Today in Chickamauga History - May 4

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[From] Charles R. Hicks38
Letter no. 439
Fortville May 4. 1826

It is [an] extremely difficult task to give circumstantial details on the occurrences of the frequent wars that had existed between this nation and that of the Creeks; and from so remote a period since they had occurred: but from what has already been related in letter no. 340 of the first war between the two nations, and the peace that was made by the parties, [it] is probable [that the peace] did not last many years, as there is some account related by traditions of the interchanges of names of towns having been swapt between the two nations, the nation*41 that the Occhays42 in the Creek Nation, was to be called Echota and Echota to be called Occhays; and it has been further us, related that the Nan, tu, wa, kus,43 came in considerable numbers about Ket, tu, wank, Tuckelechee,44 and came to war against the Creeks, and brought in considerable numbers of Creek prisoners they had taken; and no doubt the Cherokees had invited them to their assistance; and it is probable that this war was about the Commencement of Occunnastotoe’s45 life time and the Little Carpenter’s46 time—this last, was, however, much younger in his appearance than Occunnastotoe, as I have seen them both when quite a boy; but their principal leader is not known, and it is very probable that fire arms had then began to be used among the two nations; and the peace that followed after this war, was established upon the same principles, as the Delawares had established [a] mediatory town at Can, noo, kee, from the circumstances already related in the interchanges of the names of towns: and it must have been before this war had took place when the small pox had been introduced in the nation by some of the visitant Cherokees from the seashore; which became so destructive to the inhabitants of the valley towns, in depopulating mostly whole towns: and some whole families falling victims to this epidemic disorder; and only two towns had escaped from this epidemic destroyer.

And about this time, or not long before the above war as already related, [it was] that Cornelius Doherty47 had come in the valley Town, the first European trader, who is represented to have been the first white trader that introduced goods amongst the Cherokees; and [it] is said he was thirty years of age at the time, and died in 1779 on Ke, wo, hee river at Sen, ne, kauh Old Town; and that he was one hundred and eleven years old at his death, and had lived in this nation eighty one years, and his descendant, Jenny Doherty,48 now living, is in her eighty one year of her age and at her father’s death, her age must have been about forty years; but he had other children by another woman, which must have been much older than Jenny Doherty—say twelve years older—which will make it l40 years since C. Doherty came in among the Cherokees; and add the first introduction of a gun fifteen years, which Jenny Doherty’s Grand Mother had represented when she was quite small, which will make from the first introduction of fire arms, and the first trader, 155 years, up to the present period; and this account is, perhaps, as nearly correct as the tradition admits of.  

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It is represented by tradition that not long after the peace that had been made between this nation & the Creeks, that the Natchez49 tribe of Indians had fled from the Natchee town on the Mississippi into this nation for refuge from the destroying enemy, the Spaniards, who had surrounded their fortified place of defence from the invading foe: and the Cherokees were disposed to treat them as ‘enemies—but C. Doherty interfered in the behalf of the Natchees: as the influence the first traders had over the Cherokees was very considerable, who represented to them the cruelty of such conduct to a people who had done them no harm, but had fled to them for protection; & advised the nation to adopt the Natchees as apart of their nation, altho’ they were but few in numbers yet they would add strength to their nation—and accordingly the Natchees settled at Ae, quo, hay50 and remained there till a firm peace was established between this [nation] and the Creeks, which was concluded at [a] more recent period than the one related in this number,51 not part of the Natchee removed on near the Coosa river, called Natchee town; but still a part of them remained [at] Ah, quo, hee till the revolutionary war took place between the Americans and the British: and we may with just reason suppose that the cherokees had entertained a belief [that] the peace that had been made with their neighbors would be [a] lasting one, as it had been based on the same principles as the Delawares had established their peace with this nation; but the period was approaching when the nation was about to encounter all the distresses and calamities of war with the neighboring tribes of red people around them; and was, without doubt, brought about the war with the Creeks52 by the extention of their hunting ground by the use of guns to kill the game with, for the sake of obtaining skins as an article of trade to exchange them for goods with the traders; but no regard was paid to any part of the provision of the treaties of peace that had been provided for the maintenance of it—and the war which took place with the Creeks was brought about by the frequent murders committed on the cherokees on their hunting parties and became at last to be frequent quarrels and war with each other; and this commenced about the beginning of Ocunnostotoe’s and little Carpenter’s53 (Attah, te, cul, hullah, a wood leaning up) chieftaincy; and the War became very distressing on the frontier towns of the cherokees from the invasion of the Creeks in larger bodies than the usual custom; and by the disadvantages of the use of arms—Still, however, the bow and arrows was still made use of by the warring parties, for more closer engagements—and Toogelaw54 town was very much distressed from the repeated attacks of the Creeks, and also that of Oo, quan, nie and Stecoyeh, as these was the outmost towns which were evacuated55 after the loss of many lives, and fled to other towns and enlarged their strength, and made kind of forts round their town house which enabled them to repulse the attacks of their enemies; and those towns also in the vallies were exposed to the invading foe about little Highwassie, Ah, quo, hee and Clau, noos, see towns, tho’ not so frequent by large bodies, as the Creeks towns were further oft than those from Toogelaw, but the Creeks were generally defeated whenever they made their attacks on those valley towns, as they were more numerous and the towns lay more compact, altho’ the cherokees then were less numerous, owing to the devastation of the small pox,56 yet were not wanting in courage to retaliate on their enemies, which they done by making inroads into the Creek Nation, by small parties from those towns lying on little Tenessee, and no doubt headed by their ruling chiefs Ocun, no, sto, toe and Attahteculhullah and their leading warriors who are represented to have acted bravely in these wars; and the Creeks had also in their turn to remove their town from the Abbe-coo- ches further down the Coosa from the frequent incursions57 of the Cherokees.

