218 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETEDSTOLOGY [Bull. 191 



Statement F. — Lederer, writing in 1672, stated that the Indian Bang 

 Tottopottomoy was killed in a battle with the Mahocks and Nahyssan 

 on the Pamunkey River. This location is confirmed on the Herrman 

 map. 



Statement G. — Lindestrom, probably citing an incident which 

 occurred before his departure from America in October 1655, describes 

 an English defeat at the hands of the Black Minqua. 



Statement H. — The Maryland General Assembly and the Susque- 

 hannock Indians express concern in 1661 about an Indian group, either 

 Nahyssan or "Cynaco," which is threatening the borders of the 

 colony near present-day Baltimore. 



From the evidence given in these eight references it would seem that 

 Statement G (from Lindestrom) indisputably refers to an Iroquoian 

 group, while Statement F indisputably refers to a Siouan group. 

 It also seems probable (though not indisputable) that Statements A 

 and E also can be associated with this Siouan group. Since the 

 Indian group in Statement E is distinguished from that in D, this 

 later statement may apply to the Black Minqua of G. We thus have 

 Statements B and C of uncertain attribution, and we have tentatively 

 established that: 



(1) The group which established itself at the falls of the James and defeated 

 Tottopotomoy on the Pamunkey was comprised of the Mahock and Nahyssan. 



(2) The Black Minqua defeated the English and later suffered the loss of 

 five ambassadors. 



From internal evidence — namely, the fact that Lindestrom left in 

 October of 1655 (Lindestrom, 1925, p. xxiv), as well as the fact that 

 Gatford dates the murder of the ambassadors as occurring in 1656 — 

 the order of events would seem to be as indicated in (2) above. This 

 gives us a clue as to why Hill was cashiered. Considering the case 

 in historical perspective, it seems unlikely that Hill would have been 

 prosecuted merely because Tottopottomoy had disobeyed orders 

 and had been cut off, or even if he had been defeated in an open battle 

 with the Black Minqua. (Hill does not seem to have suffered losses 

 in the Tottopottomoy episode, and Indian allies are not mentioned 

 in Lindestrom's account.) What might have been sufficient and full 

 reason for a court-martial may have been HUl's conduct when the 

 Indian ambassadors were murdered, which presumably caused a 

 new outbreak of the war. These ambassadors were "Eichahecrians" 

 but quite likely they were also Black Minqua. The fact that Hill was 

 not cashiered for weaknesses displayed in connection with the Mahock 

 and Nahyssan is significant. Statement B, and possibly Statement C 

 as well, probably is to be associated with the Black Minqua. 



This interpretation of an important episode in Virginia history must 



