 Newcomer (or Netawatwes) was principal chief of the Delawares, succeeding Beaver in that office about 1772. Hc had formerly dwelt on the Susquehanna, and signed the treaty of Conestoga in 1718. Upon his removal to the Ohio country, he lived first on the Cuyahoga, settling later upon the Tus- carawas, near the site of the present town named for him. The aged chief died at Pittsburgh in 1776, while attending a treaty at that place .- ED.
75 Wingenund was an important Delaware chief, later hos- tile to the Americans. About 1778 he removed his village to the Sandusky, where he assisted in the torture of Col. William Crawford in 1782 .- ED.
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you have lately been in Council with the French and Wyandots and that you have received a Speech from the French and a belt and String of Black Wampum as there has long subsisted the Greatest Freindship between you and us I desire and insist that you will make me Acquainted with any thing which may have been said to you by the French or any others to the Prejudice of your Elder Brothers of Virginia A String of White Wampum
23d of July the King and Cheifs of the Dela- wares met in the Council House and delivered the following Answer to my Speech of Yesterday Broth- ers the Bigknife your Brothers the Delawares are very thankful to you for your good talk to them Yes- terday and are glad to find their Brothers hearts are good towards them and that they will be joyfull in meeting them at the time and place you Mention Brother in Order to Convince our Elder Brothers of Virginia that we desire to live in freindship with them I now deliver you this Belt and String they were sent to us by an English Man and French Man at Fort De- troit with a Message that the People of Virginia were determined to strike us that they would come upon us two different Ways the one by the Way of the Lakes and the other by the Ohio and that the Virgin- ians were determined to drive us off and to take our Lands that we must be constantly on our Gaurd and not to give any Credit to whatever you said as you were a people not to be depended upon that the Vir- ginians would invite Us to a treaty but we must not go at any rate and to take particular Notice of the Ad- vice they gave which proceeded from Motives of real
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Freindship and nothing else Delivers the Belt and String
I then hired a Man to go with me to the Seneca Towns set off in a hard rain passed thro' a Town of the Muncys and made them Acquainted with my business kept up White Womans Creek Crossing it Six times and Corcosan Creek once lodged at Mo- hickins old Town now Inhabited by Delawares 76 travelled about 38 Miles this day the Course nearly West
24th July set off very carly in the Morning trav- elled very Constant till twelve O'Clock when we Ar- rived at Indian Nicholas's and then Proceeded on till Night and encamped near a Small run rain all Night Travelled about 45 Miles the same Course as Yester- day
25th set out very early in the Morning rode Con- stant till 5 o'Clock in the afternoon when we Ar- rived at the Seneca Town77 where we found Logan The Snake the Big Appletree with Several of the Min-
76 White Woman's Creek. now known as Walhonding, was so named from Mary Harris, a captive who adopted Indian ways, and lived in this vicinity as early as 1751. See Darling- ton, Christopher Gist's Journals (Pittsburgh, 1893), pp. 41, 114.
The Munsee town here noted is shown on a map in Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, Lettres d'un Cultivateur Americain ( Paris, 1787), iii, p. 413. It was on the north bank of White Woman's Creek, just above Killbuck's Creek. Corcosan Creek is noted on this same map as Caucussing, now known as Mohican River from the town here noted by Wood. The town lay on the west bank where the stream joins the Wal- honding .- ED.
77 This town has usually been identified with Pluggy's Town, but Wood visited that place later. From the courses and distances travelled it would appear to be the Mingo or Seneca town where Logan in 1778 was found by Simon Kenton; it
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goes who were lately Prisoners at Fort Pitt they all Appeared to be Prety Much in Liquor and very in- quisitive to know my Business called them together and made the same speech to them which I had be- fore made to the Delawares they made no other An- swer but they would Acquaint the rest of their Nation with what I had said and discovered that the Indians were very Angry Many of them Painted themselves black we Encamped near the Town about ten O'Clock at Night one of the Indians came and Stamped upon my head as I lay a Sleep waked and saw several Indians with Knives and Tom- hawks a Squaw informed us privately that they in- tended to kill us advised us to hide ourselves in the Woods which we did till Morning when we returned again into the Town Logan repeated in Plain Eng- lish the Manner in which the People of Virginia had killed his Mother Sister and all his Relations during which he wept and Sung Alternately 78 and concluded with telling me the Revenge he had taken he then told me that several of the Mingoes who were long Prisoners at Fort Pitt19 wanted to kill us and asked
was situated on the trail between Wapatomica and upper Sandusky, in what is now Hardin County, Ohio. See Draper MSS., 2BB3 .- ED.
