History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 16

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1013

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Yet all of the vigilance of these active and trusty scouts could not save their people from the devastations of a savage and revengeful foc. The destruction of the Cold- water village and the killing of so many of its warriors brought only a temporary respite from acts of hostility. Representing as they did a wide circle of relations and friends in two of the most powerful nations in the South, such an injury could only be atoned with blood. The war- whoop soon rang along the beautiful valley of the Cum- berland, and the tomahawk, rifle, and torch were again at their deadly and destructive work. Although the spirit of vengeance rose to the highest pitch of demoniacal fury, its full gratification was checked by a prudential regard for the temper and resources of the whites at this time. The numbers of the settlers had been much augmented this year by the advent of the soldiers raised for the defense of the border, and the service they rendered in guarding emi- grants safely through the wilderness. In consequence of this, a large force of invaders, acting in one body, could be struck by the whites with much more certainty on account of its greater difficulty of concealment, while the same force broken into small bodies could lurk close to the stations with little risk of discovery, and escape with more facility after striking a blow. This must have been the governing consideration, for we find no record of an attack in force on any point in the county until several years later. But a number of small bands invaded the settlements continu- ally, and committed such havoc as they could, and retreated well loaded with booty.

One of these bands was led by As-la-se-na-la, or Big Foot, a chief of gross personal appearance and most de-

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RENEWED HOSTILITIES, 1792.

termined bravery. They had made a successful raid in which they had taken some scalps and secured various articles of property, when on reaching the Tennessee on their return they felt so secure from interruption that they halted to cook and make some preparation for getting their effects across the river. The halt proved fatal. Capt. Shannon, with a few followers as brave and determined as himself, William Pillow, Luke Anderson, and one of the dare-devil Castlemans among them, had struck Big Foot's trail, and had been following it from the vicinity of Nashville with the persistence of bloodhounds. At the time of Shannon's arrival several of the Indians were in camp eating, and the rest down at the river-bank. The whites charged imme- diately and dispersed those in camp, Castleman and Pillow each killing an adversary. Big Foot, who was at the river, in hearing the firing, judged correctly from the number of shots that the attacking party was small, and he thereupon collected his warriors and hastened in the most determined manner to recover his loss. The combatants were about equally divided, and the victory for some time hung in the balance. At length Big Foot, in the ardor of revenge, pressed forward among the whites and engaged in a hand- to-hand struggle with Luke Anderson for the possession of the latter's gun. Being of superior strength he was on the point of wresting it away, when William Pillow sprang to the rescue and sank his tomahawk deeply into the In- dian's brain. At the fall of their leader his followers withdrew from the conflict with loud yells of disappointed rage, leaving five of their number dead on the field.

CHAPTER XV.

RENEWED HOSTILITIES, 1792.

Outrages on the Cumberland-Stations Abandoned-Gen. Robertson restricted by the Government at Washington-Insufficiency of Troops-Treachery of the Chiefs-Cherokees Incited to War by a Lying Creek Chief-Assembling of the Militia-Attack on Buchan- an's Station-Victory of the Stationers-Desultory Attacks by the Indians in 1793-Abe Castleman's Expedition.

BUT a little more than a half-month of the new year had passed when three sons of Col. Valentine Sevier, a brother of the general, had been butchered in an open boat while ascending the Cumberland from Clarksville. Following this the murders came so thick and fast that all outlying stations and settlements south of the river were abandoned except Robertson's, Raines', and Buchanan's. At John- BOD's Station four children, brothers and sisters, were killed and wounded while at the spring, and three of these scalped and piled in a heap, the other making his escape with a broken arm. At Brown's four others were killed and treated similarly. On the 24th of May Gen. Robertson and his BOD Jonathan were severely wounded, and only escaped death by a well-directed shot from the latter, which wounded two of the Indians. Col. Kilpatrick, while heading a small party in pursuit of some of the murderers, was fired upon from an ambuscade near Denham's Station and killed and bebeaded. Zigler's Station, in Sumner County, containing

thirty persons, was taken, only three or four escaping death or captivity. These and other outrages so wrought upon Capt. John Edmeston that he raised a company to avenge the repeated injuries, no matter to what lengths he would have to go in the execution of his purpose. Gen. Robert- son, though his heart bled with a sense of the enormous injuries of his people, felt constrained, by his oath as an officer to carry out the instructions of the government, to forbid the proposed expedition, and it was reluctantly abandoned.

