USA > Tennessee > Old times; or, Tennessee history, for Tennessee boys and girls > Part 9
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Another law was passed, making a liberal allowance in lands, called bounty, to the North Carolina soldiers engaged in the Revolutionary War. Provision was made for these bounty- lands to be taken in Middle Tennessee. The same General Assembly also bestowed on Gen- eral Nathanael Greene, of the Continental Army. twenty-five thousand acres of land, which were afterward laid off for Him on Duck River.
In 1753, the North Carolina Assembly laid off the county of Davidson, the first in what is now Middle Tennessee. It was so named after General William Davidson, a native of Meck- lenburg county, N. C., a brave man and a meritorious officer, who was killed by the To- ries, at the Catawba River, in 1781. At the same session also, the Assembly established a town at The Bluff to be called Nashville. This name was intended to commemorate the char- peter and services of Colonel Francis Nash, another am of the world Breth war " who fel. bravely doing hi, duty, at the battle of Ger- mantown. For a good while the place was often called and spelled Vastborough, in place of the true name.
Absalom Tatum, I-aae Shelby. and Anthony
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Bledsoe were appointed commissioners to lay off the preemption and bounty-lands in Middle Tennessee. This was the last public employ- ment of Colonel Shelby, as a citizen of North Carolina. He shortly after removel to Ken- tucky, where he continued to exhibit the same noble traits of character which had endeared him to the people of Watauga and Camber- land. He became the first governor of Kez- tucky, and was elected again in 1812. At the latter period, ho commanded the Kentucky troops, under General Harrison, on the Canada frontier. He died, full of years and honors, in 1826.
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CHAPTER XII.
GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL ADMINISTRATION.
Ox the 6th of October, 1783, was held the first county court. in the new county of David- son. Of this body I-ane Bledsoe was chairman, and Andrew Ewing, clerk. Among other or- ders made at this terni, was one for building a court-house and a jail, the former to be eighteen, and the latter fourten feet square, of hewed logs. Headon Wells was authorized to build a "water grist-mili" on Thomas's Creek-the first erection of the kind in Middle Tennessee. At the same time an order was made for opening a road from Nashville to Mansco's Station, which had been previously laid out by a com- mittee of the trustees.
In 1785, the General Assembly of North Carolina pasel an act establishing Davidson Academy, which has since grown into the I'ni- versity of Tennessee, at Nashville. For the support of the institution, the Assembly granted
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certain lands, that were to be tax-free for ninety-nine years. And in this place, as well as elsewhere, the remark may be made that, in all the measures adopted by North Carolina for the protection or advancement of her western settlements. not one dollar was ever taken from the general treasury of the State. Every thing, even troops to guard them against Indians, was to be paid for by western lands, or by taxes on western persons and property, kept separate from the general State treasury. This policy may not have been unjust, but surely it does not look quite generous.
At the same session of the Assembly, an act was passed, directing a wagon-road to be opened from the lower end of Clinch Mountain, in East Tennessee, to Nashville. Up to this time, emi- grants going to The Bluff had followed the old hunter's trace, through the southern part of Kentucky. This road was intended to open : shorter route, across the Cumberland Mountain. This so-called mountain is only a high talie- land, well suited to both agriculture ard pas- turage, but which, at the time we speak of. had hardly been visited by a white man, and was not much resorted to by Indian hunters. Though lying directly between Watanga and
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The Bluff; the travel between those places had taken a roundabout way to the north of it.
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During the same year, 1785, the Assembly of North Carolina, of which Colonel Robertson was a member, passed a law that three hundred men should be embodied, and kept constantly in service, for the defense of the Cumberland settlements. At any time, when their military services were not needed against the Indians, these troops were to be employed in opening the road across Cumberland Mountain, which had been directed in a previous act. The law farther provided that the men composing the militia force should be paid in lan 1, at the rate of eight hundred acres to each for a year's ser- vice. These lands were to be laid off west of Cumberland Mountain, according to the uni- form policy of the State, to make the western settlements pay their own expenses.
