Louisiana and Aaron Burr 167 



suggest the reasons or the pretended cause of their 

 depredations. The successes of the Northern 

 tribes over our late unfortunate armies have created 

 great exultation throughout the whole Southern In- 

 dians, and the probabilities may be they expect to 

 be equally successful. The Spaniards are making 

 use of all their art to draw over the Southern tribes, 

 and I fear may have stimulated them to commence 

 their hostilities. Governor Blount has indefatigably 

 labored to keep these people in a pacific humor, but 

 in vain. War is unavoidable, however ruinous and 

 calamitous it may be." 41 The Federal Govern- 

 ment was most reluctant to look facts in the face 

 and acknowledge that the hostilities were serious, 

 and that they were unprovoked by the whites. The 

 Secretary of War reported to the President that 

 the offenders were doubtless merely a small banditti 

 of Creeks and Cherokees, with a few Shawnees who 

 possessed no fixed residence, and in groping for a 

 remedy he weakly suggested that inasmuch as many 

 of the Cherokees seemed to be dissatisfied with the 

 boundary line they had established by treaty it would 

 perhaps be well to alter it. 42 Of course the adoption 

 of such a measure would have amounted to putting 

 a premium on murder and treachery. 



If the Easterners were insensible to the Western 

 need for a vigorous Indian war, many of the West- 

 erners showed as little appreciation of the necessity 



41 State Dept. MSS., Madison Papers, Sevier's letter, Oct. 

 30, 1792. 



48 State Dept. MSS., Washington Papers, Secretary of War 

 to the President, July 28, and Aug. 5, 1792. 



