MooxEY] christian's expedition 17T() 51 



with ;i fluy of tiiicc to discuss terms. Ktiowiiiji' that his own strength 

 w;is overwheiniino-. Christian allowed the envo}' to go through the 

 whole camp and then sent him back with the message that there could 

 be no terms until the Cherokee towns had been destroyed. Arriving 

 at the ford, he kindled tires and made all preparations as if intending 

 to camp there for several days. As soon as night fell, however, he 

 secretly drew otl' half his force and crossed the river lower down, to 

 come upon the Indians in their rear. This was a work of great diffi- 

 culty: as the water was so deep that it came up almost to the shoulders 

 of the men, while the current was so rapid that they were obliged to 

 support eacli otht>r four aln-east to prevent being swept off their feet. 

 However, they kept their guns and powder dry. On reaching the 

 other side they wei'e surprised to find no enemy. Disheartened at the 

 strength of the invasion, the Indians had tied without even a show of 

 resistance. It is prol)able that nearly all their men and resources had 

 been drawn oil to oppose the Carolina forces on their eastern border, 

 and the few who remained felt themselves unequal to the contest. 



Advancing without opposition. Christian reached the towns on 

 Little Tennessee early in Xovemt)er, and, finding them deserted, pro- 

 ceeded to destroy them, one after another, with their outlying fields. 

 The few lingering warriors discovered were all killed. In the mean- 

 time messages had been sent out to the farther towns, in response to 

 which several of their head men came into Christian's camp to treat 

 for peace. On their agreement to surrender all the prisoners and 

 captured stock in their hands and to cede to the whites all the disputed 

 territory occupied by the Tennessee settlements, as soon as represent- 

 atives of the whole tribe could be assembled in the spring. Christian 

 consented to susi)end hostilities and retire without doing further 

 injury. An exception was made against Tuskegee and another town, 

 which had been concerned in the burning of the 1)oy taken from 

 Watauga, already noted, and these two were reduced to ashes. The 

 sacred "peace town.'' Echota ('20). had not been molested. ]\Iost of 

 the troops were disl)anded on their return to the Long island, ])ut a 

 part remained and Ijuilt Fort Patrick Henry, where they went into 

 winter quarters.^ 



From incidental notices in narratives wi-itt(Mi by some of the partici- 

 pants, we obtain interesting side-lights on the niert'iless character of this 

 old l)order warfare. In addition to the ordinary destruction of war — the 

 l)ui'iiing of towns, the wasting of fruitful Helds. and the killing of the 

 defenders — we find that every Indian warri(U' killed was scalped, when 

 opportunity permitted; women, as well iis men. were shot down and 

 afterward '"helpc'd to theii- end": and prisoniM-s taken were put up at 

 auction as slaves when not killed on the spot. Near Tomassee a small 



' For the Virginia-Tenne.s.iee expedition see Roosevelt, Winning of the West, i, pp. 303-305, 1889; 

 Ramsey, Tennessee, pp. 16.5-lTO, 1853. 



