Fort Loudoun Tennessee

2 May 1759, Fort Loudoun

Sir j have recived your Dispatch five Days ago James Holmes and yesterday j recived another from Lieut Coytmore. j am to acquaint you Excellency that the Mortar with his Gang is gone, not to the Place where he intended, (because j did anything in my Power to prevent it) but to Catowa in one of the Forks of Cousa River below Cousavatee about thirty miles. Everything is quiet at present Maximilian More is not come yet but j Expect him Every Day. the 27 of Last month arrived here the great Warrior, with a Scalp of a French Indian … Read more

1757, August 31, Fort Loudoun

Sir The 21st of the Instant arrived here and Exprefs from M. Atkins the Agent at Winchester in Virginia, with a Letter for me and another for old Hop and the warrious, I shall not Mention any thing of that Letter, as I doubt not but Your Excellency has Received a Coppy of the Same beore now from Fort Prince George. As the Exprefs told me that he had wrote it himself and gave it to Ensign Bogges that it might be sent to you. The next day I sent for old Hop and the _____of the Warriours, and beig … Read more

1759, June 1, Fort Loudoun

Sir The 26th of Last Month the Little Carpenter arrived here & came directly to the fort and said that he was verry sorry to hear that in his Absence there had been so many bad talks and that Some of them had been to Virginia & killed the white People there & that he did not Know how to behave on this Occafsion, but that Since he was come it Shoud be so no more & that he had given good talks to all the towns as came along and in three day’s I will Acquaint You with the … Read more

1757, October 11, Fort Loudoun

Sir I am very Sorry that I had forgot to Mention to you Excellency, the Receit of the Letter of the 10th of August & that of the 21st of July, with a Pokett compass. It is impossible for me to describe how tormented I am Every Day with the Indians. Some bring their Guns to be mended & it must be done because the Carpenter told them it should be So, and you promised him; Some bring Hatchets to be mended other Padlocks to have keys made to them; others want Salt, others sometimes Meat, & great many other … Read more

1758, June 24, Fort Loudoun

Sir As Mr. Elliot is going to town j take this opportunity, to acquaint your Excellency, that on the 25th ultimate, john Brown and McClain, another Villian like him, j being afraid to be talen up Stold Horses & went away, a little Distance from the Fort, they met a Soldier Thos. Thompson of my Company who was looking after a Horse, they persuaded him to go with them to look after Beavers Traps, great Search was made after the Soldier, and jndian the night after said that Brown had hired him, to go with him down the River for … Read more

1759, April 6, Fort Loudoun

Sir The 14th Isntn. Arrived the Exprefs with Dispatches from you Excellency, I hope James Holme’s whom I have sent with an Exprefs to Your Excellency is Arrived Safe, I afshure you When I sent Him, we did not know what to make of the Indian’s there was Nothing but bad talks Amongst them, & they had Meetings every day, Old Hopp & the Standing Turkey seem’d to Protect them verry much, I do not know what to make of Judge Friend, I have great reason to believe that Willinaway is sincere, he has been Constantly at there Meetings, And … Read more

1757, August 25, Talk given to the Indians at Fort Loudoun

Willm Shorey Linquaster I am Glad to see you Warriours and Beloved Men once more afsembled to sit and talk here with your Brothers. I am now going to talk with you, but first let me afsure you ( as I have been told you hat lyes) that I shall now and at all time, like a Good Brother tell you the truth as the Power above shall be a witnefs of. The reason of my Sending for you was to communicate to you the contents of some letters received from the Governour and talk a little with you. You … Read more

1759, 12 May, Fort Loudoun

Sir As Charles McGunigham was going to town I have detained him two days to Acquaint you Excellency with what has happened here Lately when the Mortar was here, the Little Carpenter sent Fiftoe one of the head men of Theowee over with a Mefsage to be Easy & Quiet until he Came home, & that he had made every thing up in Virginia, the same night one Moytoy & two mor head men of Settico Stay’d all night in the town house with the mortar, & next morning three Gang’s out of that town sett out under pretence of … Read more

1759, January 26, Fort Loudoun

Sir The 18th Instant arrived here the Exprefs with the Agreeable News of the Reduction of Fort DuQuenoi Immdiately I order’d From Tender Armis field, if Great Guns & the Shen Three Collies the Same Day Sent word to Old Hopp. I shod. Be with Him the Hea’t Day. Accordingly whent to Chotia & found him wth. The Standing sTurkey in his Hold House & as I intended to Spek with the Great Warriour, I desired him to Send for Him wch. He did I then told them, what yor. Excellency wrote to me Concerning this Reducttion of Fort DuQuenoi, … Read more

1757, July 23, Fort Loudoun Letter 2

Sir This Morning I Delivered my Dispatches to M. Elliot, and was in hopes that he had been thirty Miles off when in the Evening the Bearer of theis Moyetoy of Chota a Leading man came to me and told me that he had an inclinaiton to go to Charles Town with M. Elliot, this thing is done on purpofe, for Elliot is afraid to be arrefted and he thinks that having Some Indians with him, that he will be protected and come off, which I hope he may on Account of the Publick good, he did what ever he … Read more

