1759, August 1, An Indian Woman Called the buffolow

Skin/ who formerly gave Capt. Raymond Demere an Account o the Agreement between the Tellico people & the French at new Orlean’s, Wnet from this about two Months ago, in Company with Some Other’s on a Journey to the Creek Nation, & in there way Called at this new Settled place Ettuea, where they were Joind by the Mortar & his Gang & proceeded to that Nation & from thence to the French Fort, & being return’d gives the Following Account

That when she was within two day’s Journey of the Elliqu_’s or the Hillobu’s a Creek town, in Company with the Oakjoy Warriour, That the said Warriour Immediately Sent to the French fort, to Acquaint them of his Coming with the Cherokee people, who joined _____ Sent of two French men to meet him with two cag’s of Liquor, The Cherokee’s then said to each other that Certainly this Warriour was in Great Esteem’d among the French, for we have often been at the English & Never had such an Invittation as this, that when they came in sight of the Oakjoy Town they halted, & was Meet by two French Men, with Shirts in their arms & Some bottles of rum, which they presented to the head men of the Creek’s & Cherokee’s & then they went Forward to the Chuncky Yard & in there way pafsed by the Oakjoy Warriour’s house, where the Said two French men that meet them Were, who received him very kindly and put on him a fine Ruffled Shirt. A haud waistcoat & hatt, & said that they Stai’d at that town ten days, in Which time ther was dayly Meetings of the town about. & then the Oakjoy Warriour sent to the Albamey fort for pain which was Immediately sent, & that then they proceeded Together to the Fort, it was porposed by the Slave Catcher of Chotta to Stay but two days provifsions being very Scarce, but the French Insisted they Shou’d Stay four days which they agreed too, & the next day the French hgave them a Talk and brought out a large belt of Wampum that was Strong with white beads of each Side & black & white in the Middle & said that the White beads on Each Side, denoted the clear path, between the Cherokee’s of the Albamey Fort, & Likewife to Fort Lafumpation & that the black beads sett forth the bad Intentions the white people at Fort Loudoun had Against the Cherokee Nation, for we now tell you that the time is Almost Expired for the English to bring about there Ends, & don’t doubt but you are Sensible of this, for you know that the Governour of Carolina, has Offer’d prifsoner’s, but their View is that the best of Your Men & Warriours may be Killed in that Attempt, and have Likewife been Informed that when youdo kill or take any Prisoner’s your reward is but a ____Botos, a flap, & a Gun to the Person that kills his Enemy, & that every thing Ele’s is very hard to got at Tuskegee, Unlefs when you are then going to war you then get a Little ammunition. Put when our Boots Come’s th ey bring a Great many things which we distribute Amongst our own people & don’t tell them to go to Warr but ive it them for their own use. And then Ask’d them how many Warriours they had in their Nation that held the white people fort, for we hear there is but two, Which is the Little Carpenter & Willinaway. The talk from Chotta We think well of, and wi_e’s the red _ipe which was Sent by Old Hopp of the Standing Turkey, In return of which we Send you a belt of Wampum but we desire to know what is the Reason that the Little Carpenter, should sett so much Store by the English, for we know he is a War and has been look’d upon as a boy by the Governour of Charlestown. That they Shou’d Send letters to Fort Safsumption, and from thence to the Other forts & in four Months we Shall receive an Answer, & then Shall Send to Chotta, to Invite you and shall receive you as our Children, at this time we have but verry few things though we Share them with you. The Govenour that was formerly at New Orelean’s is gone & now we Send a Letter & by the time we told you we Expect things _tenty, which we will give you at your Arrival here & then shall Invite you to go to New Orelean’s & from thence to our Other places, & that they wou’d Acquaint the Governour Over the Great Water of it & shall Expect his Answer by the time of their Invitation, which they then Sou’d Acquaint them with.

She then Acquainted us that the Great Warriour had lifewife Sent them a Mefsage, telling them that when they had performed the promifses they had so Long Made, that he then wou’d believe their talks Old Hopp & the Standing Turkey, sent the Slave Catcher of Chotta as a Mefsenger, to acquaint them that they the French had told them of the English Intent to Cut off his Nation, & Send You this pipe in Expectation of the performance of the Promifses you have so Often Made us, for it was a Long time before we could put any believe in it, & when shall it be that we Shall meet to talk on this Subject, Judge Friend sent a Mefsage by one Chickesaw to the Officer at the __emey for to Acquaint him that he had been to Warr last Winter, & that when he returned he received nothing for his Trouble, that he thinks the White People at Fort Loudoun like nothing. And when all the talks was over, they Gave to the Men, Shirts, Match Coats, Booting, flap’s, Gun’s, paint & Ammunition. & to every one a knife & to the four Woman that was with them they gave Soulds flap, a whit shift & a Cotton Handsla_h.

The Fu_th___ Says that the Slave Catcher was waiting for the Return of the Oakjoy Warriour, who was as of it at the French fort, but daily Expected, That at his Return the Slave Cattcher was to sett of for Chotta & then the Oakjoy Warriour and his Gang was to come to this new Settled Called Ettuca & there build houses to reside at, & to Manage the Affairs between the French & Cherokee’s, it being but halfway between the two Nations, & Says that she likewife heard that the French Intended to come and live at that place.


Collection:
Lyttelton, William Combe Baron Thomas Lyttelton. Letters of the Late Lord Lyttelton. Philadelphia: Moses Thomas. 1812.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Access Genealogy

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading