USA > Tennessee > The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century: Comprising Its Settlement, as the. > Part 56
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AND HIS RESTORATION.
their prisoner to write a letter for them to Governor Blount, at Kuoxville, proposing conditions or preliminaries of peace. He obtained liberty, at the same time, to write a letter in his own behalf, to his brother-in-law, Colonel James Scott, which is preserved and is here given :
WILLS TOWN, Dec. 10, 1792.
Dear Sir :- I am a captive in this town, in great distress, and the bearer hereof is a runner from the Upper Towns, from the Hanging Maw, and is now going up with a Talk from Col. John Watts, with the Governor, on terms of peace. These people are much for peace, and if Governor Blount sends a good answer back to the Talk they have sent up by the runner, I am confident their Talk is true and sincere; and, upon the whole, we are not ripe for war with these people, for they are properly fixed for war ; but Watts is entirely for peace, at this time, and wishes for a good answer to their Talks. Dear Sir, I have been much abused, and am in great distress. I beg that you and John Cowan, and every good friend, would go to the Governor, and try all you can to get him to send a good answer, so that I can get away -- for if an army comes before, I am sure to die. Send word to my wife, and send me a horse down by the Hanging Maw's runner, for I am not able to come without. Dear friends, do what you can, for I am in a distressed way. No more, but-
SAMUEL HANDLEY.
N. B .- John Watts sends to the Hanging Maw to send Calaka, the Hanging Maw's nephew, and another young fellow, down with the Go- vernor's Talk and the horse for me, for he is a safe fellow, and if they come I am sure to get home, but if not, I expect never to get home ; and I once more beg you to do your possibles for me, and do them soon as you can.
To James Scott, Nine Mile, Henry's Station. These.
The letter was favourably received by Gov. Blount, and though the Cherokees did not come to an adjustment till af- ter another bloody struggle and ruinous defeat at Etowah, they commissioned eight of their Braves to escort Captain Handley in safety to his friends, in Blount county, with no other ransom than a keg of whiskey given them as a pre- sent.
Capt. H. resided some time after near Tellico Block-house, where the Indians frequently came for the purpose of traffic. When any of his Indian acquaintances from Wills Town came there, they crossed over to see him, share his hospi- tality, and repose upon his premises, as with a genuine brother of their own order. He afterwards moved to Win- chester, Tenn., where he died.
574
THE PEOPLE INVENSED.
The Cherokees were understood to be embodied in such 1798 ( force as to threaten an attack upon South-West Point, ( and other places upon the frontier, where the several corps under the command of Sevier had been stationed. But acting under the orders of the Secretary of War, Gov. Blount gave orders, Nov. 29th, that all the troops of Sevier's brigade, except two companies, should be marched to Knox- ville, and mustered out of service. This was accordingly done early in January of 1793.
On Tuesday, the 22d of January, the Indians killed and scalped John Pates, on Crooked Creek, about sixteen miles from Knoxville.
On the 29th, the Cherokees stole three of William David- son's horses from Gamble's Station, on Little River ; and, on the 26th of February, they stole ten horses from Cozby's Creek. These aggressions prompted the spontaneous assem- blage of the militia at Gamble's Station, for the purpose of marching to the nearest Indian towns, and retaliating upon them the injuries they were suffering.
The Governor immediately ordered Col. Kelly to go to the dissatisfied and incensed citizens on the frontier, and en- deavour to restrain them from going with arms across the Tennessee River, or entering any of the Indian towns. The Governor found it necessary also to issue his proclamation, requiring the citizens to desist from an invasion of the la- dian territory, which was now contemplated by a party of eighty men, who had assembled at Gamble's for that pur- pose. He attended there himself in person, to aid, by his per- sonal and official influence, in the preservation of peace. In this he was assisted by Col. White and others. To contri- bute still more in allaying the impending storm of retalia- tion, a company of cavalry was ordered to range from Hol- ston to Little River. Quiet was restored, and the people were tranquillized.
While these measures were being adopted to restrain the just indignation of the settlers, new causes of offence were of constant occurrence.
On the 9th of March, a party of Indians, led by Towakka, formed an ambuscade near the house of Mr. Nelson, living
575
INDIANS CONTINUE HOSTILITIES.
on Little Pigeon, twenty-five miles from Knoxville .: Two of his sons, James and Thomas, were killed and scalped.
On the 16th, fourteen horses were stolen from Flat Creek, within sixteen miles from Knoxville.
