USA > Tennessee > The Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century: Comprising Its Settlement, as the. > Part 57
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The daring inroad of almost the entire available force of the Creeks and Cherokees under John Watts, one of the most resolute and enterprising of their chiefs, though abortive, and, in its main object, entirely unsuccessful, went far to con- vince the authorities of the Territory, and the Executive of the Federal Government, that it was no longer wise or safe to insist upon and continue their past policy of limiting the action of the country to defensive warfare only, against the Indians. Of this, the people on the frontier had, long since, been fully satisfied ; and against it, had frequently uttered their earnest remonstrance. A sudden and destructive blow
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584
ARMY MARCHES UNDER SEVIER,
against the heart of the Indian nation, was loudly called for, and was immediately authorized by Secretary Smith, thea acting as Governor, in the absence of Blount. The army already at Ish's, under General Sevier, was reinforced by ad- ditional troops from Washington District, commanded by Colonel John Blair, and from Hamilton District, under Col. Christian. Major Elholm acted as Adjutant on this cam- paign. Thus reinforced, the army under Sevier amounted to six or seven hundred mounted men. They crossed Little Tennessee River at a ford above Lowry's Ferry, and con- tinued a rapid march across Hiwassee and Amoyah, till they reached Estinaula, an Indian village. Here they found abundant supplies of grain and meat, and remained there two or three days. Having burned the town, which they found deserted, their encampment was formed in its imme- diate vicinity, and upon the banks of Estinanla River, in two parallel lines-Christian's regiment nearest to the river, and Blair's a little south of it, with sentries around it in all directions. The flower of the enemies' warriors were around the camp, and would, doubtless, make a night attack. Noises were heard at the approach of evening, from the sur- rounding woods, which indicated that mischief was medita- ted. The horses were tethered at a point where they were least likely to be stolen ; sentinels were doubled, and the whole army laid upon their arms Late at night, the Indians were heard by the sentries, some hundred yards distant, ap- proaching in a stealthy, slow, uniform movement, creeping abreast over the high sedge grass. They were allowed to come so near, that the sentries heard the Indians cock their guns. At that instant, their own guns were fired, and they then retired, in a sidewise direction, to the camp. The In- dians discharged their guns, and, at once, set up the war- whoop and yells of defiance. The sidewise movement of the retiring sentries saved most of them from the aim of the Indians. Gaut, by pursuing a straight course, was danger- ously, but not mortally, wounded.
The Indian fire produced some confusion in the camp, du- ring which, some captive squaws and children escaped. But the warriors kept at such a distance, that the fire from the
585
AND ENCOUNTERS THE INDIANS AT ETOWAH.
camp could not reach them ; and the darkness prevented an . outward movement against them. The Indians, soon after, withdrew-having inflicted not a single wound, with the ex- ception of that received by Gaut.
The next night, the camp-fires were kept burning at the same place, but the army decamped to the west. The In- dians, during the night, made another attack ; but, firing only at the vacated camp and finding their mistake, suddenly withdrew.
Finding no Indians to attack at Estinaula, Sevier took up the line of march in the direction of Etowah, with the Coosa on the right. Near the confluence of these streams, and immediately below, was the Indian town, Etowah. The river of the same name had to be crossed before the town could be attacked. Firing was heard in the direction of the town, and apprehending a general attack, Sevier judiciously ordered a halt, and sent forward a detachment from the main body against the town. By mistake of Carey and Findleston, the guides, the party was led to a ferry half a mile below the fording place, and immediately opposite the town. A few of the foremost plunged into the stream and were soon in swimming water, and pushing their way to the opposite bank. The main body, however, discovering the mistake, wheeled to the left and rode rapidly up the river to the ford, where they crossed with the design of riding down to the town, and attacking sit without delay.
The Indians, having previously obtained information of Sevier's approach, had made excavations in the bank of the river nearest their town, each of them large enough for one man to lie with his gun poised, and with a leisurely aim to shoot our men as soon as they came in sight. In these, the warriors were safely entrenched. But perceiving the move- ment of horsemen down the river, and suspecting some other project was devised against their town, they quitted, precipi- tately, their places of ambush, crossed the river, and hurried down on its other side to defend it.
