MooNEY] LKWls" KXI'KUITION 17.")(i 41 



Indiiiiis thi'iiisclve.s were not ready to accf])t the sottlciiiciil. In tli(> 

 north the contVdei'iitcd trilx's under Pontine continued to war on their 

 own aiTount until 17<i."i. In tlie South the\ei'y ('heroke<> wlio had 

 aeted as allies of the British ayainst Fort I)u Quesne. and iiad \()hui- 

 tarily ottered to iruai'd the frontier soutli of the PotonuK-. retui'ned 

 to I'ouse tiieir trilie to resistan<'e. 



The innnediateexeitiny cause of the ti'ouhle was an unfortunate expe- 

 dition undertaken against tlie hostile Siiawano in Felniiary. 1 7.")(i, by 

 Major Andrew Lewis (the same who liad liuilt Kort Loudon) with some 

 two hundivd Virginia troops assisted hy about one hundred Ciierokee. 

 After six weeks of fruith'ss tranipin"' throuuh the woods, witli the 

 g-round covered with snow and the streams so swollen by rains (hat 

 they lost their proxisions and anununition in crossiny'. they were obliycd 

 to return to the settlements in a stai'viny coudition. having' killed theii- 

 horses on the way. Th(> Lidian contingent had from the tii"st been 

 disgusted at the contem]it and neglect experienced fi'om those whom 

 they had com(^ to assist. The Tuscarora and others had already gone 

 home, and the Cherokee^ noiv .started to return on foot to their own 

 counti'y. Finding some horses running loose on the range, they 

 appropriated them, on the theoi-y that as they had lost their own 

 animals, to say nothing of having risked theii' lives, in the service 

 of the colonists, it was only a fair exchange. Th(> fiontiersmen 

 took anothei' view fif the ((ii(>stion however, attacked the returnuig 

 Cherokee, and killed a number of them, \ariously stated at from 

 tw"cl\e to forty, including several of their pi'ominent men. Accord- 

 ing to Adair they also scalped and mutilated the bodies in the savage 

 fashion to whicli they had become accustomed in the border wars, and 

 l)rought the scalps into th(> settlements, where they were represented 

 as those of French Indians and sold at the regular pi'ii-e then estab- 

 lished by law. The young warriors at once prepared to tak(^ revenge, 

 but were restraininl by the chiefs until satisfaction could bi' demand(>d 

 ill the ordinary way, accordingto the ti'caties ari'ang(>d with thi> colonial 

 governments. Application was made in turn to \ irginia. North 

 Carolina, and South Carolina, but without success. W'hih^ the wonuMi 

 were still W'ailing night and morning for th(>ir slain kindled, and the 

 Creeks wore taunting the warrior.s for their cowardice in thus quietly 

 submitting to the injury, some lawless ofiicers of Fort Prince George 

 committed an unpardonaiile outrage at tli(> neighlioring Indian town 

 whil(> most of the men were away hunting.' The warriors could no 

 longer be restrained. Soon there was lunvs of attacks upon the back 

 settlements of Carolina, while on tlie other side of the mountains two 

 soldiers of the Fort Loudon garrison were killed, ^^'ar seemed at 

 hand. 



'.\(1air, AmtTiciin Inclians, 21.>-2-16, 1775; North Carolina Colonial Uocords, v, p. .\lvii). 1S.S7; Hrwat, 

 quoted in Ramsey, Tennessue. p. 51, 1853. 