At the saine session of the Legislature of North Carchon, Davidson county was divided, and a miwy county organized, and called Sum- ner. It was so named in honor of General Jethro Summer, who had served in the North Carolina line of the Continental Army through- ont the whole of the Revolutionary War. The first session of the county court of Summer was
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held in April, 1787, at a private house-that is, at the log-cabin of John Hamilton. David Shelby was appointed clerk, and John Harden, Jr., sheriff. Clerks and sheriff's were, in that day, appointed by the courts, and not elected by the people, as they are, at this time, in Ten- nessee.
At the session of the General Assembly of North Carolina, held at Tarborough, in the year 1737, James Robertson and David Hays were present as members from Davidson county. It was probably at their instance that the Legislature made farther provision for completing the road across Cumberland Moun- tain. For this purpose the Cumberland milicia were divided into classes, which were called out in rotation to work on the road. In November, 1788. Colonel Robertson gave notice, in the "State Gazette of North Carolina," that the road was opened all the way, and thet, at stated times, a guard would be in readiness, at Camp- bell's Station, to attend upon parties of the- grants through the wilderness. This guard was continued for several years, and ad hd greatly to the security of travelers.
The members from Davilson also presente 1 to the Assembly a written statement regarding
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the condition of the settlement: in Middle Ten- nessee. In that document it is stated that thirty-three of the inhabitants had been mur- dered by Indians during that year. The hard- ships and sufferings, already endured. by the . colonists, are strongly set forth, and the dan- gers to be dreaded for the future are pointed .out. Among other things, the evil influence ezereised by the Spaniards of Louisiana upon the Creeks, Cherokees, and Chickasaws, is men- tioned as a heavy grievance, and the claim of that nation to the exclusive use of the Missis- sippi is made a subject of indignant complaint. The memorial concludes with a broad hint to North Carolina, that. it' it is too burdensome for her to defend and cherish her western set- tlements, the inhabitants would prefer to be handed over to the guardianship of the Federal Government.
CHAPTER XIII
INCREASE OF POPULATION-CURRENCY OF CUMBERLAND.
ABOUT this time, and for several succeeding years, the population of the Cumberland clouy rapidly increased. Sufficient land, as rich as any in the world, had now been put into cuiti- vation to produce an abundance of corn for bread, and for feeding hogy and other stock. The road lately made across the mountain region enabled families from Last Tennessee. and from the old Status, to bring with them much of their household goods. nul the means of more comfortable living: and the part of fifty riflemen secured them avantist Indan du- redations on the way. The mad! comot.ir at The Bluff had you so much exproud, ja- ticularly down the Comberlani, that it became necessary again to divide Davidem colts. and to organize a third, which took the name of Tennessee.
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In 1789, the three counties were laid off into a judicial district, and a judge appointed to hold courts therein. John McNairy was the first circuit judge in Middle Tennessee. It is rather singular that the district was called Mero, after the name of the Spanish Governor . of Louisiana. Our readers will remember Colonel Robertson's letter to McGillevray, as mentioned in the tooth chapter. Wall, either on account of the hint then given, or because he was naturally a mill and kindly man, this Governor Mero had behaved in a very friendly manner toward the Cumberland boatmen and other traders who had visited the Spanish settlements. Perhaps this naming of the dis- triet was another piece of management, on the part of Colonel Robertson, to flatter the Spanish official into a continuance of good behavior.
Our readers, perhaps, had a langh over the account, given in the first Book, of the currency of the State of Franklin. But as far as a circulating medium, or a substitute for money, is concernedl. the people of Frank- lin were at least, as well off as their brothers, the backwoodsmen of Cumberland. The records of the county court of Davidson
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show, in a very satisfactory manner, what was the commercial condition of its inhab- itants in the year 1787. The business be- fore the court was to supply the ways and means of supporting the battalion of mounted troops, under command of Major Evans, Ir such a thing had now to be done, the court would at once levy a tax to be paid. in goldl cr silver, or good bank-bills, to the sheriff, and by him to the county treasury.
