St. Clair and Wayne 5 



child." The letter concludes with an emphatic warn- 

 ing- that the Indians must expect heavy chastisement 

 if they do not stop their depredations. 



Robertson looked on his own woes and losses 

 with much of the stoicism for which his Indian foes 

 were famed. He accepted the fate of his son with 

 a kind of grim stolidity ; and did not let it interfere 

 with his efforts to bring- about a peace. Writing to 

 his friend General Martin, he said: "On my return 

 home [from the North Carolina Legislature to which 

 he was a delegate] I found distressing times in the 

 country. A number of persons have been killed 

 since; among those unfortunate persons were my 

 third son. . . . We sent Captains Hackett and 

 Ewing to the Creeks who have brought very favor- 

 able accounts, and we do not doubt but a lasting 

 peace will be shortly concluded between us and that 

 nation. The Cherokees we shall flog, if they do 

 not behave well." 5 He wished to make peace 

 if he could; but if that was impossible, he was 

 ready to make war with the same steady accept- 

 ance of fate. 



The letter then goes on to express the opinion 

 that, if Congress does not take action to bring about 

 a peace, the Creeks will undoubtedly invade Georgia 

 with some five thousand warriors, for McGillivray 

 has announced that he will consent to settle the 

 boundary question with Congress, but will do noth- 

 ing with Georgia. The letter shows with rather 



5 State Department MSS., No. 71, Vol. II. Robertson to 

 Martin, Pleasant Grove, May 7, 1788. 



