USA > Tennessee > The civil and political history of the state of Tennessee from its earliest settlement up to the year 1796 : including the boundaries of the state > Part 30
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mistaken for men; and took sixteen women and children prison- ers, nine of whom they dismissed, and brought home the others. Before this campaign of Doherty's the Indians had stolen many horses along the frontier, and had fired upon Lieut. Tedford's men, as before stated. Whilst he was out horse stealing went on as usual, and they killed one Cunningham and Black on the southern frontier, and to the eastward on Muddy Creek, above the Little Pigeon; and one Walker, on the Little Pigeon. When Cunningham was killed, three men who were within hearing of the guns hastened to the place, near which they met two Indians, one of whom they killed. He belonged to the town of Chilho- wee, and was known to several persons by the name of "Chilho- wee Jim."
On Sunday, the 11th of August, the Indians fired upon a Mr. Black and another man belonging to Lieut. Tedford's men as they were returning from a corn-field at Wells's Sta- tion.
On the 20th of August, at night, the Indians burned James Tedford's house, all his flax, and some other property; cut down about an acre.of Capt. Joseph Tedford's corn, killed some hogs, and threw down the fences. The tracks which they made indi- cated a large party. It was believed that they were then em- bodying, and would shortly fall upon the settlements. The peo- ple called earnestly on Gen. Sevier to come to their protection. The principal men in Jefferson County, alarmed at the impend- ing storm, and sensible that it would shortly burst upon some part of the frontiers, presented their sentiments in a memorial to the general, and wished him to use the most efficient meas- ures for their defense.
After the return of Doherty, and before the 22d of August, the Indians killed Abraham Wells near his house, and burned three dwelling-houses which had been deserted. The Indians taken by Doherty all agreed that, except a small party of Chero- kees who had gone to Swannanoe, all the rest of the nation were assembling at Estanaula, where John Watts was, in order to proceed to war against the Territory. Universally, throughout the whole Territory, a powerful invasion of the Cherokees was every day expected. It was supposed that they would aim at Knoxville, because of the goods and ammunition deposited there. The people everywhere asked, "Is not the country to be
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defended?" Gen. Sevier was advised to call out one-third of the militia of the three upper counties and a troop of horse. They were accordingly ordered out, but they could not be ex- pected at Knoxville before the 1st of September. All personal communications with the Indians were now at an end; the let- ters addressed to them were fastened to posts on the banks of the river.
At the appearance of daylight, on the 29th of August, a nu- merous party of Indians made an attack on Henry's Station. They were estimated at one hundred, and thence to three hun- dred. Lieut. Tedford and another man had gone to a corn-field when the firing commenced, and then they attempted to run to the station, but got amongst the Indians unexpectedly. The lieu- tenant was taken prisoner, carried about one hundred and fifty yards, and put to death. The other man (Jackson) fortunately made his escape, ran to Craig's Station, and spread the alarm to all the adjacent frontiers. A man of the name of Henderson they also killed. Gen. Sevier was invited down to take command of the few militia at Knoxville. At all events, he was expected down with one-third of the militia from the three upper coun- ties, in a few days from the 1st of August. Gen. Sevier wrote to the Cherokees; reproached them for their restless temper and thirst for human blood; stated to them the advantages of peace, and the danger the whole nation would incur by going to war with the whites; the unwillingness of the President that they should be made to suffer any injustice, and recommended to them to look to the general government particularly for the re- dress of injuries. Such like speeches were made upon every disturbance between the whites and the Indians, but their ineffi- ciency and perfect inutility were demonstrated by the fact that in no single instance had any good resulted from them. The troops were ordered to hold themselves in readiness, and the general wished to fall upon some means of delaying the in- tended blow till some better preparations could be made to re- ceive it.
The unfortunate Indians were precisely in the situation which admitted of no remedy that could save them from destruction. Every individual, for want of a superior to restrain him, could by his misdeeds draw the injured white people upon the whole nation; continually the whole suffered from the misdoings of a
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few. The constant operation of this evil cannot fail to bring on, eventually, the extinction of the whole nation. At this time there were many men in Tennessee who, seeing the pernicious consequences of such liberty in the Cherokees, could not yet see that a similar behavior in the white people would unavoidably plunge them into the same difficulties. But let it be remembered that such a principle, admitted in the smallest degree, is of it- ยท self sufficient to overturn any government in the world. It was now in contemplation to establish a station or fort at or toward the mouth of the Tellico, and thence to send out rangers every day to Chilhowee and Talassee-a measure well calculated to re- press the advances of the Indians into the settlements on the south side of the Holston.