A fortunate mistake of the pilots, thus drew this formidable party out of its entrenchments, exposed it in the open field, and left to the invaders a safe passage through that bank of
586
DECISIVE BATTLE AT ROME. -
. the river so recently lined with armed men. But for this mistake, the horsemen could not have escaped a most deadly fire, and, in all probability, a summary defeat. But the method of fighting was now entirely changed. The crossing by the horsemen was too quickly done, to allow the Indians to regain their hiding places; their ranks were scattered, and the main body of them, hemmed in between the assail- ants and the river. This done, the men dismounted, betook themselves to trees, and poured in a deadly fire upon the enemy. They resisted bravely, under the lead of the King Fisher, one of their most distinguished Braves. He made a daring sally within a few yards of where one of the party, Hugh L. White, was standing, and the action was becoming sharp and spirited, when White and a few comrades near him, levelling their rifles, this formidable champion fell, and his warriors immediately fled. Three brave men lost their lives in this engagement. Pruett and Weir died on the spot- Wallace, the next day.
The town was set on fire late in the evening, and the troops encamped near it. During the night they were attacked by the Indians. Benjamin McNutt, Esq., and William Gaut, were standing as sentinels in an exposed point of the en- eampment. The Indians approached stealthily upon them, and each of them fired. Gaut was shot through the body, was carried several days' march on a litter, but ultimately recovered.
The beautiful town of Rome, in Georgia, is near the place where the battle of Etowah was fought.
After the engagement, the Indians made good their escape into the secret passes of the adjoining country. The army, after the town was burned, rescued from the places in which they were obliged to conceal themselves, Col. Kelly and the five horsemen, who had swam their horses at the lower crossing.
Sevier having accomplished thus much of the object of the expedition, desired to extend his conquests to Indian towns still lower down the country. The guides informed him that there was but one accessible path by which the army could reach these distant villages, and that it could be passed only
587
SEVIER'S OFFICIAL REPORT.
under disadvantageous circumstances.' Little hope remained . of meeting the enemy in such numbers as to inflict upon the perpetrators of the mischief at Cavet's, suitable punishment for their atrocities. They had been expelled from the fron- tier-the heart of their country had been penetrated-their warriors defeated and baffled, and their towns and crops burned up and destroyed. Orders for the return march were given, and the army soon after reached their homes in safety .*
Sevier took command again at Ish's, from which place he made to Gov. Blount his official report :
ISI's MILL, 25th October, 1793.
Sir :- In obedience to an order from Secretary Smith, I marched in pursuit of the large body of Indians, who, on the 25th of last month, did the mischief in Knox county, near the Grassy Valley. For the safety and security of our army, I crossed at one of the upper fords, on the Tennessee River, below the mountains. We then bent our course for Hiwassee, with expectations of striking the trail, and before we reached that river, we discovered four large ones, making directly into the mountains. We proceeded across the Hiwassee, and directed our march for Estanaula, on the Coosa River, at which place we arrived on the 14th instant, discovering on our way further trails leading to the afore- said place. We there made some Cherokee prisoners, who informed us that John Watts headed the army lately out on our frontiers ; that the same was composed of Indians, more or less, from every town in the Cherokee nation ; that from the Turkey's town, Sallyquoah, Coosa- waytah, and several other principal ones, almost to a man was out, joined by a large number of the Upper Creeks, who had passed that place on their return, only a few days since, and had made for a town at the mouth of Hightower River. We, after refreshing the troops, marched for that place, taking the path that leads to that town, along which the Creeks had marched, in five large trails. On the 17th inst., in the afternoon, we arrived at the forks of Coosa and Hightower Rivers. Colonel Kelly was ordered, with a part of the Knox regiment, to endea- vour to cross the Hightower. The Creeks, and a number of Cherokees, had entrenched themselves to obstruct the passage. Colonel Kelly and his party passed down the river, half a mile below the ford, and began to cross at a private place, where there was no ford. Himself and a few others swam over the river; the Indians discovering this movement, immediately left their entrenchments, and ran down the river to oppose their passage, expecting, as I suppose, the whole intended crossing at the lower place. Capt. Evans, immediately, with his company of mounted
*Narratives of the late James Rogers and of Benjamin M'Nutt, Esq., of Knox county, each of whom was on this expedition, and participated largely in military and civil services during the infancy of the country. Squire McNutt still survives, and has furnished other details of early times in Tennessee.
