USA > Tennessee > The history of Tennessee, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 5
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While Governor Perrier was seeking, by every means in his power, the total destruction of the Natchez, James Oglethorp, an English officer who had served under Prince Eugene, sailed up the Savannah River, landed a party of English colonists on Yamacraw Bluff, and, concluding treaties with the neighbouring Indians, organized
75
1736.] EXPEDITION AGAINST CHICKASA.
the territory thus acquired into the new English province of Georgia.
Alarmed at this innovation, and at the hostile aspect of the Indian nations, the Mississippi Company, preferring a lucrative commerce with the East Indies to the doubtful prospect of eventual profit from Louisiana, surrendered that province, in 1732, to the crown of France.
It was now resolved that a vigorous effort should be made to restore French supremacy in the valley of the Mississippi, by organizing a large army for the purpose of chastising the hostile Indians, and especially the Chickasas, who, being in alliance with the English, were liberally supplied by them with arms and muni- tions of war. The services of Bienville were again called into requisition; and invested with chief command in the province, that officer ar- rived at Mobile in the spring of 1735, after an absence of eight years. He was received with great joy by the alarmed colonists, who, reassured by his presence among them, eagerly assisted in promoting his plans for chastising an enemy of whom they had so long lived in dread.
But it was not until the spring of 1736 that all his preparations were completed. Having previously despatched orders to the younger D'Ar- taguette, at that time commanding the French troops in Illinois, to descend the river and meet him in the Chickasa country, on the 10th of
76
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1736.
May, with all the forces that could be mustered in the north-west, Bienville put his southern army in motion in two divisions, one of which. embarked at New Orleans in thirty boats, and sailed for the appointed rendezvous some time during the month of March; the other division leaving Mobile for Tombigby in a similar man- ner during the early part of April.
D'Artaguette, accompanied by Vincennes, a brave young Canadian ; by father Sénat, a Jesuit ; one hundred and thirty French soldiers and volunteers, and three hundred and sixty Indian warriors, descending the Mississippi to the low- est Chickasa bluff, marched slowly to the sources of the Yalobusha, among which he encamped on the 9th of May, as by previous agreement with Bienville. For eleven days he remained at this place, expecting either to form a junction with Bienville, or to receive reinforcements from other detachments which were known to be on their way. Weary with waiting, and unable any longer to restrain the impatience of his Indian allies, who, representing that the nearest Chickasa town was inhabited by refugee Natchez, demanded to be led to the attack or suffered to return home. Reluctantly yielding to what appeared to be the general wish, D'Artaguette ordered an advance, and on the 20th of May the army arrived within a mile of the Indian village. Leaving his bag- gage at this point, in charge of thirty men,
77
DEFEAT OF D'ARTAGUETTE.
1736.]
D'Artaguette pressed rapidly forward with the remainder of his command. The impetuosity of his attack promised at first the most brilliant success. The Chickasas, driven from their out- posts, fled across a neighbouring eminence, closely followed by the French, who suddenly found themselves drawn into an ambush, and exposed to the concentrated fire of five hundred Indians, rendered still more effective by the sup- port of some thirty English traders. Thrown into disorder by this unexpected attack, the con- flict was fierce but brief. A large number of the French officers had fallen at the first fire. D'Artaguette, himself badly wounded, made a desperate attempt to retrieve the fortune of the day ; but the greater part of his allies had already taken to flight, and finding those who still fought boldly at his side gradually becoming fewer in number, he reluctantly ordered a retreat to his camp. By extraordinary exertions, a part of his troops succeeded in cutting their way through the enveloping ranks of the enemy; but the chi- valric D'Artaguette, Lieutenant Vincennes, two other officers, and nineteen men were taken pri- soners. The Jesuit missionary, Father Sénat, who could have made his escape, voluntarily shared the captivity of his companions, believing it his duty to remain.
Retarded by unavoidable delays, the forces under Bienville did not reach the upper waters
7*
78
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1736.
of the Tombigby until two days after the defeat of D'Artaguette. Disembarking in the vicinity of, the place now known as Cotton Gin Port, nearly two more days were consumed in erecting a picketed station for the reception of the artil- lery and baggage; and it was not until the even- ing of the 25th that the army encamped on the prairie within three miles of the principal Chickasa village. The original determination of Bienville was to avoid, for the present, this village, and by a circuitous route fall suddenly upon the one inhabited by the Natchez, which lay a short dis- tance beyond. But this design being overruled by his Chocta allies and the eagerness of his own officers, he ordered his nephew, the Chevalier Noyan, to advance at the head of some three hundred men, and commence an attack.