On Friday, the 30th of August, two Indians went to the house of Sebastian Holly, on the south side of the Nolichucky, in Washington County, fifteen miles from Jonesborough, wounded and scalped his wife, and killed his daughter, thirteen years old, cut off her head, carried it some distance, and skinved it.
On the 3d of September a party of about fifteen Indians at- tacked the house of Zephaniah Woolsey, on the south side of Nolichucky River, ten miles from Greene Court-house, shot his wife through the head, and wounded a young woman through the thigh. They caught a small girl in the yard, and scalped her. Mr. Woolsey, though shot through the breast and head, recovered. The Indians again stole horses from Gamble's Sta- tion.
The Cherokees made the expected incursion into Hamilton District on Wednesday the 25th of September, in a body con- sisting of at least one thousand men. In many places they marched twenty-eight files abreast, each supposed to consist of forty men. They had also about one hundred horses. They crossed the Tennessee below the mouth of Holston on Tuesday evening, marched all night toward Knoxville, and about sun- rise or a little after, attacked and carried the house of Alexan- der Cavit, seven miles below Knoxville, and killed his whole family, thirteen in number. They treated the poor women and children with the utmost indelicacy. When the Indians attacked the house, there were only three gunmen in it, who defended it till they had killed one Creek and one Cherokee, and wounded three more. The Indians then offered terms if they would sur-
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render-that their lives should be spared, and that they should be immediately exchanged for the Indian prisoners amongst the whites-which were accepted. But as soon as they left the house Doublehead and his party fell upon them and put them to death, with the incidents before alluded to, except one son saved by John Watts. The terms were offered on the part of the Indians by Bob Benge, a half-breed who spoke English and who exerted himself to save the unhappy victims from the mur- derous hands of Doublehead and his party. There were seven hundred Creeks and two hundred Cherokees who invested the fort. Gen. Sevier lay at this time on the lower frontier, on the south bank of Holston, about eight miles from the Tennessee, at one Ish's, with about four hundred men. He had arrived there but a few days before. His forces were ordered to be augment- ed, that he might pursue and chastise the enemy, who crossed the Clinch the same night. He received orders to this effect. Lieut. McClelland was in their rear to reconnoiter their move- ments. Gen. Sevier marched into the Cherokee Nation in pur- suit of the late invaders. The spirit of the people would no longer bear inaction. He collected an army of eleven hundred and twenty-three privates, with a proportional number of field and other officers, in all two hundred and sixty-five, and at the head of these he marched. For the safety of the army he crossed at one of the upper fords on Tennessee below the mount- ains. He there bent his course for Hiwassee, with an intention of striking the trail of the retreating army of Indians, which on the 25th of September had killed Cavit's family. Before reach- ing Hiwassee he discovered four large trails making directly into the mountains. The army then crossed the Hiwassee and directed its course for Estanaula, on the Coosa River, where it arrived on the 24th of October, having discovered on the way several other trails leading to the aforesaid place. They there made some Cherokees prisoners, who gave information that John Watts was the person who headed the army which took Cavit's Station, and that it was composed of Cherokees from every town in the Nation; that from the Turkey's Town, Sul- lyquoah, Coosawatee, and several other principal towns almost every man was out; that they were joined by a large number of the Upper Creeks who had passed Estanaula on their return only a few days before the arrival of Gen. Sevier's army, and
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made for a town at the mouth of Hightower River. The army, after refreshing itself, set out for that place, taking the path that leads to it along which the Creeks had marched in four large trails.