In March, Joseph Brown, whose capture, in 1788, has al- ready been mentioned, accompanied Thomas Ross, the mail carrier, and Col. Caleb Friley, from the Holston settlements, by the way of Kentucky, to Cumberland. They were fired upon the third evening after they started, on the east side of Little Laurel, but sustained no damage. They went in full speed, crossed the river, and in about a quarter of a mile ran into a large body of Indians ; Ross was killed, Brown and Friley escaped, severely wounded.
On the 18th of March, two young men, named Clements, were killed and scalped sixteen miles below Knoxville.
On the 20th of March, a party of Indians killed and scalped William Massey and Adam Greene, at the gap of Powell's Mountain, on Clinch, about twenty miles from Rogersville.
A party of Creeks, led by young Lashley, burned, on the 8th of April, the house of Mr. Gallaher, on the south side of Holston, and within twenty miles of Knoxville. A detach- ment of mounted infantry pursued, but did not overtake them. The same party hovered about the settlements till the 15th, when a party of Lieutenant Tedford's rangers fired upon and killed one of the Indians, who proved to be a Che- rokee-Noon-Day of Toquo.
A report was received from James Carey, one the inter- preters of the United States in the Cherokee nation, in which he confirms the intelligence Governor Blount had received of Indian hostilities-" of large parties of Creeks and Chero- kees, meditating invasion of Mero and Washington Districts, and of the impression generally prevalent with the Indians, that the reason why the Americans did not retaliate, but patiently bore the injuries they had received from them, was the posture of their negotiation with foreign Powers, and their fear of offending them. And that if it was not for this, the Americans, certainly, would not be offering and begging peace in return for murders, robberies and bloodshed, daily committed on their citizens." Other intelligence of the
576
JEFFERSON COUNTY RECORDS
same purport was received, through Mr. Gilliland, who had just returned from the nation.
April 12 .- The people on the frontier generally collected in stations. At Craig's, there were two hundred and eighty men, women and children, living in great discomfort in small huts.
At this moment, Governor Blount was informed, that Gen- eral Logan was raising a party of Kentucky Volunteers, for the purpose of making war upon the Lower Cherokee towns.
On the 12th of April, Gov. Blount wrote to Gov. Shelby, suggesting to him the propriety of restraining Logan from the expedition he contemplated against the enemy.
The Governor ordained that Knox and Jefferson counties should constitute a Judicial District, to be known by the name of the District of Hamilton, in which two Superior Courts should be held, at Knoxville, in April and October of each year. Of this court, Col. F. A. Ramsey was, by the Go- vernor, appointed clerk.
March 21 .- It was ordained by the Governor, that courts should be in future held for Jefferson county, on the north side of French Broad, on the lands of Francis Dean, near the Rev. Mr. Henderson's Lower Meeting House.
JULY 22 .- JEFFERSON COUNTY COURT FIRST HELD .-- It met at the house of Jeremiah Mathews, (now Reuben Zirkle's,, four and a half miles west of Dandridge, near the river.) The magistrates had been commissioned and qualified.
June 11 .- The following gentlemen appeared and took their seats, viz : Alexander Outlaw, George Doherty, James Roddye, John Black- burn, James Lea, Josiah Wilson, Josiah Jackson,, Andrew. Henderson, Amos Balch and Wm. Cox.
Joseph Hamilton was commissioned Clerk.
Robert McFarland, Sheriff. James Roddye, Register.
Luke Bowyer, Wm. Cocke, John Rhea, Alexander, Outlaw, James Roese, Archibald Roane and Hopkins Lacy, were admitted se Attomniet
John Morris, a Chickasaw warrior, being at Knoxville, and a guest of the Governor, was shot and killed by.some cee unknown. To soothe the feelings of the Indians, Morris was buried with the military honours due.to a warrior of a friendly nation. In the procession, to the usual barial ground of the white people, Governor Blount and the brother
577
BEARD'S ATTACK ON HANGING MAW.
of the murdered Indian, walked together as chief mourn- ers
May 25 .- Thomas Gillam and his son James, were killed and scalped by the Indians, in the Raccoon Valley, eighteen miles from Knoxville. Captain Beard, with fifty mounted infantry, made immediate pursuit.
