290 The Winning of the West 



The Secretary of War at once directed General. 

 Harmar to interfere, by force if necessary, with the 

 execution of any such plan, and an officer of the 

 regular army was sent to Franklin to find out the 

 truth of the matter. This officer visited the Holston 

 country in April, 1788, and after careful inquiry 

 came to the conclusion that Sullivan had no backing, 

 and that no movement against Spain was contem 

 plated; the settlers being absorbed in the strife be 

 tween the followers of Sevier and of Tipton. 50 



The real danger for the moment lay, not in a 

 movement by the backwoodsmen against Spain, but 

 in a conspiracy of some of the backwoods leaders 

 with the Spanish authorities. Just at this time the 

 unrest in the West had taken the form, not of at 

 tempting the capture of Louisiana by force, but of 

 obtaining concessions from the Spaniards in return 

 for favors to be rendered them. Clark and Rob 

 ertson, Morgan, Brown and Innes, Wilkinson and 

 Sebastian, were all in correspondence with Gardoqui 

 and Miro, in the endeavor to come to some profit 

 able agreement with them. Sevier now joined the 

 number. His newborn State had died ; he was being 

 prosecuted for high treason ; he was ready to go to 

 any lengths against North Carolina ; and he clutched 

 at the chance of help from the Spaniard. At the 

 time North Carolina was out of the Union, so that 

 Sevier committed no offence against the Federal 

 Government. 



50 Do., Lieutenant John Armstrong to Major John P. 

 Wyllys, April 28, 1788. 



