THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Correspondence Concerning
Western Indians
(Detroit, March & April, 1763)
In: The Papers of Sir William
Johnson, vol. 4,
pp. 95-97.
CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING WESTERN INDIANS1
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April 20- May 29, 1763 |
Extracts of Letters, &ca. Regarding some Bad Dispositions of the Indians in the Western Department. 1763.
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No. 1. |
Major Gladwin, Commanding Officer at the Detroit to Sir Jeffery Amherst, Dated 20th April 1763. |
I Enclose your Excellency a Letter, and a Belt from the Officer Commanding at Miamis; and I have only to Add, that I am pretty well Informed by Other Hands, that the Six Nations, Shawnese, & Delawares Indians are Ill Disposed, and that they have been Tampering with the Indians this Way, but I Believe without Effect: They say We mean to make Slaves of them, by Taking so many Posts in their Country, and that they had better Attempt Something now, to Recover their Liberty, than Wait till We were better Established; This they Told my Express (a Chief of One of the Nations here) on his Return from Fort Pitt, which I Thought proper to Mention to your Excellency, in order that you may Know their Sentiments.
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This Murder was Committed last Summer, & was Attended with Several Shocking Circumstances: Mr Claphan was a Trader Coming from the Detroit, with his two Panis Slaves, a Man & a Woman, who, by their own Confession, Murdered him, by Cutting off his Head, & Throwing his Body in a River: They were Delivered up by a Party of Indians, |
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I have Wrote to Fort Pitt, Sandusky, & Presqu' Isle, to Advice them of the Temper of the Indians- The Panis who Escaped from the Guard last Winter, got off to the Illinois; therefore I Thought it best to Try the Woman, who was Sentenced to be Hanged, for being an Accomplice in the Murder of the |
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whom the Panis Charged as being the Principal Perpetrators of the Murder, but this the Indians Denied: The General however Sent a Warrant to Major Gladwin for the Tryal of the Murderers: And by this Letter it Appears that the Man has made his Escape, but that the Woman being found Guilty, has Suffered, according to her Crime.- |
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Late M Clapham, which I had put in Execution in the most Publick manner. |
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No. 2. |
Ensign Holmes, Commanding Officer at Miamis to Major Gladwin, Dated Fort Miamis, 30th March 1763; & Enclosed with the Foregoing. |
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I Received your Letter of the 22 February, with the Important News of a Peace, which I have, by your Directions, made Known to all my Garrison, & to the Indians about this Post; And since my Last Letter to you, wherein I Acquainted you of the Bloody Belt being in this Village, I have made all the Search I could about it, and have found it out to be True; Whereon I Assembled all the Chiefs of this Nation, & after a long & troublesome Spell with them, I Obtained the Belt, with a Speech as you will Receive Enclosed: This Affair is very timely Stopt, and I hope the News of a Peace will put a Stop to any further Troubles with those Indians who are the principal Ones of Setting Mischief on Foot: I Send you the Belt, with this Packett, which I hope You will Forward to the General.
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No. 3. |
Copy of a Speech made by the Chiefs of the Miamis Indians, at the Delivery of a Belt of Wampum, Sent to them from the Shawnese Nation, & Referred to in the Foregoing- Fort Miamis, 30th March 1763. |
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My Brother,
According to your Desire & Treaties with Us, I Have Consulted with our Chief Warriours, in respect to this Belt of Wampum, which you Discovered to be in this Village; & We all think it best to Deliver it to you, so that you may Send it to your General, thoo' We were not to Let this Belt be Known of, till it Arrived at Ouattanon; and then we were All to Rise, and put the English to Death, all about this Place, and those at the Other Places.
This Belt We Received from the Shawnese Nation, & they Received it from the Delawares, & they from the Senecas, who are very much Enraged against the English: As for the Indian that was the Beginner We cannot Tell him, but he was One of their Chiefs; and One that is always Doing Mischief; And the Indian that Brought it to this Place, was our Chief, who was down at the Grand Council held in Penyslvania last Summer.- We Desire you to Send this down to your General, & George Croghan, and Let them find out the Man that was making this Mischief. For our parts, We will be Still, & Take no more Notice of their Mischief, Neither will We be Concerned in it: If We had ever so much Mind to Kill the English, there is always some Discovery made before We can Accomplish our Designs.
This is all We have to Say, only you must give our
Young Warriors some Paint, some Powder & Ball & Some Knives, as they
are all going to War, against our Enemies the Cherokees.
_______________________
1 In Public Record Office, C. O. 5.63, London, England.
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