In the gray dawn of the following morning this strong detachment, accompanied by a large number of Chocta warriors, approached silently the clustering huts of the Chickasas, over which, to the great surprise of the French, floated easily the English flag in the fragrant summer air. Within those rude walls also were English- men, traders, under whose directions the Chick- asas had strongly fortified their position. Thus palisaded and intrenched, and animated to in- - creased daring by the recent success of the Natchez, the crouching warriors awaited the coming of the French, who, under cover of a
79
DEFEAT OF DE NOYAN.
1736.]
line of negroes, protected by mantelets, were moving steadily to the assault. At the first fire from the intrenchment the negroes fled ; but the French dashing forward, led by the grenadiers, entered the village, carried several cabins, and wrapped others in flames. This brilliant exploit had not been achieved without great loss. De Contrecœur and De Lusser, two brave and ac- complished officers, had been shot dead; and the greater portion of the troops, becoming alarmed at the thinning of their ranks, sought shelter within the houses they had taken. Finding it impossible to prevail upon these. men to renew the attack, De Noyan gathered around him a few brave spirits, and with the assistance of his gallant officers determined to make a desperate assault upon the principal fort. The arrange- ments were scarcely completed before a terrible fire from behind picketed intrenchments, from loop, and door, and angle, was poured upon the assembled ranks, which wounded nearly all the officers and a number of the men. De Noyan, himself wounded, still endeavoured to maintain the ground he had won; but having lost control of his own soldiers, and being wholly unsupport- ed by the lukewarm Choctas, he was constrained to throw himself into the cabins on the outskirts of the village, while he sent to Bienville for re- lief. A reinforcement of eighty men was imme- diately forwarded; but even this force scarcely
80
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1736.
sufficed to extricate the French from the diffi- culties by which they were surrounded. In the midst of their success the Chickasas acted pru- dently. Fully conscious that they could not hope to succeed in an attack upon the French on the prairie, they wisely remained behind the cover of their fortifications, and suffered De Noyan to retreat to the camp without further molestation.
The next morning the French beheld the muti- lated fragments of their unfortunate countrymen suspended, in barbarous derision, upon high poles within the Chickasa intrenchments; and had not Bienville been justly doubtful of the fidelity of his Indian allies, another attempt would have been made to capture the place. Oppressed with grief and indignation, he ordered litters to be prepared for the wounded; and as soon as these were ready, the troops set out on their return to the Tombigby. Hastily dis- mantling the stockade at this place, and sinking his artillery in the river, Bienville dismissed the Choctas, and descending the stream with the remainder of his command, reached Mobile about the 3d of June.
The retreat of Bienville sealed the fate of D'Artaguette and his companions. Up to this period their wounds had been carefully tended. and their wants hospitably provided for; but no sooner did the French flotilla descend the shal-
81
STATIONS ABANDONED.
1740.]
low stream of the Tombigby, than the Chickasas and Natchez, brought D'Artaguette, Father Senat, the brave Vincennes, and fifteen others, to an open space adjoining their village, and binding them to stakes, burned them slowly and deliberately to death.
Smarting under two disgraceful defeats, and inflamed with indignation at the cruelties prac- tised upon their gallant but unfortunate friends, it was not long before the French people projected another expedition against the Chick- asas.
Three years, however, were suffered to pass away before the troops destined for this enter- prise were assembled at Fort Assumption, on the bluff where Memphis now stands, and already made famous by remembrances of De Soto and La Salle. Here, gradually wasting away under the diseases common to a southern climate, they remained inactive until the spring of 1740, when a weak fragment of what had once been an im- posing army of thirty-seven hundred men, was directed to march once more against the Chick- asa towns; but being met by deputies suing for peace, Celeron, the commander, eagerly seized the opportunity of concluding a treaty upon more favourable terms than he had the power to enforce. Henceforth the Chickasas remained in undisputed possession of their country. Not- withstanding the peace, war-parties of refugee
82
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1740.