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588
ETOWAH CAMPAIGN CLOSES
infantry, strained their horses back to the upper ford, and began to cross the river. Very few had got to the south bank, before the Indians, who had discovered their mistake, returned and received them furiously at the rising of the bank. An engagement instantly took place, and be- came very warm, and, notwithstanding the enemy were at least four to one in numbers, besides the advantage of situation, Captain Evans, with his heroic company, put them in a short time entirely to flight. They left several dead on the ground, and were seen to carry others off both on foot and horse. Bark and trails of blood from the wounded, were to be seen in every quarter. Their encampment fell into our hands, with a number of their guns, many of which were of the Spanish sort, with their budgets, blankets and match coats, together with some horses. We lost three men in this engagement, which is all that have fell during the time of our route, although this last attack was the fourth the enemy had made upon us, but in the others, repulsed without loss. After the last engagement, we crossed the main Coosa, where they had thrown up some works and evacuated; they suffered us to pass unmolested. We then proceeded on our way down the main river, near the Turnip Moun- tain, destroying, in our way, several Creek and Cherokee towns, which they had settled together on each side of the river, and from which they have all fled, with apparent precipitation, leaving almost every thing be- hind them. Neither did they, after the last engagement, attempt to annoy or interrupt us on our march, in any manner whatever. I have great reason to believer their ardour and spirit were well checked. The party flogged at Hightower, were those which had been out with Watts. There are three of our men slightly wounded, and two or three horses killed; but the Indians did not, as I have heard of, get a single horse from us the time we were out. We took and destroyed near three hun- dred beeves, many of which were of the best and largest kind. Of course, their losing so much provision must distress them very much. Many women and children might have been taken ; but, from motives of humanity, I did not encourage it to be done, and several taken were suffered to make their escape. Your Excellency knows the disposition of many that were out on this expedition, and can readily account for this conduct.
The Etowah campaign was the last military service ren- dered by Sevier, and the only one for which he ever received compensation from the Government. For nearly twenty years he had been constantly engaged in incessant and un- remitted service. He was in thirty-five battles, some of them hardly contested and decisive. He was never wounded, and in all his campaigns and battles, was successful and the victor. He was careful of the lives of his soldiery, and, although he always led them to the victory, he lost, in all his engagements with the enemy, but fifty-six men. The secret of his invariable success, was the impetuosity and
589
THE MILITARY LIFE OF SEVIER.
vigour of his charge. Himself an accomplished horseman, a graceful rider, passionately fond of a spirited charger, always well mounted at the head of his dragoons, he was at once in the midst of the fight. His rapid movement, always unexpected and sudden, disconcerted the enemy, and at the first onset decided the victory. He was the first to introduce the Indian war-whoop in his battles with the savages, the tories, or the British. More harmless than the leaden missile, it was not less efficient, and was always the precursor and attendant of victory. The prisoners at King's Mountain said, " We could stand your fighting, but your cursed hal- looing confused us ; we thought the mountains had regiments instead of companies." Sevier's enthusiasm was contagious ; he imparted it to his men. He was the idol of the soldiery, and his orders were obeyed cheerfully and executed with precision. In a military service of twenty years, one in- stance is not known of insubordination on the part of the soldier or of discipline by the commander.
Sevier's troops were generally his neighbours, and the . members of his own family. Often no public provision was made for their pay, equipments or subsistence. These were furnished by himself, being at once Commander, Commis- dariat and Paymaster. The soldiery rendezvoused at his house, which often became a cantonment-his fields, ripe or unripe, were given up to his horsemen ; powder and lead, provisions, clothing, even all he had, belonged to his men.
The Etowah campaign terminated the military services . of General Sevier. Hereafter, we will have to record his not less important agency in the civil affairs of Tennessee.
The notice of the Paymaster, as published in the Gazette, of the payment of the troops in the service of the 1793 Territory, furnishes the only list that can now be pro- cured, of the captains who served in 1792 and 1793. They are here given : Captains Hugh Beard, Lusk, Brown, Rains, Doherty, Briant, Henley, Tate, Christian, Gillespie, Samples, Crawford, Cooper, Grier, Milliken, Childers, White, Gregg, Allison, King, Marshall, Bunch, Chisum, Richardson, Evans, Copeland, Cantrell, Murray, Shannon, Cordery, Nash, Parker, Edmonson, Frazier, Wm. Blackmore, Johnston, Hoggat, G.
