1 88 The Winning of the West 



grounds. Seagrove, in response, wrote that he be- 

 lieved the Creeks and Cherokees sincerely desired 

 peace. This was followed forthwith by new out- 

 rages, and Blount wrote to Robertson : "It does 

 really seem as if assurances from Mr. Seagrove of 

 the peaceful disposition of the Creeks was the pre- 

 lude to their murdering and plundering the inhabi- 

 tants of your district." 68 The "Knoxville Gazette" 

 called attention to the fact that Seagrove had writ- 

 ten a letter to the effect that the Creeks were well 

 disposed, just four days before the attack on Bu- 

 chanan Station. On September 22d Seagrove wrote 

 stating that the Creeks were peaceable, that all their 

 chief men ardently wished for the cessation of hos- 

 tilities, and that they had refused the request of the 

 Cherokees to go to war with the United States ; and 

 his deputy agent, Barnard, reiterated the assertions 

 and stated that the Upper Creeks had remained 

 quiet, although six of their people had been killed 

 at the mouth of the Tennessee. The "Gazette" there- 

 upon published a list of twenty-one men, women, 

 and children who at that very time were held in 

 slavery in the Creek towns, and enumerated scores 

 of murders which had been committed by the Creeks 

 during precisely the period when Seagrove and 

 Barnard described them as so desirous of peace. 69 



Under such circumstances the settlers naturally 

 grew indignant with the United States because they 



8 Robertson MSS., Blount to Robertson, Feb. 13, 1793; 

 Blount to James Seagrove, Jan. 9, 1794; Seagrove to Blount, 

 Feb. 10, 1794; Blount to Robertson, March 8, 1794. 



69 "Knoxville Gazette," Dec. 29; 1792; Dec, 19, 1793. 



