MooNEY] DKSTRUCTION OF COLDWATKR — 1787 67 



li()stil(> ("I'ct'ks and Sliawaiio. refused to aeknowledije the cession and 

 eoiitiiiued their attacks, with the avowed purpose of (h'stroyiiiy tlie new 

 settlements. Until the final running of the boundary line, in 17'.»7, 

 Spain elaiiued all the territory west of the nioiuitains and soutli of 

 Cunitierland river, and her agents were accused of stirring up tlie 

 Indians against the Americans, even to the extent of offering rewards 

 for American scalps.' One of these raiding parties, which liad killed 

 the brother of Captain Robertson, was tracked to t'oldwater, a small 

 mixed town of Cherokee and Creeks, on the south side of Tennessee 

 river, about the present Tuscumbia, Alabama. Robertson determined 

 to destroy it, and taking a force of vohuiteers, with a couple of Chick- 

 asaw guides, crossed the Tennessee without being discovered and 

 surprised and burnt the town. The Indians, who numl)ered less than 

 lift}' men, attempted to escape to the river, Ijut were surrounded and 

 over twenty of them killed, with a loss of but one man to the Tennes- 

 seeans. In the town were found also several French traders. Three 

 of these, who refused to surrender, were killed, together with a white 

 woman who was accidentallv shot in one of the boats. The others 

 were afterward released, their large stock of trading goods having 

 been taken and sold for the benefit of the troops. The aflair took 

 place about the end of June, 1787. Through this action, and an effort 

 made by Roliertson about the same time to come to an understanding 

 with the Chickamauga band, there was a temporary cessation of 

 hostile inroads upon the Cumberland, but long before the end of the 

 year the attacks were renewed to such an extent that it was found 

 necessary to keep out a force of rangers with orders to scour the 

 country and kill every Indian found east of the Chickasaw boundary.^ 

 The Creeks seeming now to be nearly as much concerned in these 

 raids as the Chei'okee, a remonstrance was addressed to McGillivray, 

 their principal chief, who replied that, although the Creeks, like the 

 other southern tribes, had adhered to the British intt-rest during the 

 Revolution, they had accepted proposals of friendship, but while 

 negotiations were pending six of their people had been killed in the 

 affair at Coldwater, which had led to a renewal of hostile feeling. He 

 promised, however, to use his best efforts to bring about peace, and 

 seems to have kept his word, although the raids continued through 

 this and the next year, with the usual sequel of pursuit and reprisal. 

 In one of these skirmishes a company under Captain Muri'av followed 

 some Indian raiders from near Nashville to their camp on Tennessee 

 river and succeeded in killing the whole party of eleven warriors.' 

 A treaty of peace was signed with the Creeks in 1790, but, owing to 

 the intrigues of the Spaniards, it had little practical effect,* and not 



1 Bledsoe and Robertson letter of June 12, 1787, in Ramsey, Tennessee, p. 465, 1853. 



2 Ibid., with Robertson letter, pp. jeS-t'C). 



3Ibitl.. pp. J-'.Wxe. 



< Mouette, Valley of the Mis.«is.sippi. i, p. 505, 1846. 