Natchez still continued to cut off the French traders, whenever an opportunity occurred, until the latter, finding themselves left unprotected . by their government, were forced to abandon their stations between the Cumberland and the Mississippi, and at length none but an Indian foot traversed the region of Tennessee.
CHAPTER VI.
Waning influence of the French-Progress of Georgia-War between England, France and Spain-Virginia boundary extended-Settlements on the Holston, Yadkin and Catawba -French in the valley of the Ohio-Mission of George Washington-Fort Duquesne-Skirmish at Great Meadows -Surrender of Fort Necessity-Arrival of Braddock-His defeat and death-Earl of Loudoun-Forts Prince George, Dobbs and Loudoun built-Campaign of 1758-Capture of Fort Duquesne-Trouble with the Cherokees-Indian negotiations for peace-Conduct of Lyttleton-Massacre of Indian hostages-Cherokee war-Montgomery marches against the Indian towns-Relieves Fort Prince George- Battle of Etchoe-Surrender of Fort Loudoun-Massacre of prisoners-Generosity of Attakulla-kulla-Advance of Grant-Second battle of Etchoe-Peace.
WHEN it became known that the warlike Chickasas had been able to resist, successfully, all the forces which France was capable, at that time, of bringing against them, the neighbouring
83
1748.] PROGRESS OF GEORGIA, ETC.
tribes preferred courting an alliance with the prosperous governments of Carolina and Virginia, rather than with their weaker European neigh- bours.
Georgia, too, though struggling under the usual embarrassments incidental to a new settle- ment, had already advanced her outposts to Augusta, where, in 1740, a fort was erected, and where a village presently sprung up, which speedily grew into importance as a trading station.
Another reason which led to the neglect of Louisiana, arose from the necessity of pro- tecting the more important dependency of Ca- nada. The war which broke out in 1740 be- tween England and Spain, involved, in 1744, France also as an ally of the latter power ; and although, with the exception of the capture of Louisburg by the New England troops, neither of the belligerents displayed much energy or military skill, the danger which menaced the French possessions in the north prevented the government from affording that assistance to its southern province which its precarious condition so much needed.
In 1748 this war was terminated by the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. In the mean time Virginia had extended her western boundary by purchas- ing from the Iroquois their right, as conquerors, to the territory beyond the mountains ; and, in
84
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1749.
1749, a joint commission, authorized for that purpose by the respective legislatures of Vir- ginia and North Carolina, continued the bound- ary line between the two provinces to the Steep Rock on the Holston River. The rapid increase of population had rendered this step impera- tively necessary. Already a few resolute Vir- ginians had cleared small tracts of land on the borders of the Holston; and a few years later several hardy families of pioneers from North Carolina, settled upon the fertile lands between the Yadkin and the Catawba.
But while the tide of population was slowly advancing toward the borders of Tennessee, and English traders were acquiring almost a mono- poly of the traffic with the southern Indians, the French continued to claim, by right of discovery, the fertile regions watered by the Ohio and Mis- sissippi. To perfect their title to the valley of the Ohio, Galissoniére, governor-general of Ca- nada, despatched an officer and a party of soldiers, during the summer of 1749, to bury leaden plates engraven with the arms of France at the mouths of the principal rivers, and to take possession of the country in the name of Louis XV. Four years later, when the incorpo- ration of the Ohio Company became known, a further effort was made to restrain the advance of the English into the north-western territory, by building forts at Erie, on French Creek, and
85
FORT DUQUESNE.
1754.1
on the banks of the Alleghany River. Alarmed for the safety of the frontier settlements, Go- vernor Dinwiddie of Virginia, purchased of the Indians that piece of land upon which Pittsburg now stands ; and while waiting permission from England to build a fort there, despatched tho youthful George Washington to hold a conference with the Ohio Indians, and to demand of the French commander at Fort le Bœuf, on French Creek, the withdrawal of his forces, and their return into Canada. ' This dangerous mission was successfully accomplished ; but, as the French refused to retire, a detachment of men was presently sent to the forks of the Ohio, to construct a fort at that place. Being driven off in the spring of 1754 by the advance of a French flotilla, they retreated up the Monongahela, while the invaders proceeded to complete the unfinished works, to which they presently gave the name of Fort Duquesne.
