42 MYTHS OK THK CHEROKEE [rTn.ASN.iy 



At lliis juiu-lurc, ill Novciiilicr. 1 T'j.s, u party ol' inlliicntial cliict'.s. 

 hiiving" first ordered hack a wai' party just aliout to set out t'r<jin tlie 

 westei'u towns ayaiiist tlie Carolina si^ttleinents, eaiiie down toCharlivs- 

 toii and sueeceded in aiTanuing tiie difficulty u])on a friendly basis. 

 The assembly had officially dei'lared peace witli tlie Chei-okec. wlieii. in 

 May of ITolt, Governor Lyttleton unexpectedly came forward with a 

 demand for the surrender for execution of every Indian wholiad killed 

 a white man in the recent skirmishes, among tliese l)eiiio- the chiefs of 

 Citico and Tt^Uico. At the same time the commander at Fort Loudon, 

 forgetful of the fact that he had but a small garrison in the midst of 

 several thousands of restless savages, made a demand for twenty-four 

 other chiefs whom lie suspected of unfriendly action. To compel their 

 surrender orders were given to stop all trading supplies intended for 

 the upper Cherokee. 



This roused the whole Nation, and a delegation representing every 

 town came down to Charleston, protesting the desii'c of the Indians for 

 peace and friendship, ])ut declaring their inability to surrender their own 

 chiefs. The governor replied liy declaring war in November, 17o!>, at 

 once callingout ti'oops and sending messengers to secure the aid of all 

 the surrounding tribes against the Clierokee. In the meantime a second 

 delegation of thirty-two of the most prominent men, led by the young- 

 war chief Oconostota (Agan-stata),' arrived to make a further etlort 

 for peai'C, liut the governor, refusing to li.sten to them, seized the 

 whole paj'ty and confined them as prisoners at Fort Prince George, in 

 a room large enough for oidy six soldiers, while at the same time he 

 set fourteen hundred tnjops in motion to invade the Cherokee country. 

 On further representation by Ata-kullakulla (Ata'-gur'kahV), the civil 

 chief of the Nation and well known as a friend of the P^nglish, the gov- 

 ernor released Oconostota and two others after compelling some half 

 dozen of the delegation to sign a paper by which th(\v pretended to 

 agree for their tril)e to kill or seize any FrtMU'hmen entering their 

 country, and consented to the imprisonment of the party until all the 

 warriors demanded had been surrendered for execution or otherwise. 

 At this stage of affairs the smallpox liroke out in the Cherokee towns, 

 rendering a further stay in their neighborhood unsafe, and tliinking 

 the whole matter now settled on his own basis, Lyttleton returned 

 to Charleston. 



The event soon proved how little he knew of Indian temper. Ocono- 

 stota at once laid siege to Foit Prince George, completely cutting ofi' 

 comnumication at a time when, as it was now winter, no help could 

 well be expected from Ijelow. In February, 1760, after having kept 

 the fort thus closely invested for some weeks, ho sent word one day 

 l)y an Indian woman that he wished to speak to the conmiander. Lieut- 

 enant Coytmore. As the lieutenant stepped out from the stoclvade 



' For noii(;es srt' the glossary. 