On the 17th of October, in the afternoon, the army arrived at the fork of Coosa and Hightower Rivers. Col. Kelly was di- rected, with part of the Knox regiment, to make an attempt to cross the river. The Creeks and a number of Cherokees had fortified themselves to obstruct the passage. Col. Kelly and his party went 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 the river. Discovering this movement, the enemy immediately left their intrenchments and began to run down the river to oppose the passage, expecting that the whole army intended crossing at the lower point. Observing this oversight of the enemy, Capt. Evans immediately set off with his corps of mounted infantry in full speed up the river to the ford and began to cross. Very few had reached the south bank before the Indians, who had discovered their mistake, re- turned and gave them a furious reception on rising the bank. A very warm engagement instantly ensued. The number of the Indians compared to those of Capt. Evans were as four to one, beside other advantages; but notwithstanding this difference, in a short time he and his company put them to flight, leaving three men dead on the ground. They were seen to carry off oth- ers, both on foot and horseback, and trails of blood from the wounded were observed in every direction. Their encampment fell into the hands of Gen. Sevier's army, with a number of guns of Spanish fabrication, with their budgets, blankets, match- coats, and some horses. Capt. Evans lost three men in this en- gagement, which was all the injury sustained in this expedition, though it had been four times attacked. After the last engage- ment the army of Gen. Sevier crossed the main Coosa at a place where the Indians had thrown up some works, which they aban- doned on the approach of the army, and suffered it to pass un- molested. The army then proceeded down the main river to the Turn-up Mountain, destroying as it marched several Creek and Cherokee towns, which they had settled together on each side of the river, and which they had precipitately deserted, leaving al- most every thing behind them. Nor did they after the battle of
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Hightower attempt to interrupt the march of the army. Their ardor and spirits were broken. The party which was routed at Hightower consisted of those who had been out with Watts. The general had also three men wounded. The army took and destroyed nearly three hundred beeves. Many women and chil- dren might have been taken, but from motives of humanity the general did not encourage it. Some who were taken were suf- fered to escape. "You know," said he to the Governor, "the dispositions of many of those who are out, and can readily ac- count for this conduct."
Jaudenes, a Spanish agent in the Cherokee Nation, on the 12th of September, 1793, wrote by "The Little Turkey " to Gov. White, at Pensacola, to supply him with seven hundred pounds of powder and fourteen hundred pounds of ball for the Chero- kees, then embodied to the number of seven hundred, to take satis- faction for the death of those Indians who had been lately killed by Beard and his party at "The Hanging Maw's." This was done by the directions of the Baron de Carondalet, who in June com- plained so heavily of the supplies of corn and one swivel sent to the Chickasaws. How he could make himself think that what was so unlawful in Gen. Robertson, according to his estimation, was proper in himself, and that, too, for the purpose of invasion and butchery of those who were in nowise parties in the offen- sive deed, nor approved of it, but on the contrary, gave it their open and unreserved condemnation, is for the refinements of subtlety to determine. The reason which the baron gave for this conduct was that otherwise he should lose the confidence and good opinion of the Cherokees, with which he had inspired them toward the King of Spain. We shall presently see that the Spanish negotiators endeavored to give a more justifiable reason, well knowing that some more plausible one must be at least attempted.
Not long after Gen. Sevier's expedition, Capt. Harrison in a scouting excursion took two Cherokees, a fellow and a squaw, who gave information to the people of Knoxville, whither he brought them, that the town on the other side of Hightower River, where a part of Gen. Sevier's army had the late engage- ment, is the principal place of rendezvous for the Creeks and Cherokees, previous to their coming in upon the frontiers. This town was principally inhabited by Creeks, and was governed by a Creek chief called the Buffalo Horn.
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After Gen. Sevier's expedition the Indians did less mischief on the frontier than they had usually done for some time be- fore. They however continued to steal cattle and horses, and their trails were seen in different places.
On the 2d of October Polly Lewis and her brother, a little boy, were killed on the south side of French Broad, passing along a public road near Danbridge, in Jefferson County. She was a young lady eighteen years of age.
On the 3d of October a party of thirty Indians plundered the house of Mr. Copeland, on the south bank of French Broad, he and his family having a few moments before crossed the river. They were eye-witnesses of the number of Indians and their acts.
On Sunday, the 13th of October, a party of Indians consisting of twenty-eight killed Mrs. Lewis and five children, and burned their dwellings and other houses in Greasy Cove, on the front- iers of Washington County, twenty miles from the path that leads across the Bald Mountain to North Carolina.