In the mean while, Washington, commissioned as lieutenant-colonel, was hastening to the Ohio at the head of three companies of Virginians. He had scarcely reached Wills Creek before he received tidings of the advance of the French, and their possession of the works he was hasten- ing to defend. A skirmish followed soon after. at Great Meadows, in which a French detach- ment was defeated and its commander, Jumon ville, killed. Washington being reinforced, threw
8
86
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1756.
up a stockade fort at Great Meadows, into which he was compelled to retire by the advance of a superior force of French and Indians. After a spirited, but unavailing defence, honourable terms of capitulation were proposed and accept- ed, and the Virginians, marching out with their arms and baggage, retired across the mountains to Wills Creek.
Provoked by these encroachments, and by subsequent acts of hostility, Great Britain, pre- vious to declaring war against France, despatch- ed General Braddock to America, in the spring of 1755, as commander-in-chief of the royal and provincial forces. The French government was equally active. While advancing against Fort Duquesne, the English troops were drawn into an ambush, and routed with great slaughter. Braddock himself was mortally wounded. Two days after the battle, he was buried by the wayside, in the vicinity of the Fort at Great Meadows. The following spring, war was openly declared ; and in July, the Earl of Loudoun assumed command of the British forces in America.
Hostilities were no sooner commenced than French emissaries scattered themselves among the Indian tribes friendly to the English, and endeavoured to detach them from their alliance. Fully conscious how much the safety of the scattered settlements on the western frontiers
87
1758.] FORT ERECTED ON THE RIVER.
depended upon the fidelity of the neighbouring tribes, Governor Glen, of South Carolina, at- tended in person a grand council of the Chero- kees, and, renewing with them a treaty of peace, obtained at the same time a cession of consider- able territory. Not long after the conclusion of this treaty he erected Fort Prince George, on the head-waters of the Savannah River, and in close proximity to the Indian town of Keowee. Fort Dobbs was also constructed about the same time, under directions from the governor of North Carolina, as a security to the settlers on the Yadkin ; to which Loudoun presently added an- other fort on the Tennessee River, twenty-five miles south of the present town of Knoxville. Under the protection of its garrison, consisting of two hundred British regulars, commanded by Captain Demere, clustered the cabins of the first Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of Tennessee.
The wisdom and energy displayed by the elder Pitt in providing for the campaign of 1758, in- spired the provincials with new hopes, and in- duced them to second his efforts with more than ordinary unanimity.
While Abercrombie marched against Crown Point and Ticonderoga, General Forbes was di- rected to cross the mountains, and, with a mixed command of regulars, provincials, and Chero- kees, attempt the conquest of Fort Duquesne The attack of Abercrombie was signally repelled
88
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1758.
by the active and courageous Montcalm; but the brilliant exploit of Colonel Bradstreet in surprising Fort Frontenac, cut off the supplies of the French garrisons in the valley of the Ohio, and led to the abandonment of Fort Du- quesne on the approach of General Forbes.
But the prospect of peace which the posses- sion of Fort Duquesne seemed to promise to the inhabitants of the frontiers, was rendered more remote than ever by an incident which grew out of its capture. The Cherokee warriors, who had accompanied the army during its march to the Ohio, finding themselves coldly regarded now that their services were no longer needed, re- solved to return to their homes. While travelling through the wilderness of western Virginia, they carried off with them a number of horses belonging to remote settlers, to replace those they had lost during the expedition. The backwoodsmen armed themselves and followed in pursuit; and in the skirmishes which ensued, several of the Chero- kees were killed. War parties were immediately organized to retaliate; and the families of the borderers, driven from their homes, were com- pelled to take refuge in forts and block-houses. Two soldiers at Tellico, and several belonging to the garrison at Fort Loudoun, were surprised and slain. Notwithstanding this sanguinary out- break, a considerable portion of the Cherokee nation remained friendly to the English; and
89
1759.] TROUBLE WITH THE CHEROKEES.
toward the close of the year a deputation, con- sisting of six chieftains, proceeded to Charleston to negotiate for a peace. They were answered by a proclamation from Governor Lyttleton, calling out the militia .. While hopes were yet entertained that tranquillity would be re- stored, the fierce anger of the upper Chero- kees was again aroused by a demand which was make upon them for the surrender of their chiefs, and by the arbitrary conduct of Coytmore, the commandant at Fort Prince George, in inter- cepting supplies. No discrimination being made in favour of the friendly towns, the latter sent a remonstrance to Lyttleton, who returned a haughty reply, and, in opposition to the more prudent judgment of the Carolina legislature, continued his preparations for war.
