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SAT TJRDaIT, March to, 1^92.]
THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
AND
GAZETTE of the ST4 fE.
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FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL by JURY, lhall remain inviolate. Coajiitution •/ Georgia.
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AUGUSTA: Printed by JOHN E. 3M I T Printer to tri State; Articles cj
Intelligence , Advertijements , c. Will be gratefully received, ana every kind of Printing performed.
UNITED STATES, Jan. 16, 179*.
8 I R,
AS the circumstances which hare engaged
the United States in the prefeut Indian
War may some of them be out of the public
fecolleftion, and others perhaps be Unknown,
it may appear advifeable that you prepare and
publifti, from authentic documents, a (late
xnent of those circumftance*, as well as of
the measures which have been taken from time
to time for the re-eflabli(hment of peace aud
friendihip.
When the community are called upon for
cenfiderable exertions to relieve a part which
is fuffering under the hand of an enemy, it is
defireable to manifeft that due pains have been
taken by those intruded with the admiuidra
tion of their affairs to avoid the evil.
(Signed) G. WASHINGTON.
¥bt Secretary for the D.partme.it of H'ar.
(The causes of the txifting hofilities between the
United States and certain tribes of Indians
tiortb-'weji of tbs Ohio, fated and explained
from official and authentic documents, and
publijbtd in obedience to the orders of the
ref dent of, the United States «
A RECURRENCE to the Journals of the
United States in Congress afferabled,
of the early flages of the late Wit, will evince
the- public folicitutfe to preserve peace with
the Indian tribes, and to prevent their en
glgiug in a contdl in which they Were no wife
intereded.
But although partial treaties or conventions
were formed with some of the northern and
weftern tribes in the years 1775 aiid 1776,
yes those treaties were too ferble to resist the
powerfbl impulses of a' contrary nature,
artitng from a combination' of circumftauces
at that time; and accordingly all the various
Indian nations, (the Oneida*, Tufcaroras,
and a few individuals of the Delawares ex
cepted) lying on our frontiers, from Georgia
Co Canada, armed againd us.
It is yet too recent to have been forgotten
that great numbers of ihoffenfive meu,'women
and children, fell a facr:ficd to the barbarous
warfare praflifed by the Indians, and many
' others were draggediato captivity.
Notwithstanding that theleaggreflions were
entirely unprovoked, yet as soon as the war
ceased with Great-Britaini the United States,
ihftead of’indulging auy'relentiaents againd
the I.idian nations, fought only how to efta-
L1 x 111 a liberal peace with all the tribes through
out their limits.
Early measures were accordingly taken for
thft'purpofe. A treaty was held aud a peace
concluded in the year 1784 with the hodile
part of the northern Induns.or Six Nations,
at Port StaDwix.
In'January 1785 another treaty ws) formed
with part of the weflern tribes at Fort MTn
to(h on the Ohio ; to wit-—with the Wyait
dots, Delawares, Ottawras and'Chippewas.
Dwrittg the faoie year treaties wdie formed
at Hopewell, on the Keowee, with all the
powerful tribes of the feu h, excepting the
Creeks 5 tewit—the Cherokees, Chodaws and
Chickafawa*
In January 1786 a treaty was formed with
the Shawanefe, at the confluence of the Great
Miami with thfe Ohio,
k was not long before certain turbulent aud '
4
GEORGIA.
malignant charatiers, residing among some
of the northern and weftern tribes, which ha i
formed the treaties of Fort Stauwix anrlFoit
M‘lt.to(li, excred untafliiefi aud ompldint*
agaiuft those treat.es In couiequeuce of ie
- pt dentation upon this futjed, ou ti c jth of
October* 1787, Congress rliterted Thai a
general treaty (hould be i ebl with the errhes
of Indians within 'he limits % the United
States, inhabi ing the country north-weft of
th'e Ohio and about Lake Erie, as soon aftei
the Aid of April next as conveniently might
be, and at fucb place and at such particular
time as the Governor if the wfitetn tcrntoiy
should appoint, for the purpole of knowing
the caules of uneafniefs among the laid tribes
and hearing their complaint's; of regulating
trade, and amicably fettling all affairs con
cerning lands aiid boundaries betweeu them
and the United States
On the ad July, 1788, Congress approprl 1 -
ated the sum of 20,000 dollars in addition to
14,000 dollar* before appropriated fordef ty
ing the expences the of treaties which had beea
ordered or which may be ordered to be held iu
the prefeut year with the several Indian tribes
in the uortberodepartment, and for cxtloguiih
ing the Indian claims ; the whole of the said
20,000 dollars, together with 6000 dollars of
the said 14,000 dollars to be applied solely to
the purpose of extinguifijing the Indian claims
to the lands they'badalreadyceded to the United
States, by obtaining regular Conveyances for
the fame, and for extending £ purchase be
yond the limits theretofore fixed by treaty ;
but that no part of the said sums (hould be ap
plied for any purport other than those above
mentioned.—
Accordingly new treaties were held at Fort
Hai mar, the latter part of the year 1788,
and concluded on the 9th day of January,
1789, with a reprelent.ition of all the fix or
. northern nations, the'Mohawks excepted ; and
with a representation of the following tribes,
to wit The Wyandot*, the Delawares, Ot
• towas, Chippawas, Pattiwatam?*, and Sacs.