78 This statement that Logan could repeat his wrongs in "plain English" is interesting in view of the discussion over the authorship of his famous speech. See Dunmore's War, P. 305, note 21, and references therein cited .- ED.
79 These were the captives taken by Dunmore after the treaty of Camp Charlotte, in which the Mingo refused to ac- quiesce. See Ibid, p. 303. They were kept at Fort Pitt dur- ing the winter of 1774-75, but in the spring were permitted to escape .- ED. 4
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me whether I was affraid to which I answered I was not that we were two lone Men where [who were] sent to deliver a message to them which we had done that we were in their Power and had no way to defend ourselves that they must kill us if they thought proper to which he replied that we should not be hurt
26th July at 9 O'Clock in the Morning hired two fresh horses and set off for the Wyandot Towns trav- elled very fast and Constant till 7 O'Clock in the Evening when we Arrived at the Town sent off Run- ners for the Cheifs who were distant about twenty Miles
27th July at One O'Clock the Wyandots sent to my Camp to Inform me the Cheifs were Arrived and ready at their Council House to hear what I had to say to them and that two of the Tawaas 80 were there and would be ready to Carry my speech to their Na- tion went to the Council House and delivered the following Speech to the Wyandots and Tawaas
Brothers the Wyandots and Tawaas your Brothers of Virginia in their great Council desirous of bright- ning the Chain of Freindship between you and them have Appointed Commissioners to meet the Cheifs of the different Nations of Indians on the Ohio and Lakes at Fort Pitt in forty six days from this time and have ordered me to come to this place to Assure you that their Hearts are good towards you and that they hope to agree upon a peace with all the Indians so their Childeren and ours may hereafter live in the Greatest Freindship to give you a kind Invitation to
60 This council occurred at Upper Sandusky. For the Tawaas (Ottawa) see Dunmore's War, p. 273, note 90 .- ED.
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their Council fire and that they will Endeavor to give you a hearty welcome Brothers It is with Great Con- cern I have lately heard that some people who I con- sider to be enemies as well to you as to us have en- deavoured to make your Nations believe that the People of Virginia intended to strike you this you may be Assured is the Greatest falsity as I can with truth assure you that they desire to live in Strict Freindship with all Indians while they continue peace- able with us
Brothers the Tawaas It is with great pleasure I take the Opportunity in the name of my Countrymen to return you thanks for the kind Treatment given by your Nation to one of our young Brothers who was delivered into your hands Last Summer by the Shaw- anese and to Assure you that if any of your people should ever fall into our hands they will meet with the same freindly treatment81 A String of White Wampum Each
The War Post then Answered Brother the Big Knife We have heard what you have said and desire time till to Morrow afternoon to consider it when we will meet you again in the Council house
In the afternoon War Post and five or six other Indians came to my Camp they said they were come to talk with me as freinds that they always Under- stood that the English had but one King who lived over the Great Water that they were Much Surprized to hear that we were at War with ourselves and that there had been several Engagements at Boston in which