590
FUNERAL PROCESSION ATTACKED.
D. Blackmore, Walker ; Lieutenant G. L. Davidson ; Cornet Milligan. For services in 1793, Captain Cox, Lieutenants Birds, Hubbard and Henderson, Sergeant Mcclellan.
While Sevier was absent with so many men, on the Eto- wah campaign, the Indians came in suddenly and killed, on the south of the river, above Dandridge, a lad and a woman. They were found, stuck in the throat like hogs, the skin ta- ken entirely off their heads, and the bodies left naked. A party of friends accompanied their remains to a burying- ground three miles off. Two of these, Cunningham and Ja- cob Jenkins, incautiously went on some distance before the rest. A body of fifty Indians fired upon them. The former was killed, scalped, and bruised with war-clubs. He was found, directly after, by the company, carried to the burial place, and interred with the other two in the same grave. Jenkins received several bullets shot through his clothes, and a blow from a war-club ; but his horse being struck with a ball, dashed down a precipice, and brought off the rider in safety.
Hearing of this massacre of his friends, W. H. Cunning- ham went from his home on Boyd's Creek, for the purpose of advising them to remove to the stronger station at Mc- Gaughey's ; and to bring home with him his son Jesse, (then a little boy,) who was staying at the Buffalo Lick. He car- ried his little son before him, the distance of thirty miles; leaving the main road, and pursuing by-paths, he escaped the attack of the Indians till he got within about half a mile of the fort, when he passed through a party of them, thirty in number. It was. now night, and he escaped unhurt." The Indians prowled around the station, but finding it too well defended to justify an assault, they broke open the stable doors, stole the horses of the besieged, and withdrew. The condition of the country did not allow of pursuit.
Two weeks after, Mr. Cunningham was going out from the fort alone. At the distance of two hundred yards from the fort gate, he was fired upon by a party of ten Indians, lying
*The son, whom he also carried in safety through this imminent exposure, is the Rev. Jesse Cunningham, of Monroe county, Tennessee.
591
SPENCER KILLED AT SPENCER'S HILL.
in ambush fifteen steps from him. He escaped every ball, but the Indians having intercepted his return to the gate, chased him in the opposite direction. The fire from one of . their guns proved effectual, and wounded him. He turned the corner of a fence, and would have been soon overtaken, but that the men in the fort sallied out and made pursuit of the Indians ; upon discovering which, the Indians withdrew to their retreats in the mountains.
Information reached Knoxville that, since the expedition 1794 § carried on against the Cherokees by General Sevier, ( and which terminated with the battle of Etowah, the Indians had, in a great measure, ceased their hostilities against the Cumberland settlements ; and some of the peo- ple there solicited, through Col. Ford, one of the members of the Territorial Legislature, that General Sevier would undertake a future campaign in the same direction, as the most effectual means of procuring a permanent peace.
From the same source the information was communicated, that " a campaign was going against the Spanish posses- sions by French troops, now at the mouth of Cumberland, and garrisoned at that place. Gen. George Rogers Clarke has the command of this expedition, and they are to embark at the mouth of Cumberland."
It may be here remarked, that the disposition to engage in the projected campaign never became general in the Terri- tory, and, meeting with little sympathy from the masses, was soon after abandoned.
1794, April 1 .- A party of Indians, thirty or forty in num- ber, ambuscaded a path near Calvin's Block-house, on Crooked Creek, and fired upon Samuel Wear, his two sons and William McMurray. They escaped unhurt.
A more tragical issue attended an attack made the same day by a party of forty Indians, near the Crab-Orchard, upon a company of travellers. Thomas Sharp Spencer was killed, and James Walker was wounded. The rest of the party escaped to the Point Block-house. The hill down which the whites were descending, and on which Spencer was killed, is still known as Spencer's Hill.
April 2 .- Twenty-five Indians secreted themselves at
592
DREADFUL MASSACRE OF MR. CASTEEL.
night, near the Block-house, at the mouth of Town Creek, and, next morning, fired upon and killed William Green. · Attempting to storm the block-house, the Indians were re- pulsed, and several of their warriors wounded.