But in 1767, it was managed differently. The court then ordered that one-fourth of each man's tax be paid in corp, two-fourths in beer, pork, bear-meat, or venison, one-eighth in salt. and one-eighth in money. These articles were to be delivered at a particular place in each captain's company, and then conveyed to the troops. It was to answer the expense of this last transportation that the one-eighth in money was required. For these articles the following priees were to be allowed: for corn, four si il- lings per boshel; beef, five d. Hlars per hundred : pork, eight dollars; good hear-ment, without bones, eight dollars; venison. ten shilings per hundred: wilt, sixteen dollars for tel. The r. ader will notice that cenisen was then inneh cheaper than beef or pork, and that salt,
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at that time, cost about forty times its present price.
As we took occasion to remark, when speak- ing of the revenue of Franklin, the want of money is not always a sign of poverty. A good and plentiful circulating medium is certainly a ' great convenience, and essential to the business of a commercial people; but the inhabitants of Cumberland had so little commerce that their transactions could be pretty well managed without money. In this respect, indeed. they were very little behind the people of the Atlan- tic States. Men of considerable property hal begun to seek homes in the western settlements, bat the - brought little gold or silver with them, for the plain reason that there was very little in the places from which they came. A war of eight years, which had completely prevented all foreien tra le, had left the whole country nearly destitute of money.
As the settlers in Middle Tennessee were cit- izens of North Carolina. and subject to its laws, so they were entitled to be paid out of the State trensurv. for services rendered to the public. Those who had been wounded and disabled, amal the families of those who had been killed in the Indian wars, had a fair claim to be provided
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for by the State. Those who had furnished horses, arms, or provisions for the army, were entitled to compensation, as also those whose property had been destroyed or carried off by the public enemy. For all such claims, a law of North Carolina provided that certificates should be issued to the claimant, which should be received as money in the payment of taxes. These certificares could be passed from one to another, among the people, and to some extent answered the purpose of the bank-notes now in use.
The great scarcity of money among the Cum- berland people was caused, not so much by having nothing to sell, as by the want of a market. The white communities nearest to them were those of Kentucky and East Ten. nessee, and in them the inhabitants had a surplus of every thing that those of Middle Tennessee wanted to sell. The only chance for the latter to get even a little money for their prodieg, was to take it in far 'wat- down the Comberland, Ohio, ali Mississippi, to the Spanish towns of Natchez and New Orleans. Then, after paying a tax-sometimes a very heavy una-for the privilege, they could well. generally for a very low price, and thea return
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on foot, through the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations of Indians, a distance of about twelve hundred miles from New Orleans to Nashville. Full of hardship and danger as it was, this trip had now begun to be frequently undertaken.
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CHAPTER XIV.
DISASTROUS ATTEMPT TO REACH NASHVILLE BY WATER.
Ix the fourth chapter, we gave an account of the passage of the party under Colonel Don- aldson down the Tennessee, and up the Ohio and Cumberland, to The Bluff. That expedi- tion proved successful, though the party sur- fered some heavy misfortunes on the way. We are now to relate another undertaking of the same kind, which ended not only in failure. but in the death or captivity of every person engaged in it. Colonel James Brown was an officer in the North Carolina line of the Conti- mental Army. After the close of the war, Le resolved to settle in Muldle Thuesse. where he cerned valuable lands, granted to him by the State for his military services.
Colonel Brown assembled his party on the Holston, ard there made all due preparations to descend the stream. He boilt a large boat,
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the sides of which were fenced up with thick plank, to protect those in it from rifle or musket- balls, if they should be fired at by Indians. In the stern, or hind part of the boat, was placed a small cannon. Colonel Brown's family con- sisted of himself, his wife, two grown sons, and three younger ones, four small daughters, and several negroes. In addition to these. he took along also five young men -- J. Bays, John Flood, John Gentry, William Gentry, and John Gridin. This whole party embarked, and com- menced their voyage down Holston, in May, 1788.