By tliefe treaties nearly the fame boundaries
were rccoguized and edabliihed by a principle
of purchase as bad been stipulated by the f r
mer treaties of Fort Stanwix and Fort M‘-
I'ntofh.
Thus careful arid attentive was the govern
ment of the United States to fettle a boundary
with the Indians on the basis of fair treaty,
to obviate the diffafisfaftiont which had been
excited, and. to eftablilh its claim to the
lands relinquiftied ou the principle of equita
bis purchase.
ft does not appear that the right of the nor
thern weflern Indians, who formed the
several bofbre mentioned treaties, to the lands
thereby reliuquiihed to the United States, has
been rfuetiioned by any other tribes; nor docs
it appear that the prefect war has been occa
floned by any dispute relatively to :be bounda
ries eftablidied by the said treaties.
But on the contrary, it appears that the un
' provoked aggreffious of the Miami and Ws
bad) Indian*' upon Kentucky and other parts
of the frontiers, together with their affociatgs,
a banditti formed of Shawanefe and out-cad
Cherokees, amounting in all to about one
thoufaud two huudred men, are solely the
caufea of the war. Hence it is proper that
their conduft (hould be more particularly ad
verted to*
[Vot. vr. No. CCI XXX! 1 1.]
In th* »ear 1784, when meflage* were fen*
to the Wyandot* and Delawates, inviting
them to meti the tommi (Turners, lirfl at Ca
tahoga, and afterwatdn at fort M'ln'Hh,
their neighhntirs, the Miami Indiai s vtt;c
also iac.uried in the laid invitation ; but they
did not attend.
In the tfar 1785 these invitation'*' were »e«
peite i; but the mefferuers, upon their at*
rival at t e Miami village, had their hades
ttolen, were ptherwtfe treated wiih infoience*
and prevented tu filling their million.
In the'years 1787 and 1788, new endea
vouri weie used to bring those Indians tot
neat; they we:e urged to be preieiit at the
tteaty appointed to beheld at Fort Harinar f
but thel'e endeavour* proved as fruitlela as all
the former.
At a council of the tribes convened in 1788,
at the Miami river, the Miami and Wdlialh
Indians were ptefled to repair to the tie ts
with great earoefinefs by the chief* of the
Wyandots and Delawares; the Wvandot
chiefs particularly prefetited them widi a large
belt of wampum, hold n one end of it them*
selves, and offering the other to the hoftde
Indians, which was refufed. The Wymdots
t then laid it on the moulders of a principal
chief, recommending him to be at peace with
• the Americans; bat without making ans
answer, he leaned himfclf and lejr it fall to the
. ground; this'fo displeased the Wyandots that
they immediately left the council house
In the mean time the frontier fettlements'
were dilquitted by frequent depredation* and
. murders, and the'complaints of their mhari
tain* (as might be cxyeded)' of ihe pacific
forbearance of the gcvettmie! t, weie loud,'
; repeated and diftrefting—their calls for pro
tedion incell >fft—rill at length they appear ed
determined by their own efforts to endeavoui?
to retaliate the loju ies they we £ continually
re eiving, and which had become intolerable.
In this Kate ®f thing* it wa* indilpenfiMe
for the government to meke fotne riecifive
exertion for the peace" and security" of th#
frontier.
But notwithstanding the ill fnccefs <>(former
experiments, and t v e invincible spirit of ani
mosity which had appeared in ceitain tribes,
and which was of* nature to justify a p£tfua
lion that no impression could be tra e upon
them b* pacific expedients, it*is flill deem
ed advifeable to make one met etTa/
Accordingly in April Anthony
Gamelin, an inhabifint of Pod Vincennes,
and a man of good charter, was dispatch •ts
to all the trtbet apd village* of the Wabarfft*
river, and to the Indian* of the Miami /Vil
lage, with a meflage purporting, th-r it.#
United States weie desirous of eflahiifliihg s'
genera! peace with all the neighbouring trihea
cf Indians, and rs treating tjhettt in aP relpcd#
with petfed humanity and kindness, and at
the fame time warning them to abfiain from
further depredations.
The Indians 10 Inn-.e of the villages on th#
lower patt of the VVabafh, appeared to lifter# 1
to h m, others manifefied a diff f *ient diipoli*
tron, others conlefted their inability to re
train theit young war r iots, and all referred
the meflenger to the Indians at the Miami vil«*
lage. At this village feme appeared well dif*
posed, but the chiefs of the Shawaoefe re
turned the messages and belt*, irf iming thf
meflenger, however, that they would atfttjf
confuittttiou w ; r , v '■ » nights, lead as
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