On the 15th, the Indians stole ten horses from Mr. Gibbs. More than fifty horses had been stolen in that neighbour- hood within a few days.
Amongst other acts of Indian hostility perpetrated in Knox county, was one which occurred on the 22d April, 1794. William Casteel lived south of French Broad, about nine miles above Knoxville, and two miles from the then residence of Doctor Cozby. The latter had been an old In- dian fighter, from the first settlement of the country, and was, of course, held in deadly hatred by the Indians, and had often been selected as the victim of their vengeance. He had his house always well prepared for defence, and never allowed himself to be taken by surprise. At evening, of the 22d, his domestic animals gave the usual tokens of the presence of Indians, when, observing from his house, he could discern, obscurely, the stealthy march, in Indian file, of twenty warriors passing across the end of a short lane, and concealing themselves in the fence corners and the adjoining woods. The door was at once barricaded, the fire extinguished, two guns primed afresh, and with these he prepared to defend his castle and his family, consisting of his wife and several children, one of whom only could shoot. A space of more than one hundred yards had been cleared around his building, and there was light enough to see the approach of an assailant within that distance. From the port-holes, in each angle of the house, a constant watch was kept, and orders were given by Cozby, in a loud voice, to the members of his family, as if commanding a platoon of soldiers. The stratagem succeeded. An hour before day the Indians withdrew, and went off in the direction of Casteel's cabin. Early next morning Anthony Ragan came to Casteel's, and found him dead, from a lick received on his head from a war club ; he was scalped, and lying near the fire, dressed, and with leggins on, having arose early for the purpose, as was supposed, of accompanying Reagan to a
593
MASSACRE OF A WHOLE FAMILY.
hunt, which had been agreed on the preceding day. Mrs. Casteel was found on the floor, scalped in two places-a proof that it required two warriors to conquer her-her night- cap with several holes cut through it, a butcher knife stuck into her side, one arm broken, and a part of the hand of the other arm cut off. She seemed to have made resistance with an axe, found near her, stained with blood. One of the daughters received a stab, which, piercing through the body, went into the bed-clothes. She and two brothers were scalped. The youngest child, two years old, having the cranium entirely denuded of the scalp, was thrown into the chimney corner. Elizabeth, the oldest daughter, ten years old, now Mrs. Dunlap, still living near the scene of the hor- rid massacre of her father's whole family, was found welter- ing in her blood, flowing from six wounds inflicted with a tomahawk. Besides these, she was also scalped. Reagan gave the alarm to the settlement ; urgent pursuit was im- mediately made, but the savages escaped. While prepa- rations were made for the interment of the massacred fami- ly, Elizabeth showed signs of life, moaning when an attempt was made, by Col. Ramsey, who was present, to close one of the gashes upon her head. She was taken to Mr. Shook's, who then owned Major Swan's mills, where Doctor Cozby dressed her wounds. She did not recover for two years. The rest of the family, six in number, were: buried in one grave, under a black-oak tree, still standing. Mr. Casteel was a soldier of the Revolution, from Green Brier county, Va., and had never received any thing for his services. Of the heroic wife and mother, nothing more is known. An effort has been made to procure a pension for the surviving daughter. Thus far it has been fruitless.
Governor Blount found it almost impossible to restrain the inhabitants south of French Broad, where this massacre took place, from an immediate invasion of the Indian terri- tory. His efforts in this would not have succeeded, but for the timely assistance and advice of the civil officers of Knox county, south of the river. These met in committee, June 20, at the house of James Beard : Present-James White, Samuel Newell, William Wallace, William Hambleton, 38
594
SCOTT'S BOAT CAPTURED AND HIS CREW KILLED.
William Lowry, David Craig and Thomas McCulloch. An address to their fellow citizens was agreed upon, printed and circulated. It is an ably written document, and had great influence in tranquillizing the people and pursuading them to acquiesce in the design of the Government, to obtain peace by negotiation, rather than by arms.
May 8 .- Post-offices were not, at this date, extended so far in the interior as Knoxville. It was expected by Mr. Muh- lenberg, Postmaster General, that against October, this facil- ity would be afforded to the people of the Territory.
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