They proceeded without any accident till they arrived at the Chickamauga towns, where several of the Cherokees ca.ne on board, and appeared to be very friendly. But as soon as they returned to land, they sent runners to give notice to the warriors in the towns below that a boat was on the river, and that they should collect all the canoes they could to meet and attack the party. The river at this time was high, and the back-water was in the bottom. Brown's beat had not proceeded many miles, before it was met by four cances, containing about forty Indian warriors. They hoistel a white flag as a token of peace, and pretended
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that they only wanted to trade with the white men. Though suspicious of their bad designs, Colonel Brown stopped his boat, and suffered them to come on board.
These Indians were no sooner in the boat. than they began to make very free with what- ever it contained; and while they were em- ployed in rudely rummaging among the goods. seven or eight other cances were seen suddenly coming out from the back-water amongst the cane. The boat was in a moment surrounded by them, and the whites were at the merry of the treacherous and bloody savages. Colonel Brown was the first victim, whose head was nearly cut in two with a sword, and his body thrown over- board. Every man of the party was soon butchered, including, of course, Colonel Brown - two grown sons. As the Indians had every thing in their power, they preferred not to kill the women and children, but to make them captives and slaves.
Amongst the band of Indians that committed this outrage, were some Creek warriors, who took Mrs. Brown, her son ten years old, and three little daughters, in their share of the spoils. Two of the daughters were brought back by the Cherokees, and remained among
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them, while the mother, her son George. aud the other daughter continued to be the prisoners and slaves of the Creeks, whose towns were on the Tallapoosa River. Another son. Joseph, belonged to a Cherokee warrior. Mrs. Brown and the daughter with her were purchased by McGillevray, the head-chief of the Creeks, and restoral to her friends about a year afterward. The chief Anerously refused all compensation for this act of humanity. George Brown re- mainod in captivity about five years, but was then released, and restored to his friends.
The unprovoked and atrocious slaughter of Colonel Brown's party, with the many other similar outrages. from time to time committed by the lawless savages of The Narrows, at length arousal . General Sevier and his ever- ready volunteers to attack them in their homes and stronghohl .. "Nolichucky Jack," as Se- vier was familiarly called by his men, soon brought these Cherokees into a humor to seek peace upon the best terms, they could get. Among other things, it was required of the Indians to surrender all the white prisoners in their hands; and upon this occasion, Joseph Brown and his two sisters regained their liberty.
With this chapter will end the separate his-
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tory of the Cumberland colony. The short interval of time between the present date and February, 1790, when North Carolina ceded all her western territory to the United States, fur- nishes no incidents beyond the usual items of savage warfare. There have passed ten years since James Robertson and his companions planted themselves at the French Salt Lick, and twice that time since Bean set up his house- hold gods upon the banks of the Watauga. We have traced the progress of the two settle- ments, until a safe and easy communication has been established between them. Henceforth we are to consider them as blended into one community, and to pursue their farther history under the name of the "Territory South-west of the River Ohio."
BOOK III. UNITED STATES TERRITORY AND STATE OF TENNESSEE.
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1
CHAPTER I.
HOW THE TERRITORY WAS GOVERNED.
1
THE " Articles of Confederation," which held the States together during, and for some years after, the Revolutionary War, had been laid aside, and the present "Constitution of the United States" adopted. and was about to g) into operation. According to that constitution. the Territory was to be regulated and managed by the Federal Government-that is, by the President and Congress. General Washingtou was then President, and it became his duty to appoint a governor and two jadeos for the Ter- ritory. The appointment of governor was be-
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stowed upon William Blount, of North Caro- lina, and David Campbell and Joseph Anderson were made judges.
Mr. Blount was a gentleman of wealth and education, had been a delegate from North Carolina to the convention that framed the Constitution of the United States, and acted as commissioner from that State among the Indian tribes. He received his commission as Governor of the Territory in August, 1790, and in Octo- ber arrived in the neighborhood of Watauga to enter upon the duties of his office. One of these duties was to appoint the civil and mili- tary officers of the Territory. In most cases, he appointed the same men who had held the several others under the Government of North Carolina, only giving them a new commission, under the authority of the United States.