On the 17th of October the grand jury for the District of Hamilton presented an address to the Governor. They com- plained in strong and plain terms of the forbearing system of the federal government toward the Indians, and of the mon- strous enormities which they daily committed. They repre- sented themselves and the country to be in the deepest distress, the public indignation roused, and the ardor of the people for vengeance as greatly excited, and that it was only restrained by respect for the laws, and for want of a constitutional channel through which it could flow. They hoped their situation would be faithfully represented, and that Congress would no longer remain regardless of the calls of justice, and deaf to the voice of humanity. The Territory was a part of the united govern- ment, and had a right to expect protection. They called upon him to exercise whatever powers he had for their protection, and to secure them against the immediate outrages of savage bar- barity. They reminded him of the ordinance of Congress of 1787, and of the right the people had under it to a Legislature, as soon as their number amounted to five thousand free male inhabitants. They stated that the period had arrived when they could claim the right, and they felt confident that he would concur with them in opinion.
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On Sunday, the 27th of October, an Indian was killed in a field in Jones's Cove, on the east fork of Little Pigeon, by a party of Capt. Job's company, who were on duty for the pro- tection of Jefferson. On the evening of the next day another Indian was wounded near the same place by another party of Capt. Job's command. The same day several houses and stacks of grain were burned, and ten horses stolen by Indians in that neighborhood.
On Monday, the 28th of October, a party of Indians consisting of twenty ambuscaded MeGahey's Station, fifteen miles from Knoxville, fired on and wounded William Cunningham as he was riding on the road near a station. The people of the sta- tion gave immediate pursuit, but could not come up with the Indians. They took eight blankets and match-coats, four pair of moccasins, one gun and shot-pouch, three hatchets, and eight bags of parched meal, which the Indians in their hasty retreat had left behind them.
On Monday, the 23d of December, Roger Oats and Nicholas Ball were killed by Indians near Wells's Station, twenty miles from Knoxville, as they were transporting a load of corn to the block-houses for the support of their families. This party con- sisted of ten at least, as that number of guns was fired. They took four horses from the wagon, and a mulatto boy fourteen years of age, and left by the body of Mr. Oats a speckled stock trading gun, which they broke to pieces over his head, of the kind with which Paton and the Spaniards have supplied many of the Creeks. After the time they were killed, several small parties of Indians were discovered on the boundaries of Knox County, supposed to be spies from a larger body to examine the state of defense kept up on the frontiers. A number of the frontier inhabitants of the neighborhood where Oats and Ball were killed on the 23d of December collected and pursued the murderers, and were led by the trail to "The Hanging Maw's" camp, where they killed three men, and alas! how shall the fact be concealed from public notoriety? seven squaws also.
After the 22d of April, 1793, when the proclamation of neu- trality was issued by the President, the Spaniards affected to recommend to the Indians to be at peace with the United States, and seemed to have relaxed their ardor for stirring them up; at least such indications were given by their professions, although
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they did not forbear to supply the Indians with necessaries in September for the prosecution of their expedition against Knoxville. Their very dissimulation is a proof of self-condem- nation for the steps they had taken already, and it was a pledge that their conduct would shortly be changed in reality. The cause of those changes are now manifest, and we can see at this time, whilst the United States were in negotiation with Spain for the free navigation of the Mississippi, that the attainment of the objects in view might have been defeated by offensive con- duct toward that power, which a war with the Creeks and Cher- okees, their allies, whom they had taken under their protection, might have been considered. The neutral station which the United States had assumed being once ascertained, it became the duty and interest of their Spanish neighbors to be upon good terms with them, and not to provoke them by an offensive be- havior to relinquish the attitude they had taken. Hence their peace talks to the Indians in the spring and summer of this year, and the public letters of Gov. Gayoso disclaiming all agency in the promotion of misunderstandings between the In- dians and the people of the south-western territory, and of the conciliating and polite letter of the Baron de Carondalet him- self, to which we shall by and by have occasion to advert.