June 13 .- General Sevier was at this time at Jonesboro', and Captain Chisholm, by letter of this date, forwarded by ex- press from Knoxville, informs him, "That on yesterday morning, Capt. John Beard, with a party of forty men, at- tacked the Indians at the Hanging Maw's, and killed twelve or fifteen on the spot, among whom were a number of the principal chiefs, called there by the express order of the President. Major Robert King, Daniel Carmichael, Joseph Sevier and James Ore, were acting for the United States. This will bring on inevitable war ; the Indians are making vigorous preparation for an assault on us. The frontier is in a most lamentable situation. Pray, sir, let us have your immediate presence, for our all depends upon your exertion.
"The Hanging Maw is wounded, his wife is killed, also Scantee, a Chickasaw chief, that was at the Maw's, Kitti- geskie's daughter and other principal Indians. Two hundred Indians were in arms in thirty minutes. Beard and his party have fled, leaving the frontier unprotected. My dear sir, much depends on you-for your presence itself will be a balm to the suffering frontier.""
Governor Blount, was at this moment absent, and the sec- retary, General Smith, on whom that duty now devolved, wrote immediately to the Hanging Maw and other chiefs, in explanation of the atrocious conduct of Beard's party, and begged them not to retaliate the outrage. "Be not rash and inconsiderate," said he ; "hear what your and our Great Father, the President, will say. Go and see him as he has requested. I assure you, I believe he will give you satisfaction, if you forbear to take it yourselves."
The Secretary, communicating the state of things to the War Department, adds, " to my great pain, I find, to punish Beard by law, just now, is out of the question."
The affair was deemed of such consequence, as to demand
578
ANDREW CRESWELL'S STATION.
the arrest and trial of that officer. The court martial, however, before which he was arraigned, inflicted no punish- ment.
The forbearance, as hoped for, from the Cherokees, by General Smith, did not continue long. At daylight, August 29, a large party of Indians attacked Henry's Station. Lieu- tenant Tedford was taken prisoner, and horribly butchered. Andrew Creswell was living in the neighbourhood of Mc- Gaughey's Station ; two other men constituted the force in his house. William Cunningham, passing near, was way- laid by the Indians and shot. He escaped to Creswell's house. One of the men proposed to Creswell, to break up and go to the station. The latter replied that, from his knowledge of the Indian character, he believed they would not strike a second blow in the same place. Mr. Creswell then enquired from his wife, whether she would rather go to the station than to stay at home ? She replied, it seemed like death at either place, and she would rather risk her life there, than any place else. "That's my sort," said Creswell; "I will keep this house till the Indians take me out of it." The house was a new log cabin, with a sin- gle door, fastened by a shutter of hewed puncheons, too thick to be penetrated by a bullet. His stable was so placed, immediately in rear of his house, that Mr. Creswell himself could not open the door of it, without first entering his dwel- ling-house, and going to the head of his bed, and raising a large bolt, with a long lever. Near this lever, was a port- hole, through which he defended his stable; and on each side of his house, were others through which he defended his family. Indians came in sight, but never attacked him. Mr. Cunningham recovered ; he died a few years, since in Monroe county.
August 30 .- This day, two Indians came to the house of Philip Hutter, in Washington county, about eleven o'clock, and tomahawked and scalped his wife, and left her for dead; cut the head off his daughter, and carried it away with them, and plundered the house.
Colonel Doherty and Colonel McFarland, in direct disregard of the orders of the Territorial authorities, raised one hundred nd eighty mounted riflemen,, with whom they invaded the
579
DOHERTY INVADES THE CHEROKEES.
Indian country. Crossing the Tennessee, they penetrated the mountains at a place called the Unaca Pass. It was af- terwards ascertained, that three hundred Indians lay here in ambuscade, awaiting their return. Fortunately, they de- flected eastwardly, south of Tennessee and Pigeon Rivers. In this march, they destroyed six Indian towns, and killed fifteen Indians, whom they scalped. They also took sixteen women and children prisoners. Two or three times, our men were attacked by night. On such occasions, they would re- tire a few paces from the lights of their camp-fires, into the nearest thicket, and stand with their rifles at a present, ready to fire at the flash of the enemies' guns. By the sudden ces- sation of the Indian arms, it was believed that the aim of the whites, although in the dark, was effectual. In these night attacks, four of the riflemen were wounded, one of whom died soon after their return. They were out on this campaign four weeks, and reached the white settlements, twelve miles above the War Ford on French Broad, now New-Port.