81 This refers to Ezekiel (misprinted Ephraim) Field, for whose capture see Ibid, pp. 113, 114, note 65 .- ED.
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a great Number of Men were killed on both sides that as he had been told many different Stories they would be glad to know the Cause of the dispute or whether we Expected or desired their Assistance I then began and gave them a true and Just Account from the beginning of the disputes with Great Britain and Assured them that we did not stand in need of or desire any Assistance from them or any other Na- tion but that we wished them to Continue in peace and freindliness with us by Observing a Strict neu- trality as we had not the least doubt that all differ- ences between ourselves would be soon Accomo- dated at the same time I made them Acquainted with the great Unanimity among the Americans and that they were now become so strong as not to fear any power on the face of the Earth In this Conversation I discovered that the Huron Indians had been led to beleive that the People of Virginia were a different and distinct Nation from the other Colonies and that by going to War with us they need not fear the Inter- position of the other Colonies this I think I Effectu- ally removed by making them Acquainted with the Proceedings of the Continental Congress and that the Colonies were bound and Obliged to defend each other against Attacks from Whatever Quarter they might come these Questions were likewise put to me at other times by the Shawanese Delawares Mingoes and Tawaas and Answered in the same Manner
28th July went to the Council house at two O'Clock agreable to the Appointment of the Wyan- clots when Rotunda or the War Post in the Presence of Coronyatta Surrahawa Aughunta and other War-
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riors of the Wyandots, and Ninnis and Mangagata of the Tawaas delivered the following Answer to my speech of Yesterday Brother the Bigknife you tell us you were sent to our Towns by the Great Men of Virginia to let us know that there is now a large Council fire kindling at Fort Pitt that it would be ready in forty six days and we should hear there every thing that was good Brother we have listned to what you have said with great Attention and Con- sidered it well we think it is good and will immedi- ately send it Over the Lakes to our Cheifs 82 and will be ruled by them in our determinations Brother I have nothing farther to say but that it is always a Custom with us that Whatever News we hear we im- mediately send it to our head Men as we shall on this Occasion. after delivering the Answer Rotunda told me that he heard the People of Virginia were now building a Fort on Kentucke and intended to drive off all the Indians and take Possession of their Lands I told him that I never heard of any Fort being built on Kentueke but that our People were settling very fast in that Country which they had an Undoubted right to do the whole Country to the East- ward of the Ohio as low down as the Cherokee River was purchased from the Six Nations at the Treaty at Fort Stanwix and that since which the People of Virginia had purchased the Pretended right of the Cherokees that we Should be able to make them sen- sible of this at the Treaty to be held at Fort Pitt and
82 The chief settlements of the Huron or Wyandot were opposite Detroit, north of Lake Erie. It was proposed to consult these chiefs before coming to a decision .- ED.
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that they might rest Assured that we had no thoughts of enoroaching any farther than we had already pur- chased and honestly paid for he then enquired after news and desired to know whether we intended to take Fort Detroit from the Regulars this I told them I knew not but beleived the Americans looked upon it to be a place of no Consequence to them and that they would not Concern with it here I took an Op- portunity of telling them that we had already taken Tyconderoga and Crown Point without any loss and that we had beaten the Regulars in every Engage- ment with very Considerable loss on their sides and very inconsiderable on ours I then told him I was well Acquainted with the Steps taken by the Officer Commanding at Fort D'Troit and Monsieur Baubee to prejudice them against the Americans in General and Virginia in particular I then produced the Belt and String delivered to me by the Delawares and asked him if he knew them here they all appeared to be much Surprised but Acknowledged that they did upon which I proceeded to repeat what was said when they were delivered all of which they Acknowledged Except that the French were concerned in it they said Monsieur Baubee was present but that he did not interfere but added that the Englishmen told them that the Virginians would take the whole Country if they did not all join together against them I told War Post that I was well Acquainted with the whole Matter that I had got it out at the different Towns by degrees first from the Squaws and then from the Men he then desired me to give him a Copy of the Speech which I made in the Council Yesterday that
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no part of it might be forgot this I readily complied with and we parted in the most freindly Manner 83
83 John Dodge, a Connecticut trader at the Sandusky vil- lage, gave the following additional particulars of Wood's mis- sion to the Wyandot towns: "In July, 1775, Captain James Woods called at my house, on his way to the different Indian towns, where he was going to invite them, in the name of the Congress, to a treaty to be held at Fort Pitt the ensuing fall; I attended him to their villages, and the savages promised him they would be there. Captain Woods also invited me to go with the Indians to the treaty, as they were in want of an interpreter, which I readily agreed to. Soon after the depart- ure of Captain Woods, the Commander of Fort Detroit sent for the savages in and about Sandusky, and told them that he heard they were invited by the Americans to a treaty at Pitts- burgh, which they told him was true: on which he delivered them a talk to the following purport: 'That he was their father, and as such he would advise them as his own children; that the Colonists, who were to meet them at Pittsburgh, were a bad people: that by the indulgence of their Protector, they had grown a numerous and saucy people; that the Great King, not thinking they would have the assurance to oppose his just laws, had kept but a few troops in America for some years past ; that those men, being ignorant of their incapacity to go through with what they intend, propose to cut off the regulars in this country, and then you Indians, and have all America to themselves : and all they want is, under the shew of friend- ship to get you into their hands as hostages, and there hold you, till your nations shall comply with their terms, which if they refuse, you will all be massacred. Therefore, do not go by any means ; but if you will join me, and keep them at bay a little, while the King, our father will send large fleets and armies to our assistance, and we will soon subdue them, and have their plantations to ourselves.'
