206 MYTHS OF THE CHEROKKK [ETH.ANS.i9 



times inporrectly called Christy, was boru in Berkeley county, \'ir(j;inia, in 1732. 

 Accustomed to frontier warfare almost from lioyhood, he served in the Frencli and 

 Indian war with the rank of captain, and was afterward in command of the Ten- 

 nessee and North Carolina forces which participated in the great battle of Point 

 Pleasant in 1774, although he himself arrived too late for the fight. He organized 

 a regiment at the opening of the Revolutionary war, and in 1776 led an expedition 

 from Virginia against the Upper Cherokee and compelled them to sue for peace. 

 In 1782, while upon an expedition against the Ohio tribes, he was captured and 

 burned at the stake. 



(19) The gre.^t Indun w.\r p.\th (p. 50): This noted Indian thoroughfare from 

 Virginia through Kentucky and Tennessee to the Creek country in Alabama and 

 Georgia is frequently mentioned in the early narrative of that .section, and is indi- 

 cated on the maps accompanying Ramsey's .A_nnals of Tennessee and Royce's Chero- 

 kee Nation, in the Fifth Annual Report of the Puireau of Ethnology. Royce's map 

 shows it in more correct detail. It was the great tra<ling and war path between the 

 northern and southern tribes, and along the same path Christian, Sevier, and others 

 of the old Indian fighters led their men to the destruction of the towns on Little 

 Tennessee, Hiwassee, and southward. 



According to Ramsey (p. 88), one branch of it ran nearly on the line of the 

 later stage road from Harpers ferry to Knoxville, passing the Big lick in Bote- 

 tourt county, Virginia, crossing New river near old Fort Chiswell (which stood on 

 the south l)ank of Reed creek of New river, about nine miles east from Wytheville, 

 Virginia) crcssing Holston at the Seven-mile ford, thence to the left of the stage road 

 near the river to the north fork of Holston, "crossing as at present" ; thence to Big 

 creek, and, crossing the Holston at Dodson'sford, to the Grassy springs nearthe former 

 residence of Micajah Lea; thence down the Nolifhucky to Long creek, up it to its 

 head, and down Dumplin creek nearly to its mouth, where the path bent to the left 

 and crossed French Broad near Buckinghams island. Here a branch left it and went 

 up the West fork of Little Pigeon and across the mountains to the Middle towns on 

 Tuckasegee and the upper Little Tennessee. The main trail continued up Boyd's 

 creek to its head, and down Ellejoy creek to Little river, crossing near Henry's place; 

 thence b}' the present Marj'ville to the mouth of Tellico, and, passing through the 

 Cherokee towns of Tellico, Ec'hota, and Hiwassee, down the Coosa, connecting with 

 the great war path of the Creeks. Near the Wolf hills, now Abingdon, Virginia, 

 another path came in from Kentucky, passing through the Cumberland gap. It was 

 along this latter road that the early explorers entered Kentucky, and along it also 

 the Shawano and other Ohio tribes often penetrated to raid upon the Holston and 

 New river settlements. 



On Royce's map the trail is indicated from Virginia southward. Starting from 

 the junction of Moccasin creek with the North fork of Holston, just above the 

 Tennessee state line, it crosses the latter river from the east side at its mouth or 

 junction with the South fork, just below Kingsport or the Long island; then follows 

 down along the west side of the Holston, crossing Big creek at its mouth, and crtissing 

 to the south (east) side of Holston at Dodson's cree'k; thence up along the east side of 

 Dodson's creek and across Big Gap creek, following it for a short distance and con- 

 tinuing southwest, just touching Nolichucky, passing up the west side of Long creek 

 of that stream and down the same side of Dumplin creek, and crossing French Broad 

 just below the mouth of the creek; thence up along the west side <;)f Boyd's creek to 

 its head and d<.)wn the west side of Ellejoy creek to and across Little river; thence 

 through the present Maryville to cross Little Tennessee at the entrance of Tellico 

 river, where old Fort Loudon was built; thence turning up along the south side of 

 Little Tennessee river to Echota, the ancient capital, and then southwest across 

 Tellico river along the ridge between Chestua and Canasauga creeks, and crossing 

 the latter near its mouth to strike Hiwassee river at the town of the same name; 