The number of inhabitants in the Territory had now so far augmented as to entitle them to a territorial assembly and legis- lative council, according to the provision of the ordinance of 1787. Gov. Blount on the 19th of October made an ordinance, in which he stated that proof had been made to him of their be- ing in the territory five thousand free males and upward, and therefore he authorized the election of persons to represent the people in general assembly on the third Friday and Saturday in December, 1793, by such electors as were specified in the ordi- nance of Congress of the 13th of July, 1787. Two from each of the counties of Washington, Hawkins, Jefferson, and Knox; and one from each of the counties of Sullivan, Greene, Tennessee, Davidson, and Sumner. The elections to be conducted under the regulations prescribed by the election laws of North Caro- lina; and the returning officers were directed to certify the names of the elected to the Secretary's office at Knoxville as soon as might be. On the 22d and 23d of December elections were held accordingly in all the counties of the Territory, and
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the people elected Alexander Kelly and John Baird for the county of Knox, George Doherty and Samuel Weir for Jeffer- son, Joseph Harding for Greene, Leeroy Taylor and John Tip- ton for Washington, George Rutledge for Sullivan, William Cocke and Joseph MeMinn for Hawkins, James White for Davidson, David Wilson for Sumner, and James Ford for Ten- nessee.
Gov. Blount had studied from the days of his infancy in the school of the world, and by a long course of critical examina- tions had discovered the most elastic springs of human action. He had been particularly conversant with the political branch of mankind, and had learned with accuracy which were the ap- plications most likely to gain them. He was perfectly convinced that the remonstrances of the south-western people, when made by an assembled body of the people's representatives, would have much greater effect than when made by individuals not clothed with the representative character. He labored, there- fore, indefatigably to procure for them that indispensable organ. No sooner were the elections over than, by a proclamation is- sued on the 1st of January, 1794, he appointed the Assembly to meet at Knoxville on the fourth Monday of February, 1794. The Assembly, on the day appointed, convened at Knoxville, and appointed David Wilson, Esq., their Speaker, and Hopkins Lacy, Esq., their Clerk. And it is to be considered as an auspi- cious omen of the future prosperity of their young empire that they laid its foundations in piety to God. On the next day the members, preceded by the Governor and the Speaker, went in procession to the place of worship, where the Rev. Mr. Carrick, after offering up an appropriate prayer, preached to them from these words in the Epistle of Paul to Titus: "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world be- gan; but hath in due time manifested his word through preach- ing, which is committed unto me according to the command- ment of God our Saviour."
They elected ten persons, out of whom five were to be chosen by Congress as the Legislative Council. They appointed a com- mittee to draft an address to the Governor, which was drawn ac- cordingly and approved of, in which they strongly recommended some offensive measures, could they be resorted to; otherwise, that defensive ones might at least be adopted, and block-houses
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erected on the frontiers at all proper places, many of which they named. And they stated that until the frontier people should be better protected, it would be impossible for them to raise their crops, and that they would be forced to evacuate their plantations, and to leave others in the same desolate cir- cumstances. They recommended a guard for the protection of the Cumberland members on their return, adverting to the re- cent fact of an express having been severely wounded in the wilderness, as he came from Nashville to Knoxville.
The committee also, who were appointed for the purpose (Messrs. White, Cocke, Kelly, Weir, and Taylor), drew an ad- dress to Congress, which was approved of by the House and was signed by the Speaker. In it they demanded a declara- tion of war against the Creeks and Cherokees, and stated that since the treaty of the Holston they had killed in a most bar- barous and inhuman manner upward of two hundred citizens of the United States, residents in this Territory, without re- gard to age or sex, and carried others into captivity and slav- ery; they had robbed the citizens of their slaves, stolen at least two thousand horses, which, at a moderate calculation, were worth $100,000; destroyed their cattle and hogs, burned their houses and grain, and laid waste their plantations; and yet continued the commission of the atrocious violation of the laws of humanity and existing treaties with impunity. "While the citizens of the Territory, lovers of peace and adhering to the treaties, have done them no injuries except in defense of their persons or property, or in immediate retaliation, they have com- pelled," said the address, "a large proportion of your citizens to assemble together, at different stations on the frontiers, for the common defense, consisting of from twenty-five to three hundred at a station, miserably crowded together in small huts, where they have remained from September, 1792, anxiously ex- pecting peace or a legally authorized war, of which a permanent and speedy peace would be the certain result. Besides the just causes of war daily given by these two faithless nations, we con- ceive it essential to call to your recollection their two powerful invasions of this country-the first in September, 1792, consist- ing of one thousand Creeks and Cherokees, who on the 30th of that month attacked Buchanon's Station, within five miles of Nashville, and were repulsed; the second in September, 1793,
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