jiooNKvl MONTGOMEKVS EXl'KDITION ITOO 43 



to soo what was Avanted, Oconostota. .standini^ on tho (ipposito side of 

 the river, swung a bridle above his liead as a signal to his warriors 

 concealed in the bushes, and the oflicer was at once shot down. The 

 soldiers immediately broke into tiie room \\here the hostages were 

 confined, every one being a chief of prominence in tiie triTH\ and 

 butchered them to the last iuuti. 



It was now war to the imhI. Led l)y Oconostota, the Cherokee 

 descended upon the frontier settlements of Carolina, while the warriors 

 across the mountains laid close siege to Fort Loudon. Li June, 1760, 

 a strong force of over 1,600 men, under Colonel Montgomery, started 

 to reduce the Cherokee towns and relieve the ])eleagu(>r(>d garrison. 

 Crossing the Indian frontier, Montgomery ((uickly drove the enemj^ 

 from about Fort Prince George and then, rapidly advancing, surprised 

 Little Kcowee, killing every man of the defenders, and destroyed in 

 succession every one of the Lower Cherokee towns, Ijurning them to 

 the ground, cutting down the cornfields and orchards, killing and 

 taking more than a hundred of their men, and driving th(> whole popu- 

 lation into the mountains before him. His own loss was very slight. 

 He then sent messengers to the Middle and I'pper towns, suuuuoning 

 them to surrender on penalty of the like fate, but, receiving no reply, 

 he led his men across the divide to the waters of the Little Tennessee 

 and continued down that stream without ojjposition until he came in 

 the vicinity of Echoee (Itse'yi), a few miles al)ove the sacred town of 

 Nikwasi', the present Franklin. North Carolina. Here the Cherokee 

 had collected their full force to resist his progress, and the result was 

 a desperate engagement on .lune '27, 1760, by which Montgomery was 

 compelled to retire to Fort Prince George, after losing neai'ly one 

 hundred men in i<illed and wounded. The Indian loss is unknown. 



His retreat sealed the fate of Fort Loudon. The garrist)n. though 

 hard pressed and reduced to the necessity of eating horses and dogs, 

 had l)een enabh^d to hold out tlirough the kindness of the Indian 

 women, many of whom, having f()und swcetliearts among the soldiers, 

 brought them sup])lies of food daily. When tlireatened by tlie chiefs 

 the women l)oklly n^plied lliat the soldiers were their liusbands and it 

 was their duty to iieli> tiieni. and that if any harm came to themselves 

 for their devotion their English rehitives would avenge them.' The 

 end was only delayed, liowexer, and on August .S, 17f')0, the garrison 

 of aliout two hundred men, under Captain Demere, surrendered to 

 Oconostota on promises that the}^ should be allowed to retire uruuo- 

 lested with their arms and sufficient anununition for th(> marcli. on 

 condition of delivei'ing up all the I'dnaining warlike stores. 



The troops marchivl out and pi-oceeded far enough to camp for the 

 night, while the Indians swarmed into the fort to see what plunder 

 they might lind. " 15\' accident a discovery was mad<J of ten l>ags of 



' Timberlake, Memoirs, p. 05, 1765. 