This talk so dismayed the Indians, that they came to me, and said they would not go to the treaty, at the same time telling me what the Governor of Detroit had said to them. On this Mr. James Heron and myself, having the cause of our country at heart, asserted that what the Governor had said was false, and told them that the Colonists would not hurt a hair of their heads; and if they would go to the treaty, that I, with Mr. Heron, would be security, and pledge our property to the amount of 40001. for their safe return. This, with the arrival of Mr. Richard Butler with fresh in- vitations, induced some of them to go with me to the treaty."- Almon's Remembrancer, viii, p. 73 .- ED.
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I then sent Messages by the Tawaas to the Tawix- tawees, Picks and other Nations inhabiting the Mi- mamis and Wabash Rivers with Invitations to meet at the Treaty8+
29th July set off from the Wyandots Town for Pluggys Town travelled very fast and Constant Eight hours most of the Way thro' extensive Plains and Meadows Course South East
30th Started before sun rise travelled down the Scioto River till twelve O'Clock when we Arrived at the Town found Pluggys5 was from home and all the Indians drunk and very troublesome left a String of Wampum and Speech for Pluggy purchased some dried Meat from an Indian and then set off for the big salt Licks86 where I Arrived at Dark found five Seneca Hunters incamped and an old Squaw in a Cabbin where we took up our Lodging
31st July left the Salt Licks at 7 O'Clock in the Morning in Company with a Seneca Man and Wo- man who were going to the Shawanese Towns tra- velled Eight and a half Hours very Constant when
84 Twigtwee (Tawixtawee) was the English term for the Miami Indians, a large tribe of Algonquian stock, who for the most part were living along the Wabash and Maumee rivers. They had chiefly been in the French interest before 1763, but then became English partisans, hostile to the American colonists. For the Picts see ante, note 30 .- ED.
85 Pluggy was a Mohawk, who with a band of unorganized, undisciplined followers had migrated westward about 1772 and settled upon the present site of Delaware, Ohio. He was in the French and Indian War, and counselled with Dunmore at Fort Pitt, September, 1774. In a raid into Kentucky in December, 1776, Pluggy was killed during an attack on McClel- land's Station .- ED.
86 This was the town raided by Crawford in October, 1774. See Dunmore's War, p. 304, note 17 .- ED.
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we Arrived at the Shawanese Towns87 where I spoke to Kishanosity or the Hardman desired him to call the Cheifs of the different Towns together as soon as Possible that I had something to say to them from the Great Council of Virginia the Hardman68 then in- formed me that Chenusaw had returned home the night before and that he had brought the most alarm- ing Accounts from Virginia (viz') that the People of Virginia were all determined upon War with the Indians except the Governor who was for peace but was obliged to fly on board of a ship to save his own life that the hostages found they were to be made Slaves of and sent to some other Country that the White People were all preparing for War and that they shewed him many Indian scalps among which Cuttemwha knew his Brothers that the Hostages de- termined if Possible to make their Escape and Accord- ingly sett off in the Night all of them together that the next day he being behind the other two at some distance was seized by three Men that he heard them determine to kill him on which one of them proceeded to Load his Gun while the other two held him by the Arms that before the Man loaded the Gun he found Means to disengage himself and made his Escape leaving his Gun and every thing also that he soon after heard Several Guns and was possitive that Cut- temwha and Neawau were both killed as he had been
87 The principal Shawnee towns were located in the Scioto Valley, between the present Chillicothe and Circleville. See Ibid., pp. 290, 292, 301, notes 5, 7, 14 .- ED.