1757, July 11, Fort Loudoun Letter 2

Sir On the 9th Instant the Little Carpenter came with Several of the head men into the fort, and brought two _________of Stillards with him, from the Traders to Compare them to the pair our Excellency has Sent, which they Like much one of the pair proved good, and the other very bad, which did belong to that Elliot, what weighs twelve pounds on the new Stillards, weighs but ten in his, and his yard is a good deal Shorter than you Sent, the Little Carpenter Says that you told your Excellency, that he ws a great Rogue and now … Read more

1759, February 27, Fort Loudoun

Sir I received you Dispatches of the 2nd Inst. The 25th Last month I acquainted you Excellency that the Great Warriour had disappointed me in not going to Warr as he promised, Giving out in the town Houses that a Great many white people where coming up to destoy them from Charlestown, On which their Young people grew very Imertinent Threatening to kill the white people here, & then Stop the Communication between their & Keowee, the Same day the Exprefs left this I Send the Linguister to Chattuga, to see if Thickleggs, a warriour of that town wou’d go … Read more

1759, June 2, Fort Loudoun

Sir Last night j recived your Excellency’s Letter of the 2d of may, and this Morning, j called, the Carpenter, Smith and the Man that take care of the Glasses and Hedges ______ and told them that j orders not employ them constantly, but when j should have occasion, they desired me to beg of your Excellency that you would stand by them because by the strencks of their work, they have bought Things for their wives & family. In all Appearance Everything is now Easy & quiet with the jndians & us, and if j can prevail, that new … Read more

1757, July 20, Fort Loudoun

Sir On the 15th Instant there was a great concorse of Indians of all the Towns at Chota Town houfe to hear the Talk that the two warriours Mefsengers from Old Hop, had brought from the Creeks, but it was nothing Like a Talk, it was only a friendly advise from the Creeks, to the Cherokees and Compliments from one to the other; when it was excepected other ways, the man killer of Tellico was present, if he has Said one word tending to the French I had peole enough there Ready to take his up & Shut his mouth, … Read more

1758, September 30, Fort Loudoun

Sir A few Days after enfion Coytmore went from hence Richard Smith the Linguifter came here from Fort Cumberland with a letter to Old Hop from the late Governour Mr. Glen to invite the Cherokees to go to War with the General against the French. They debated on the Subject a few Days, at last the Little Carpenter said he would go; and fixed on the twentieth of August for his Journey. He beat up for Volunteers, and went away with thirty. I received a Letter from your Excellency the Difturbances between the People in Virginia and thefe People have … Read more

8 May 1759, Fort Loudon

We have been to y French fort and no Succefs. Y reason of it wafs, while 42 of our brefkost Younge fellows was waiting about the fort, and y rest of us within Eight Mile of it with our canoes at camp, gooding Stole one of the cannos and wone of our people that wafs Lurking About y fort See the French Indians beat him, the outside of y fort, he stole away with him 2 of our jndians Bundles, y French and Indians purfued our People from y fort on the information Gooding Gave Them. We Left our Cannoes … Read more

1759, October 1, Fort Loudoun

Sir I hope your Excellency has Received the Letter that I sent by Samll. Been, when he was going down to Keowee with the Great Warrior, which Letter I was obliged to put in the lining of his saddle for fear of any accident. The Great Warrior the Day before he went to Keowee, as I had ingaged him to go there for severall reasons, first of all to give a strong Talk to all the Towns, that he went through; to Live in Peace and Friendship with the English and not to mind the falsity that was represented to … Read more

1757, July 23, Fort Loudoun Letter 4

Sir When I began the Last Leter which I had the honour of writing to your excellency, I though nothing could be more certainly depended on than that all French Talks were forgotten and all their Machination Frustrated in this nation but before I had finished the mefsenger Sent by these people to the Creek nation returned, we found out that they had been with the Savannahs and at the Albama Fort, and we had reason to believe from the behaviour and Character of the persons who had been Employed on that Embafsie, that the mefsages they Carried and brought … Read more

1758, May 20, Fort Loudoun

Sir hearing the beginning of last Month, that Stores and Provisions were coming to the Fort, I sent Ensn. Coytmore with a Party, to Escorte them Safe hire, on his return, he brought me, your Excellency’s Letter of ye 20th of April, he told me that he left there Mr. Turner with the little Carpenter, who is waiting there for the wagon with the Presents, and will have them divided there, so they will not be under my care here. Mr. Turner has Sent great Many Goods here to give to the Indians that will be Willing to go to … Read more

1757, June 1, The Creek Nation

Dearest Friend, I hope your goodnefs will excuse the freedome of my Exprofsing my Self as it flows from a Sole truly sencible of the many remarcable Instances of friendship I havereed from you, A Detail of my trouble & misfortunes, can not be new to you as they must have reach’d your ears, before this time, The flights of ungovernd youth aded to my trouble of Leaveing Fort Loudoun Exageratied by the force of Excefsive Drinking at Theowee deprived me of my reason & has occasioned a misquidence in my Conduct which has thrown me into the utmost Trouble … Read more