The troops then on regular duty numbered only one hun- dred and ninety men, infantry and cavalry, under Maj. Sharp and Capt. Lusk, and were distributed in nine stations or over a distance of seventy miles. As the term of their enlistment was out in October the Governor ordered Gen. Robertson to enlist others in their places, but " to avoid a heavy expense." In the spring of this year he (Gen. R.) had visited the Indian nation, and had been received at Coyatee with much barbaric pomp by two thousand warriors drawn up in martial array. The chiefs Watts, Hanging Maw, and the Breath of Nickajack had renewed, with much seeming manifestation of sincerity, professions of friendship, and a desire to comply with the stipulations of the late treaties. He was so much elated with his reception, and so favorably impressed with what he saw and heard, that after his re- turn in May he thought proper in a letter to rebuke the Cumberland settlers for their despondency and disposi- tion to put out reports of danger that alarmed immigrants. He bade them to be of good cheer,-that all would now be well with them. It may be proper to state that Governor Blount was not insensible to the sufferings of his people, or careless of their interests; he merely allowed himself to be duped into a belief that the chiefs were true to their professions, and that in the course of time they would be able to bring their roving bands under proper restraint.

On the 10th of August, Governor Blount and Gen. Pickens met a full deputation of Chickasaw and a small representation of Choctaw chiefs at Nashville, and made a large distribution of presents. At this treaty a Creek chief named Coteatay was present, and on his return home through the lower Cherokee towns made a lying report of a " talk" which Gen. Robertson had made him, which was to this effect : " There has been a great deal of blood spilt in our settlements, and I will come and sweep it out clean with your blood. And now take notice that the first mischief that is done I will come." His advice to the Cherokees was that they had better prepare for war and strike the first blow. All of this was reported to the Governor with much naïveté by Watts, the Glass, and the Bloody Fellow, accom- panied with new declarations of amity, saying that they had ordered home all parties that were out and likely to do mischief, and that there would be no occasion for Gen. Robertson to put his threat in execution. At that very time the scalp and eagle-tail dances were being held at the lower towns, and men being embodied for an attack on the Cum- berland settlements in heavy force. However, the news of these warlike preparations reached the Governor through a friendly Indian two days before the peace-talks of the chiefs sent from Lookout, and he at once dispatched orders to Gen. Robertson to call into service a part of the brigade of

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HISTORY OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

the Mero District, by which term the three counties on the Cumberland were officially designated. Two days later, on the 14th, the talk of the chiefs came to hand, and so thor- oughly deceived him that he discredited the first report and revoked the order for the assembling of the militia, saying, " I congratulate you and the people of the Mero District upon the happy change of affairs. I had dreadful appre- hensions for you." On the 16th he received positive infor- mation that the Cherokees had crossed the river and were on the march for the Cumberland, and he then issued orders not only for the assembling of the brigade of Gen. Robert- son, but that of Gen. Sevier, urging them to delay not an hour, that the danger was imminent.

In the mean time tidings of the meditated invasion had reached the settlements from another source. Early in Sep- tember, Findleston, a half-breed Cherokee, and Duval, a French trader, came direct from the nation under pretense of spying for the Indians and then returning, and stated in the most positive manner that over six hundred Cherokees and Creeks had crossed the Tennessee, and would attack Nashville on the full of the moon. Findleston offered to go to jail as a surety for the truth of his assertion. The news quickly spread to all of the stations and roused the inhabitants to a sense of the impending danger. So when the order came assembling the militia they turned out at once, ready and equipped for the conflict, and assembled at Rains' big spring, two miles south of Nashville. Their numbers are variously stated at from three to seven bun- dred.

Alexander Castleman, one of the trustiest and most daring spies among the settlers, was now out to get precise informa- tion of the hostile approach. He went as far as the Black Fox camp, where Murfreesboro' now stands, and finding it deserted by the friendly Indians who had been hunting there, his suspicions were aroused, and on proceeding beyond he discovered the fresh trail of a large body of Indians coming in the direction of Nashville. He returned at once and reported the facts, but the enemy not appearing as 8000 as was expected, Capt. John Ruins and Abraham Kennedy were sent out. They were gone some days, and on their return Capt. Rains said he had seen no " Indian sign, but plenty of bear sign." To this he made oath, but Kennedy refused to be sworn. On this report, which was made on Friday before the attack on Buchanan's Station, the militia, who had become impatient to return home, not thinking their services would be needed, were disbanded. However, on Sunday morning, some of the inhabitants, who were not thoroughly satisfied as to the absence of danger, took the further precaution to send out two other spies,-Gee and Clayton. They never returned, and at midnight of the same day Buchanan's was attacked.