88 See description of a visit to Hardman in 1773 by Rev. David Jones, Journal of Two Visits to west side of Ohio (N. Y., 1866 reprint), p. 52 .- ED.
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Sixty days travelling and had heard nothing of them I told Kishanosity that most of what Chenusaw had informed him was false and that I would be glad he would send for him which he did as soon as he came I explained the whole Matter to him and a Number of other Indians and Informed them that Cuttemwha and Neawau were both well and on the Road and that they were bringing his Cloaths and every thing which he had left behind him and that it was very unlucky for him he did not turn back as the others had done to have got a horse and Saddle to ride home as they had several of the Indians were employed in Conjuring the whole night during which they kept up a Constant howling like Wolves till day light
1st August Kishanosity sent me word he had sent for the Cheifs of the other Towns and that they would meet me in the Council house to Morrow Morn- ing Employed ourselves the remaining part of the day in enquiries of the Squaws concerning the Speeches and belts sent to the Shawanese by the French at Fort D'Troit who all gave the same Accounts we had before heard with this addition that the Picts and Tawixtawees had Accepted the Belts but that the Shawanese had dug a hole in the Ground and buried them never to rise again
2d August at 10 o'Clock a runner came and In- formed me the Cheifs were Assembled in the Council House ready to receive me upon which I went and was received in the most freindly manner when I de- livered the following speech to Kishanosity in the Presence of the Shade and Snake the Milkman
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Shawanese Ben and many other Cheifs and War- riors Brothers the Shawaneses your Elder Brothers of Virginia in their great Council have appointed me with five others to meet all the Cheifs of the different Nations of Indians on the Ohio and Lakes in forty one days from this time at Fort Pitt in Order to Brighten the Chain of Freindship between them and the People of Virginia and have ordered me to come to this Place to assure you that their Hearts are good towards you and that they will be glad to meet the Cheifs of your Nation fully to Confirm the Peace agreed upon last fall between Lord Dunmore and the Shawanese and Expect you will be fully prepared to Comply with your part of the Conditions at that time I am very Glad to see your Brother Chenusaw is returned safe he left us without any reason that we know of but Imagine it must be Owing to some Mistake or other as soon as we found he was gone we sent many People on Horseback with written pa- pers directing all our people to treat him kindly so that he might return to you in Safety your Brothers Cuttemwha and Neawau are well they are now on the way and you may depend will be safely brought to the Treaty Cuttemwha desired me to tell you to be Strong and to come at the time I appoint and to bring some of your wise Women along with you A String of White Wampum
after delivering the Speech I called for Chenusaw but was Informed he was ashamed to Appear I then at their Desire Explained the nature of the dispute with Lord Dunmore and Convinced them that Chenu- saw had not told them the truth and also Explained
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to them the dispute with Great Britain in the same Manner which I had before done to the Wyandots and other Nations of Indians the Hardman then made the following Answer to my Speech
Brother the Big knife I am very thankful as well as all my freinds here present for your good speech delivered to us at our Council fire It gives us great Pleasure to think that our Brothers the big knife have not forgot us and that we shall have an Opportunity of talking to them in Freinship at the time you now Mention we are much Obliged to our Brothers of Virginia for their Care in directing all their People to let our Brother Chenusaw come to us without re- ceiveing any hurt his coming away in the Manner he did proceeded from Mistake in not Understanding your Language we are fully Satisfied with what you have told us and hope you'll not think hard of us for his bad behaviour after which Kishanosity and other Cheifs enquired after News whether a great Many of our Young Men were not going to Boston to War against the English Red Coats and if we had not sev- eral Engagements with them to which I answered that but few Men were to go from Virginia as there were a great Sufficiency of Men in New England to Man- age all the Regular Troops in America or which they were Able to send and as for the Engagements there had been several in all of which we had beatten them with great loss on their side and very small on Ours but that we were in daily Expectation of all differ- ences being setled between the two Countries to the Satisfaction of both. The Shade then Informed me that he had Just returned from the Miami River that
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