Still anxious to compose the existing differ- ences without a resort to arms, a deputation of thirty chiefs from the upper and lower towns, headed by Occonostota, one of their most re- nowned warriors, presented themselves before Lyttleton and proffered friendship. "I love the white people," said Occonostota ; " they and the Indians shall not hurt one another. I reckon myself as one with you."
"I am going with a great many of my war- riors to your nation," replied Lyttleton, “in order to demand satisfaction of them. If you will not give it when I come to your nation, I 8*
90
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1759.
shall take it." He closed by offering the chief- tains safe conduct by the way. False to his promise, he had no sooner reached the Congaree, where his troops were assembled, than he arrest- ed the deputies and carried them prisoners to Fort Prince George. At this place he liberated Occonostota; but to give some colour of plausi- bility to his dishonourable breach of faith, he obtained the signatures of six of the captive chieftains, to an agreement that the rest of their companions should remain as hostages at Fort Prince George, until twenty-four Indians should be surrendered for execution, or otherwise, in retaliation for the lives which had been sacrificed during the outbreak. Congratulating himself upon the success of his duplicity, he returned to Charleston and disbanded his army. He had scarcely left Fort Prince George before hostili- ties recommenced. Burning for revenge, Occo- nostota immediately placed himself at the head of his indignant warriors, and investing the fort decoyed Coytmore, by a stratagem, beyond the reach of its guns, shot him dead, and severely wounded the two lieutenants by whom he was accompanied. Expecting an immediate assault, the alarmed garrison attempted to put the host- ages in irons. The chieftains resented this in- dignity, and in the struggle that followed stabbed three of the soldiers, upon which the companions
91
CHEROKEE WAR.
1760.]
of the latter fell upon the prisoners and put them all to death. ,
The whole Cherokee nation, now no longer divided, declared at once unanimously for war. Large parties of warriors immediately spread themselves along the frontiers, leaving sangui- nary tokens of their presence wherever they went. Supplied with arms and ammunition from Louisiana, and calling in the assistance of the neighbouring nations, they cut off all communi- cation with Fort Loudoun, and laid desolate all the frontier settlements with the crimson toma- hawk and the burning brand.
Unable singly to cope with the mountain war- riors, whose implacable hostility had been pro- voked by the treachery of Lyttleton, messengers were hastily despatched to Virginia and North Carolina for assistance, and to Amherst at New York for a detachment of British regulars. Twelve hundred of the latter were immediately embarked for Charleston, under the command of . Colonel Montgomery, who received orders to chastise the enemy, and return in time to assist in the invasion of Canada. Hastening to the rendezvous at the Congaree, Montgomery form- ed a junction with the provincial forces. By an expeditious march from that place, he entered the Cherokee country, during the early part of June, 1760, surprised the town of Keowee, put nearly all its male inhabitants to the sword, and
92
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE. [1760.
pushed forward the same night to Estatoe. After burning the town, which had been abandoned by the inhabitants, he proceeded to Qualatchee and Conasatchee, which with every other village through which he subsequently passed he reduced to a heap of ruins. Having thus laid waste all the settlements of the lower Creeks, he marched to the relief of Fort Prince George. When this was successfully accomplished, he despatch- ed messengers to the upper and middle Creeks, offering to treat of peace. Receiving no re- sponse, he crossed the mountains to relieve Fort Loudoun, which Occonostota had closely invest- ed, and entering the valley settlements on the Tennessee River, proceeded, on the morning of the 27th of June, against the town of Etchoe. Within five miles of the town his course lay parallel with the stream, which at this point me- andered through a plain, covered densely with brushwood, and flanked on both sides by rugged hills. At an order from Montgomery, the ran- gers advanced to scour the thickets, when a heavy fire from a large force of Cherokees, con- cealed in ambush, killed Captain Morrison and wounded several of his men. The grenadiers and light companies were immediately ordered to advance, supported on their right and left flanks by the Royal Scots and the Highlanders. These three divisions pressed steadily forward, and after a severe conflict, which resulted in the
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