Captain Nathaniel Evans, from Boyd's Creek, took forward a large detachment of troops for the protection of Cumberland. One hundred and eighty men rendezvoused at Knoxville. Be- ing mounted, they carried their own provisions-passed South-west Point, Post Oak Springs and the Crab-Orchard James Capshaw, Samuel Martin and George Telford, acted as spies through the wilderness. On Obey's River the signs of Indians multiplied. They, however, came upon none-pass- ing the Rolling Fork and the head of Stone's River, they reached Nashville without molestation from the enemy. Here they remained fifteen days, and returned nearly the same route. It was in their absence, that the Indians in- vaded the country, and took Cavet's Station.
Captain Michael Harrison, with his company of eighty 1798 § light-horse from Washington county, was in service early in September, and visited the several stations on Pigeon, before coming to Sevier's head-quarters at Ish's Station, south of Holston. From this point, scouts were sent out to guard the approaches to Knoxville, which it was apprehended would be the object of Indian attack, on ac-
580
ONE THOUSAND CHEROKEES MARCH AGAINST
count of the public stores that were known to be there. On the 24th September, Captain Harrison's light-horse had scoured the country in every direction, but made no dis- covery of the enemy. But the same evening, a body of a thousand warriors, under the lead of John Watts and Double Head, crossed the Tennessee River, below the mouth of Hol- ston, and marched all night in the direction of Knoxville. Of this large force, seven hundred were Creeks-the rest were Cherokees. Of the former, were one hundred well mounted horsemen. The Indians had expected to reach Knoxville before day, on the morning of the twenty-fifth, but some detention at the river had prevented. The horse- men had out-marched the main body, and some altercation between the leaders occurred, and produced confusion. Knoxville being the principal object of attack and plunder, orders were given by some of the Creeks to press forward at once, and not delay their march, by stopping to disturb and plunder the smaller settlements. Double Head advised a different policy, and insisted on taking every cabin as they passed. A further cause of delay was the rivalry between this chief and Van, each of whom aspired to the leadership qf the expedition. Upon the question, "shall we massacre all the inhabitants of Knoxville, or the men only ?" these savage warriors differed in opinion ; Van advising lenity to the women and children. Before the plan of procedure was adjusted, the night was so far spent as not to allow the invaders time to reach Knoxville before daylight. That town was, however, in the opinion of all, the primary object of attack, and, with that purpose in view, Campbell's Sta- tion-one of the chief forts of the country, and in which, at this time, twenty families were there stationed for mutual protection-was carefully passed, undisturbed. At daylight they had reached the head of Sinking Creek, in the Grassy Valley, and were in a rapid march for Knoxville. The United States troops at that place, as usual, fired off a can- non at sunrise, which the Indians heard, and understood to be an evidence that their attack was expected. This dis- 'concerted their plans, and led to the abandonment of their meditated assault. The Indian force was halted immedi-
581
KNOXVILLE, AND TAKE CAVET'S STATION.
ately. In sight of them, was the house or station of Alex- ander Cavet, in which were only three gun-men and his family, thirteen in number. This house stood on the plan- tation now owned by Mr. Walker, about eight miles west of Knoxville, and about six hundred yards north of the present stage-road, where its foundation can yet be seen.
Disappointed in their hopes of plunder, and too cowardly to run the risk of obtaining it by attacking Knoxville, the Indians determined to wreak their vengeance upon a de- fenceless family, and marched at once to and invested Cavet's house. It was put in the best state of defence which three men could do against a thousand savage assailants. The fire from the house killed one Creek, one Cherokee, and wounded three more. This held back the Indians for a time, and they sent in Bob Benge, a half Creek, who spoke En- glish, proposing that if the station were surrendered, the lives of the besieged should be spared, and that they should be exchanged for a like number of Indian prisoners. These terms were accepted, and the house surrendered. Its unfor- nate inmates had scarcely left the door, when Double Head and his party fell upon the prisoners and put them to death, mutilating and abusing the bodies of the women and chil- dren especially, in the most barbarous and indelicate man- ner possible. Cavet himself was found in the garden bar- barously murdered, and having seven bullets in his mouth, put there by himself, for the greater convenience of speedily loading his rifle. John Watts interposed, and saved the life of Alexander Cavet, Jun., a lad. Benge also interceded for the prisoners, who had capitulated with him, but Double Head was inexorable, and all efforts were unavailing to save the poor victims. The house and stables were plun- dered and burnt, and the Indians went off, carrying with them into captivity the only survivor of a large family. He was afterwards killed in the Indian towns.