Governor Blount, having appointed the offi- cers of Washington District, which included ail the counties in Eat Tennessee, proceeded to Nashville, to arrange the affairs of Mero Dis- triet, composed of the three counties on the Cumberland-David-on, Sumner, and Tennes- see. Not having authority himself to appoint brigadier-generals, he recommended to the President to give there offices respectively to
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John Sevier for Washington, and James Rob- ertson for Mero, and they were commissioned accordingly. Having thus set the Territorial Government in motion, Governor Blount fixed his official residence at Knoxville, on the Hol- ston, which soon became the most important place in East Tennessee, though at that time only the site of a few cabins and rough clear- ings. 1: took its name from General Henry Knox, then Secretary of War under President Washington.
In addition to his other powers and duties, Governor Blount was also the agent of the United States among the Southern Indians, namely, the Cherokees, Creeks, Chickasaws, and Choctaws. In this department he acted under the direction of the Secretary of War, who seems not to have understood so well how to manage the savages as Sevier or Robertson did. His instructions to Governer blant Te- quired that officer, and the people of the settle- ments, to act only on the def tive toward the hostile Indians. An army was not, upon any account, to be marched into the Indian country. The Secretary was doubtless a man of excellent sense, and a good military caleer, but nother he, nor even General Washington, had ever
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had any experience of Indian warfare, in a country covered with canebrakes, where a hun- dred warriors could lie concealed for weeks within a hundred yards of a station.
The basinde of regulating the intercourse between the white and the red men, Governor Blount found to be exceedingly troublesome. Being bound to carry out the instructions of the Secretary of War, he was compelled to wit- ness mich suffering, and to hear loud complaint among the people under his charge. In Mero District the population was now about seven thousand, furnishing one thousand fighting men; and in Washington there were perhaps four times as many. The two brigadiers-Se- vier and R horton-felt themselves able to beat any force the Indians could array against them, whenever they could bring them to a battle. But this the savages would generally avoid, and preferred to hide in small parties about the swthements, robbing and murdering at every sif opportunity.
When depredations were committed, pursuit would immediately he me, but with very little prospect of finding the offenders, who could easily disporse and Ible in the cane. or make their way across the Indian ting, where
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the troops were not permitted to follow them. In such a state of things, it is not strange if the fiery spirit of the western soldiers some- times broke out into acts of impatience, which defied control. The authority of the Federal Goverment, and the proclamations of Goverror Blount, were alike disregarded, in some in- stances, when the law of self-preservation and the instinct of vengeance were too powerful for the law of the land. At length the Federal authorities themselves became convinced that they had mistaken the true policy to be pursued toward the Indian enemies of the Territory, and the western people were again permitted to defend themselves by carrying war into the In lian country.
President Washington was then earnestly en- gaged in endeavoring to make a treaty with Spain, which might secure for us the free navi- gation of the Mississippi, and put a stop to the evil influence which the Spanish authorities in America were exercising over the Southern Tu- diaus to our prejudice. On the other hand, the Spanish Government was aiming to convince the people west of the Alleghantes, that the only r.sans of obtaining pace with the Indians, and a foreign market for their perluce, was to sepa- 8
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CHAPTER IL.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
AFTER the present Constitution of the United States had been adopted, the President and the Senate could alore make treaties with the In- dian tribes. Before that time, some had been made under the authority of North Carolina, some by the State of Franklin, and others by individuals, as has been before mentioned. None but those made by North Carolina were of any force, but yet many of the innabitants of the South-west Territory were actually living; on lauds acquired by these unauthorized tren- ties. For the sake of prace with the Indians, who vere often complaining of these encroach- ments, the President issnel be replication. wartbur all persons to i move from the lands which the Indians had not surrendered by some lawful treaty.
As the Indians paid no attention to their own I Seethents, but made war upon there outside
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rate from the Atlantic States, and to attach them- selves to Louisiana. Washington was desirous to preserve peace with Spain, and all other foreign nations, until our country should grow into a degree of strength that would enable us, if necessary, to assert our rights by force of arms. . His policy was no doubt patriotic as it was prudent, but it did sometimes happen that, under the sting of present grievances, the mur- murs of the western pioneers were heard even against the "Father of his country."
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