They proceeded on the buffalo-path until they reached a point on the ridge dividing the waters of Duck River and Mill Creek, where a hurricane had blown down the timber. Here the path divided, and a disagreement arising between them as to which they should take they separated, each following his own path. They had not proceeded far before they concluded that it would be safer to come together again, and began to holloa to each other for this purpose. It happened that they were in the vicinity of a

large body of Indians, then on their way to attack the stations, and were overheard by the advance-guard, among whom was George Fields, a half-breed Cherokee, who un- derstood and could speak English. Fields decoyed the two spies into the woods by calling to them to " meet half-way." This they started to do, when one of them was killed and the other fled and was likely to make his escape when he was hailed by Fields and informed that the killing was done by the accidental discharge of a gun and that they were friends. He thereupon halted and was quickly killed and scalped. That night at ten o'clock Buchanan's Station was attacked by eight or nine hundred Cherokees and Creeks, led by John Watts and Chiatchattalla, son of Tom Tumbridge, a deserter from the British army, and an Indian woman. When the Indians came in hearing of the sound of the lowing of the cattle at the fort a dispute arose between Watts and Chiatchattalla as to whether Nashville or Bu- chanan's should be first attacked. Watts concluded that Nashville was the chief object of attack, and "that little fort could be taken on their return," pointing to Buchanan's. The other chief then called Watts a woman, and said he could take the fort himself; that he had burnt one fort, referring to Zigler's Station, in Sumner County, and that he could burn another. Watts thereupon retorted that he might go ahead and take it; that he would look on. At the time of the attack there were only about twenty men in the fort, which was known as Maj. John Buchanan's Sta- tion. The assault was made about eleven o'clock at night, Sept. 30, 1792. Morris Shane, who was on guard at the block-house nearest the creek, was the first to discover and fire upon a body of Indians congregated at the fort gate. Thomas Kennedy then fired into the same group from the opposite house. At the first alarm a runner was dispatched to Nashville for assistance, and Anthony Fisher of that place was the first to enter the fort, closely followed by John Rains, just as the enemy were retiring but still in sight. The Indians on being fired into retired into an open cellar a short distance off, and to such other shelter as they could get around the fort, whence they opened a warm fire on the port-holes, yelling at the same time like fiends incarnate. The whites were quickly at their posts, and returned the fire in the most spirited manner. Mrs. Buchanan and Mrs. Shane leaped out of their beds at the first alarm, and taking no time to dress began to mould bullets, which they carried around to the men, and also a supply of brandy, adding words of cheer as they passed along. Jimmy O'Connor, an Irishman, took charge of a blunderbuss, and in the noise and confusion be charged his piece several times before it went off. When it did fire Jimmy was landed under a bed on the opposite side of the room badly bruised, but he declared he " made a lane through the yel- low dogs." In the midst of the assault Chiatchattalla made a most daring attempt to fire the fort. He was quickly shot down and mortally wounded, but, with the ruling passion strong in death, he continued to blow the fire as long as life lasted. The assault lasted about an hour and a half, when the Indians began to withdraw. Only one man in the fort was wounded, and he by a splinter. Thousands of balls had penetrated the logs, but compara- tively few had penetrated to the interior. During the

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RENEWED HOSTILITIES.

firing there was a constant parley going on between the parties, Thomas Kennedy calling out to the Indians that they were a " set of damned squaws," and "to put more powder into their guns." Chiatchattalla was the only In- dian found dead. He was greatly dreaded by the whites on account of his use of fire to destroy a fort, and was known by them as the " Shawnee warrior." This appellation was a mistake, caused by the report that an old Shawnee chief had come from the North among the Southern tribes to introduce this practice, which had been put in successful operation in the destruction of Zigler's Station some time before. Many others of the assailants were supposed to have been killed and wounded from the traces of blood left on their departure. John Watts, the head chief, received a desperate wound in the hip, and was carried down behind the spring-house. Supposing himself mortally wounded, he begged George Fields, who was wounded in the heel, to cut off his head and carry it away to keep the whites from getting his scalp. His comrades, however, made a litter of blankets and carried him off. He recov- ered and lived many years afterwards, removing with his tribe west of the Mississippi. The whites ventured out the morning after the attack in pursuit, but were fired upon from a cedar-glade after going a short distance, when they returned. The Indians, however, becoming disheartened by the failure of their attack and the death of their bravest warrior and desperate wounding of Watts, retreated rapidly. The little swivel at Nashville had been firing signal-guns, and this seemed to add to their alarm. They left on the ground a number of guns, swords, tomahawks, blankets, and other articles of value. The defeat and failure of such a large force was another illustration of the want of har- mony and discipline which characterized such attacks.