The firing at Cavet's Station was heard, and notice of the invasion of the country was communicated, at once, to Gen. Sevier, then lying, with some troops, across the river, at Ish's, and to the people at Knoxville.
582
COLONEL WHITE TAKES MEASURES OF DEFENCE.
"This intelligence gave to the minds of its citizens that impulse which is only to be looked for on great occasions, when the dignity of a simple heroic conception is enough to consecrate danger and death. The number of fighting men in Knoxville was forty. But it wa. thought preferable to combine this force, and to risk every life in a well concerted effort to strike a deadly and terrific blow on the advancing enemy, at the outskirts of the town, rather than stand to be hewed down, in its centre, by the Indian tomahawk.
"Col. James White was then advanced a little beyond the prime of manhood, of a muscular body, a vigorous constitution, and of that cool and determinate courage which arises from a principle of original bra- very, confirmed and ennobled by the faith of the Bible. He was the projector and leader of the enterprise. Robert Houston, Esq., from whose verbal statements the substance of much of this narrative is copied, was of the age of twenty-eight, and was a personal actor in the scene.
" It was viewed to be manifest, by those who were acquainted with Indian movements, that the party would come up the back way, near the present plantations of Mrs. Luttrell and Henry Lonas, rather than the straighter way, now travelled by the stage. The company from Knoxville accordingly repaired to a ridge on that road, which now may be inspected, about a mile and a quarter from Knoxville.
"On the side of this ridge next to Knoxville, our company was sta- tioned, at the distance of twenty steps from each other, with orders to- reserve their fire till the most forward of the Indian party was advanced far enough to present a mark for the most eastern man of our own party. He was then to fire. This fire was to be the signal for every man of our own to take aim with precision. This would be favoured by the halt thus occasioned in the ranks of the Indians. And these latter, it was hoped, astonished at the sudden and fatal discharge of rifles, extended over so long a line, would apprehend a most formidable ambuscade, would quit all thoughts of further aggression, and betake themselves to the readiest and safest retreat.
" But to provide for the worst, it was settled beforehand, that each man, on discharging his piece, without stopping to watch the flight of the Indians, should make the best of his way to Knoxville, lodge him- self in the block-house, where three hundred muskets had been depo- sited by the United States. and where the two oldest citizens of the forty, John McFarland and Robert Williams, were left behind to run bullets and load.
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" Here it was proposed to make a last and desperate struggle ; that, by possessing every port-hole in the building, and by dealing lead and powder through it to the best advantage, they might extort from an enemy of nearly forty times their number, a high price for the hazard · of all they had on earth that was dear and precious. There were then two stores in Knoxville, Nathaniel Cowan's and James Miller's. Though the practical heroism of the well-concerted, and thus far, ably conducted stratagem, in consequence of the sudden retreat of the enemy, was not put to the test of actual experiment, yet an incident fraught with so.
583
VOLUNTEERS CONCENTRATE AT ISH'S.
much magnanimity in the early fortunes of Knoxville, should not be blotted from the records of her fame. It is an incident on which the memory of her sons will linger without tiring, when the din of party shall be hushed and it: strife forgotten. These men of a former day, were ' made of sterner stuff' than to shrink from danger at the call of duty. And it will be left to the pen of a future historian to do justice to that little band of thirty-eight citizens, who flinched not from the deliberate exposure of their persons in the open field, within the calcu- lated gunshot of fifteen hundred of the fleetest running and boldest savages."-Foster's Essay before E. T. Historical and Antiquarian Society.
At Ish's, preparations were made for an immediate pur- suit, and an invasion of the Indian country. The troops in the less remote settlements were ordered into service. Not knowing the number of the invaders, the extent of the mis- chief they had done, nor the point of the next attack, Gen- eral Sevier detached Captain Harrison, to cross the Holston and make discoveries ; and, if necessary, give pursuit. That officer, with his company of light-horse, set out for the trail of the Indians, and, from the smoking ruins of the station, he traced it to a place where they had stopped to feed, in the direction of Clinch River. Finding that the enemy had abandoned the attack on Knoxville, the light-horse returned to Sevier's camp, and expresses were dispatched to Washington District for reinforcements, to intercept and pursue the enemy. Another company of light-horse, commanded by Captain James Richardson, joined the camp at Ish's ; and, in a short time, Sevier's command was augmented by the arrival of troops under Colonel Kelly and others, in numbers sufficient to authorize him to invade the enemy's country.
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