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And it is also represented that the Coeweta town or Cussettas58 was visited by the cherokees and some prisoners had been taken by them and brought into this nation; and both parties had their full share of displaying their bravery in this war and at times half peace was made, but when the hunting seasons came about, whole hunting camps of the Cherokees were frequently killed by the Creeks, until two warring parties happened to meet and made the preliminary for peace between the two nations on the banks of the Oconee59 river, which was brought about in the following manner, that a party of cherokees had started from Toogelaw to war against the Cowetas and in the company there was a Creek man Whose name was The Pidgeon and had been either taken as prisoner or had come in this nation in time of peace, when quite a youth, who became attached to the nation by marriage (named Pidgeon) and the Cherokees had arrived within60 a short distance61 of that river: that a Cherokee and the Pidgeon was sent as spies to the shoals of the river, to discover the signs of warring parties of the Creeks that may have had lately crossed the river; and while they were there two Creeks had come to the opposite bank & upon the same errand from their party, who discovered each other; and the Pidgeon then inquired of them from whence they had come and upon what business. The reply was from the Cowetas as messengers of peace; and they were desired to come over, but they refused to cross the river, but told, if they were messengers of peace to leave their guns over there and they would remove their guns at a distance,62 so that one need not be afraid of the other, upon which the Cowetas came over, and told each other the truth of the object of each party, and finally agreed that the respective parties [were] to meet the next day unarmed, and confer together on the subject for establishing firm peace between the respective nations; and it was finally concluded by the warring parties that the respective kings and chiefs should have a meeting of the two nations, upon the condition that the Oconee63 river should be the boundary to be observed by the hunting parties, to where the main stream became small, before either parties of hunters should be allowed to cross the waters after wounded game; and from this circumstance was the origin of the marked tree on the high shoals of the Appalatchee that has been related by tradition that a creek Man and Cherokee had met at that place and marked the tree by turning back to back, and that the Cherokee had said to the Creek to go westward to the Great Lick and there the Land Mark of the Cherokee run by there: and that the Creek man said to the Cherokee to go eastward to Savannah River,64 and there the Landmark of the Creeks run by there—and the heads of the two nations met at last at the great Lick somewhere in the country of Washington65 in Georgia, at which place Occun, no, sto, toe and Attah, te, cul, kullah were both present, and the treaty of peace was based on the old terms of one dish & one spoon, but with this difference, the hunting grounds should be bounded by a line from the mouth of little river called Cah, yu, kah66 into the Savannah River, and along the ridge dividing the waters of Little River from those of Savannah, to the marked tree; and the towns lying right & left of the designated lines, should, remain in possession of the respective parties; and the peace which was then re-established at this last meeting, has ever since remained firm between the two nations, and no doubt the Cowetas were the principal actors in re-establishing this peace, from which circumstance they have claimed the right of nominating beloved mediating chief of this Nation, who are generally called Coweta Kings.

Altho’ the Cherokees were relieved from the distress of the wars with the Creeks, but were by no means relieved from the incursions of the Northern tribes—Nan, tu,wa, kees (Mohawks or Senecas) Shawnees, Yau, tannaw, Peankisaws, Uttau, was, and Nantauweyahs, who began the war with this nation—was several years before the peace that was made with the Creeks, and as the war with the northern tribes which are connected with other occurrences of the nation, will be related in the next number, yet it may not be amiss here to say, [some]thing on the custom of war among the Cherokees, altho’ well known such are the general custom among other red people, as burning their prisoners at the stake, if taken in warring against the nation, or immediate death; and such have been the practice among the Cherokees is certain, against their red enemies; but have never heard of an instance67 of a white man being68 brought to the stake in similar cases, and whether this custom had been observed among the ancestors before they emigrated into this country, or only been begun after their arrival here, by reasons of the repeated wars they had been engaged in is not known—and as to the adoption of prisoners into the families of their conquerors69 which have been taken from their nation, is [too] well known to need any remarks on this subject.

But the custom of taking [the] scalp of a dead enemy has been represented to have been introduced by the Natchee tribe after their arrival in this country; but it is probable that the taking the hair of an enemy might have been in practice among the Cherokees in case of hurry and when the danger was past in taking the scalp with hair with their bone knives was in use, or before iron and steel became known in this nation, it is likely the Natchees may have adopted the above custom as a general rule of war—however be the case as it may, these unnecessary barbarities is very easy to be embraced among red people, not only by savages, but also among more civilised people than ourselves.

I am respectfully yours
Ch. R. Hicks. /
Mr John Ross Prest. of the National Committee
&c &c &c.

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