For the period of two months after this repulse not a hostile Indian appeared in the settlements. It augured well for peace, but as a company of cavalry was along a trail one day south of Nashville about eight miles, a volley was poured into them accompanied by the old familiar yell. The whites retreated in disorder, with the loss of John Hawkins, who halted to point an empty gun at the pur- auers by way of intimidation. He was killed, scalped, and cut to pieces. The cavalry got some addition to their numbers and returned to the place of conflict without meeting the enemy. Several other persons were killed in December, among them John Haggard, a spy, whose wife had been killed the previous summer.

The aggregate of deaths this year was sixty ; many were wounded and captured. The loss of live-stock and other property was severe.

1798.

On the 5th of January Governor Blount wrote to Gen. Robertson to discharge Sharpe's brigade, but that he might organize a company of infantry and eighteen horsemen in its place. The Governor was led to this by the seeming con- trite confession of Watts, which the fears of himself and peo- ple had induced him to make in most humble terms. On the reception of this the Governor, in order to confirm and strengthen such good resolutions, distributed a number of presents among them and appointed a conference at the Southwest Point, the outpost in East Tennessee, for April

the 17th. But in the months of January and February so many murders had been committed, in connection with in- formation he had obtained of an invasion about the full of the moon in April, on the 25th, that on the 28th of March he ordered Gen. Robertson to increase his force to eighty men, and scour the woods for fifty miles from the settle- ments, but not to go beyond those limits unless in a case of imminent danger, when he might go to the Tennessee River. On April 14th he notified the general that " large bodies of Creeks had crossed the Tennessee for war and plunder." Maj. Beard's troop was ordered to the assistance of Gen. Robertson. He scoured the woods back and forth, and returned to Knoxville early in June. Capts. Rains and Johnston were also out on the same service, but were enabled to kill only a few Indians. Still they rendered much service in breaking up the station-camps of the enemy in proximity to the settlements, and forcing them back to the shelter of the mountain-caves. Notwithstanding this, small bands came in and committed great havoc to life and property.

ABE CASTLEMAN'S EXPEDITION.

In July Joseph Castleman was killed and John Castle- man badly wounded in a field near Hays' Station, situated ten miles from Nashville, on Stoner's Creek. The Castle- mans, on account of their contempt of danger, had suffered severely. They were among the earliest hunters and set- tlers, and had rendered signal service in shielding and guard- ing the infant settlements. At this new affliction he raised a company of volunteers to go as far as the Tennessee River with him on a hunt for Indians, and applied to General Robertson for permission to carry out the design. General Robertson sympathized with his sufferings and desire for revenge, and granted him the permission to seek satisfao- tion in his own way. His party consisted of sixteen men, some of whom agreed to go only as far as the Tennessee River. By the time he arrived at this boundary, although he had killed several Indians, his revenge was far from being satisfied, and he proposed to cross the river and carry the war into the enemy's country. Five of his party agreed to go with him, to wit: Frederick Stull, Zach Maclin, Jack Camp, Eli Hammond, and Zeke Caruthers, the rest returning to the settlements. Here they stripped them- selves of their clothing, donned flaps, and painted their bodies in imitation of Indians to more effectually carry out their purpose. Thus equipped they swam the river a short distance below Nickajack, and struck into a trail which they thought led to Wills' Town. They had not proceeded far before they came in view of a party of Creek warriors, numbering about fifty, seated on the ground in couples and engaged in eating. They were painted and unaccompanied by squaws, showing that they were on the war-path. Cas- tleman's men were so well disguised that the Indians ex- hibited no concern at their approach, and continued their eating. On arriving within a convenient distance the whites made ready on a signal from their leader, and bringing down their guns fired into the groups, each man selecting an in- dividual target. Castleman, whose gun was doubly charged, killed two, and the others one each. The fire was so sud- den and destructive that the Indians were thrown into great

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HISTORY OF DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.

disorder and confusion, in the midst of which the daring little band made their retreat in safety across the river, where they resumed their proper clothing, and thence re- turned to the settlements after an absence of three weeks, well satisfied with their adventure. It was ascertained af- terwards that a chief of the Creeks was killed in this affair, which added greatly to their exasperation. During the month of August and following a number of savage butch- cries of women and children took place in the Mero District. About the 1st of December James Robertson, a son of the general, was killed, making the third who had fallen a victim to the deadly hate of the enemy.

CHAPTER XVI.

TROUBLE OF 1794.

Victims at the Opening of the Year-Pursuit of the Indians by Capt. Murray-Eleven Warriors Killed-Mrs. Gear Killed and Scalped on her way to Church-Other Victims-Eventful History of Col. Joseph Brown-Expedition of Col. Roberts-Capt. Gordon's Suc- cess-Frequent Murders-Massacres in a Boat on the Cumberland -Forces Raised in Tennessee and Kentucky-Col. Brown's Narra- tive-Destruction of the Indian Towns and Death of Seventy Warriors-Expedition against the Creeks.

THE new year opened with a continuation of the hostil- ities that had marked the closing months of the old. On the 3d of January Miss Deliverance Gray, while passing between two stations, was fired upon and slightly wounded, and only escaped captivity or death by a remarkable exhi- bition of swiftness of foot, in which she distanced her pur- suers. On the 7th John Helen, or Healing, was shot while at work for Gen. Robertson, not a half-mile from his house. He ran about one hundred yards, when he was brought to bay, and after a desperate defense killed and scalped. Gen. Robertson ordered Capt. Murray to take twenty men and pursue. On striking their trail, which led southwest towards the Tennessee, Capt. Murray discov- ered that they had several horses and were accompanied by squaws. His pursuit was so cautious that after several days the Indians seem to have entertained no suspicion of pursuit being made. It is quite probable, from the circum- stance of their being accompanied by their squaws, that this band had just concluded its fall hunt, and the object of their raid was to procure horses before returning home. On reaching the Tennessee they stopped to encamp on the slope of a ridge which jutted out into the water. Here they gathered some cane for their horses and built a large fire, evidently to attract the attention of their friends on the other side of the river. They also fired signal-guns, and imitated the howling of the wolf and the hooting of the great owl for the same purpose. Their whole deportment was indicative of a sense of security and satisfaction at the supposed safe ending of the venture. The point of the ridge was bare of cane and brush, and very favorably situated for the hemming-in which the pursuers had determined on on discovering their situation. Capt. Murray and Jonathan Robertson undertook the examination of the ground, and were enabled to approach quite closely, on account of the

noise made by the horses while feeding. The examination being satisfactory they returned to their comrades and ar- ranged for an attack at daylight, as promising the best prospect of complete success. The plan was to form a semicircle reaching to the water's edge above and below. By daylight all the positions were gained without giving alarm and the encampment completely hemmed in. A de- tachment then crept forward, and as soon as several of the enemy were seen to stir these poured in a volley and rushed forward with drawn tomahawks and knives to finish the work of death. Only one of the warriors was killed outright. The rest leaped to their feet and rushed towards the river, when, finding themselves intercepted by Capt. Murray, some of them jumped into the water, where they were shot. Moclin shot one before he got into the water. William Pillow, hearing a gun fire at a place he had just passed, pushed his horse up the steep second bank of the river, where he discovered Capt. John Davis running towards him, pursued by four Indians. Pillow dashed forward, and the Indians, discontinuing their pursuit of Davis, ran off in the opposite direction. He then dismounted and soon overtook and killed one of the Indians. At that moment Capt. Murray, Thomas Cox, Robert Evans, Luke Ander- son, and William Ewing rode up, when Pillow pointed out to them the direction in which one of the fugitives had gone. They immediately made pursuit, and saw the Indian endeavoring to mount Pillow's horse, which he succeeded in doing. Cox ran up and shot him through the shoulder, but he nevertheless held on to the horse, which he kept at a gallop until the whole company came up with him. He now slipped off the horse, and as he came to the ground scared Luke Anderson's mule, which ran under a low tree the limbs of which jerked his gun out of his hand. The brave Indian instantly caught it up and snapped it three or four times at them before Evans shot him down. Pursuit was then made by Andrew Castleman and others of the two other Indians whom Pillow had driven off from Davis. They were found hid in the water under a bluff of rocks and both shot. Others were found concealing themselves under the bank and suffered the same fate. Eleven warriors were killed,-the whole party, as was ascertained from the squaws who were taken prisoners. Three of the squaws were also killed in firing into the camp, two only being taken alive.

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History of Davidson County, Tennessee, with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 16

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1013

Author: Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1013