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.
Letter to Gage
(Detroit, Aug. 17, 1765)
Croghan, George in: William
L. Clements Library, Gage
Papers, American
Series, Vol. 41.
|
Detroit August 17th 1765 |
Sir,
I wrote you last from Weotonan of the 12th of July, in which I informed Your Excellency of what had happen'd since I left Fort Pitt. On the 18th of July I set off from Weotonan for the Ilinois, but being met by part of the Deputy's of the Delawares, Shawanese, & Six Nations, which accompanied Mr. Fraser & me down the Ohio, with Pontiac & a deputation of the Nations Inhabiting the Ilinois Country, I return'd to Weotonan where I had a Conference with all the Chiefs, & Principle enough to Settle matters with all those Nations & reconcile them to his Majesty's Interest. Your Excellency will no doubt be informed of the treatment Mr. Fraser, & Mr. Sinnott who accompanyd Mr. La Guterie to the Ilinois, met with there, all owing to the French Artifice & Influence. Mr. La Guterie & Mr. Sinnott brought with them to the Ilinois (as I am told) Presents to the amount of One Hundred & fifty Thousand Livers, part of which they were plunder'd of, the remainder they gave in Presents, & at last received for answer from the Indians, a flat denial, that they wou'd not suffer the English to take Possession of their Country, & that the French King had no Rite to Cede it to the King of Great Britain, as he had never purchas'd it of them, Mr. Sinnott was obliged to make his excape in the night, from Fort Chartres.-
After his departure from thence the Indians got sober, & began to reflect on their Conduct in killing the Shawanese & plundering me & sent for the Shawanese, Delawares & Six Nations that I had sent there, to Condole with them on what had happen'd; the Shawanese, Delawares, & Six Nations told them that they could not receive any speeches form them on that Occasion that if they wanted to treat with their Nations, they must come to Weoto[n]an where I was & speak to me; that the Six Nations Delawares & Shawa[n]ese, with the Weyondotts had made a firm Peace with the English & entere[d] into engagements with them to act offensivly against any Nations that shou'd oppose their Brethren the English in taking Possession of the posts that had been given up to them, by the French, & as they had stroke all their Nations they did not look on themselves Capable to treat with them without I was present, on which they set off for Weotonan, where the several Nations has agree'd to our taking Possession of Fort (page 2) Chartres, or any other Posts in their Country which the French formerly possess'd, at the same time they insist upon it, that they never sold any part of their Country to the French; & hopes their Brethren the English will not look upon their taking possession of the posts the French formerly possessed as giving them a title to their Country. The particulars of what pass'd between the different Nations & me I cannot at present send you, as there is a number of those Nations Collected here to meet Coll. Bradstreet agree able to his invitation to them last fall by Mr. Masonville, to morrow the St. Joseph Indians will be here with what Prisoners they have to deliver up, the other Nations has given me all the Prisoners they had. I have settled matters with Pontiac, & makes no doubt of reconciling all the St. Joseph Indians to his Majesty's Interest, which is the only settlement of Indians at present refractory in this Country. As soon as I have settled matters here I will proceed to Niagara, & from thence I will wait upon Your Excellency, with a state of my transactions with those several Nations. 'Tis unlucky at this time, that Coll. Campbell has not received any Orders respecting this meeting which must be attended with some expence as at this time the sending those Nations away displeased may be attended with some bad Consequences. I could wish they had never been invited to this place, but as they are here I will do every thing in my power, with the approbation of Coll. Campbell, to send them away well Satisfied. The Killing the Shawanese Deputy's & plundering me has been of more Service to his Majesty's Indian Interest, then a Considerable Sum expended in presents, & has much disopointed the Views of the French.
As soon as this meeting is over, I will send some Indians down to the Ilinois, to keep things there Quiet till Major Farmer arrives, as I'm Convinced the French will endeavour to sti[r] up the Indians to Mischief, if in their power.
Should Major Farmer not be able to get up to the Ilinois this fall, nor Fort Chartres, be releived from Fort Pitt; I fear it may be attended with some deficulty Should it be delay'd till next Spring: as the French are now carrying up Cannon privatly, about fifty Miles above Fort Chartres; there to Establish a very strong Post, in order to draw over (page 3) as much of the Indian Trade as in their Power to the other side of the Misisipi which looks as if they intended to rival us in the Trade of that Colony.
|
I am with Great Esteem & regard |
|
To
His Excellency
The Honourable Thomas Gage
Commander in Chief of all His
Majesty's Forces in North America
New
York
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to TOC, p. 18
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