MooNKY] MOORE'S KXPEDITION 1715-16 33 



against the whites, embracing all the tribes from Cape Fear to the, 

 ('hattahooch(>e, including the Cherokee, who thus for the first time 

 raised theii- hand against tiie English. The war opened with a terrible 

 massacre by tlie Yamassee in April, 1715, followed by assaults along 

 the whole frontier, until for a time it was seriously feared that the 

 colony of South Carolina would be wiped out of existence. In a 

 contest between savagery and civilization, however, the tinal result is 

 inevitable. The settlei's at last rallied their whole force under (iov- 

 ernor Craven and administered such a crushing blow to the Yamassee 

 that the remnant abiuidoned their country and took refuge with the 

 Spaniards in Florida or among the Lower Creeks. The English then 

 made short work with the smaller tribes along the coast, while those 

 in the interior were soon glad to sue for peace.' 



A number of Cherokee chiefs having come down to Charleston in 

 company with a trader to ex])i-ess their desire for peac^e, a foic(> of 

 several hundred white troops and a number of negroes under ('olonel 

 Maurice ]\Ioore went up tiie Savannah in the winter of iTlo-KJ and 

 made headquarters among the Lower Cherokee, where they were 

 met by the chiefs of the Lowei- and some of the western towns, 

 who reaffirmed their desire for a lasting peace with the English, but 

 refused to tight against the Yamassee, although willing to prcx'eed 

 against some other tribes. They laid the blame for most of tin; 

 trouble upon thetraders. who " had been very abuseful to them of late." 

 A detachment under Colonel George Chicken, sent to the Upper 

 Cherokee, penetrated to "Quoneashee" (TIanusi'yi, on Hiwassee, 

 about the present ]Muri)liy) where they found the chiefs more defiant, 

 resolved to continue the war against the Creeks, with whom the Eng- 

 lish were then trying to make peace, and demanding large sui)plies of 

 guns and ammunition, saying that if they made a peace with the other 

 tribes they would have no means of getting slaves with which to buy 

 ammunition for themselves. At this tim(> they claimed 2,87u war- 

 riors, of whom half were believed to have guns. As the strength of 

 the whole Nation was much greater, this estimate may have been for 

 the Upper and Middle Cherokee only. After "abundance of per- 

 suading" by the olficers. they finally "told us they would trust us 

 once again." and an arrangement was made to furnish them two hun- 

 dred guns with a supply of aiimuinition. together with tifty white 

 soldiers, to assist them against the tribes with which the English wei'e 

 still at war. In March, iTlti, this force was increased by one hundred 

 men. The detachment under Colonel (thicken returned by wav of the 

 towns on the upper jwrt of the Little Tennessee, thus penetrating- the 

 heart of the Cherokee countrj'." 



' Hewat, South Carolina and Georgia, i. p. 216 et passim, 1778. 



2 See .lournal of Colonel Cenrge Chicken, 171.5-liJ, with non-s. in Clmrleftcui Vi^arbool;. pp. ais-iW, 

 1894. 



lit ETH— Ul 8 



