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.
Narration of the Journey
(October 9, 1735)
De Noyelles in: Michigan Pioneer
and Historical Collections,
Vol. 34, pp. 122-128.
WAR AGAINST THE FOX INDIANS.
Endorsed annexed to the letter of the Marquis de Beauharnois of the 9th Oct. 1735.
War Expeditions against the Fox Indians. Copy of the account of the journey of the Sr. de Noyelle, commanding the war party against the Fox Indians and the Sakis, sent to the Marquis de Beauharnois.
Sir,
Having made my report to you concerning my journey from my departure up to my arrival among the Ouyatanous, I have now the honor of sending you an account of what has taken place since the 2nd of January, when I left that place up to this day, the 23rd of April.
When I arrived at the Ouyatanous' Country I went and found a number of Kikapous who were a distance of six leagues off. I asked them where the Fox Indians might be. They replied,- placing a red calumet at my feet,- "They are in that direction" (turning it) ; that if I wished to have more certain news of them, I had only to go to Masanne, that I should find their great village there, and that their people knew where they were living. When I proceeded to their homes, they told me that the Fox Indians were not far off, and that they were going to take me there. It was at this time, Monsieur, that the Hurons and Iroquois began to give me trouble in spite of all the kindnesses I had shown them, and all the promises which they had made me to hearken to your word of which I was the bearer. They told me that they wanted to go and devour six households of the Sakis who had fled to the St. Joseph River. I sent them word that our will, Monseigneur, was that no attack should be made upon the Sakis if they asked to be spared and were willing to join us in order to deliver up the Fox Indians; that most of the tribes with whom they are allied had asked you to pardon them on that condition; that, if they went and killed people who had taken refuge with the French in order that they might not be included in the list of rebels, it would have a very bad effect in the upper country and would take away the confidence which all the tribes had felt in us. All this talk, Monsieur, was fruitless. Seventy Hurons set out with ten Poutcouatamis from Detroit, telling me that they wanted to devour these six house- (page 123) holds. I do not know what they have done in this matter. You will perceive, Sir, how this adventure has reduced our forces.
I found a Missoury chief among the Kikapous, who was coming back from there. I made him presents, and charged him to tell his tribe about our march. I gave him a letter for the Commandant of the post. I requested him to invite his savages to come and join me, and to forward another letter which I wrote to M. d'Artaguiett,1 whom I had already informed of my march when I left the Ouyatanous.
I had resolved, Sir, after having held a council with the French and savages, to go through the Illinois' country as I had had no news of M. de Celoron, although that took me a long way out of my road. But, as I had been detained for 22 days by the ice, and was moreover in want of provisions and could not obtain any anywhere, I was obliged to go by the way I took. On leaving the Kikapous, I detached the Sieurs de la Perade2 and St. Ours to scout- several Iroquois and Kikapous went with them. They captured five Sakis (one of them a chief) : there was a Fox Indian with them who escaped. They pursued, speaking Illinois to him, so that he might think, and tell them in his village, that he had been pursued by some Illinois. The prisoners told me that they were going to the St. Joseph River to speak to their people, in order to learn whether it was true that their father Onontio intended to grant them their lives; that a Nipissing and the White Cat, their chief, who had come to their place and had been to the Sioux to ask M. de St. Pierre whether they might hope in this news, had assured them of it. They told me that the Fox Indians were no longer at the Pomme de Cigne, and that they had retired to the Sans Fourche River. I may have the honor of assuring you, Sir, that but for slaves we should not have seen the Fox Indians, for none of our savages knew the country where they were, and the Kikapous, their allies, who to the number of 40 had followed me, had made us lengthen out our road in such a manner that we were turning our backs on them. Our savages perceived this and warned me of it, and I had the prisoners told that if they did not lead me straight to the Fox Indians I would have them secured to a stake to be burned.
We crossed the Mississippy, I told the Iroquois that it was necessary (page 124) to make provisions; the slaves thought likewise, because we were getting far away from oxen and we should run the risk of fasting. Our savages refused to load themselves with dried meat so that they could run better, thinking they were near the enemy. Next day we began to make only one very moderate meal a day. On the 12th of March we arrived at the fort of the Fox Indians. We found no one there, and were stopped there for two days by the great cold, without any provisions. I sent out a scouting party. The scouts came and reported to me that they had seen four recent camping grounds. They followed the trail from them; two days after they came to tell me that they had seen smoke. I sent them back to see whether thy had not been mistaken; they assured me that it was true. We marched part of the night, and crossed several rivers with the water up to our waists. We posted ourselves behind a hill, waiting for daylight, wrapped in our cloaks, extremely tired, wet, and very hungry. At break of day we arrived at a wood bordering on a river. The savages, who wanted to have the glory of getting there first and attacking these four households, made us cover four or five leagues at full speed. They were greatly surprised to see 55 households on the other side of a very wide and rapid river in which masses of ice were carried along in full stream. The son of Noutagarouche, war chief from the Lake of the Two Mountains said to me that we must all throw ourselves in and swim. I replied that that was imprudent, and that it was impossible to cross such a river as that in such severe cold; that many of the French and even of their men might not know how to swim; that, moreover, we should wet our arms and stores; that, as only 60 men including Frenchmen and savages had as yet come up, all their people having separated in different directions, thinking that we should find only these four households whose trail we had followed; that it was more advisable (as we had not been discovered yet) to get our men together and go higher up; that we should make "Cajeux"3 at the most suitable place for crossing, and then we should be in a position to fall upon the enemy with our arms in our hands, whereas by following his advice, the enemy would have it in their power to kill us as we reached the land supposing that we were able to get across. He answered that I was not a man. I could not help, Sir, getting angry, and saying to him "Dog, if You are so bold, throw yourself in and swim, and let us see how you get through with the matter." He said nothing to me. I requested him to despatch a few of his men to go and meet those who had remained behind. All that was useless. He left me with several (page 125) Frenchmen who were with me, and took away his band which might consist of 40 men. When we had marched about a league we heard cries of "Dead" and saw one of our savages who made signs to us that all our people were fighting. We went to this man as fast as our legs would carry us, and he told us that one of our Frenchmen was wounded. I followed the trail of my men, to get them together. I found several of them crossing the river at its widest part on a boom and two large stakes which the Fox Indians had arranged for going to and fro from one side of the river to the other when they were hunting. We crossed the river like the others; we went to the huts and found no one there, the enemy having retired in order to place their wives and children in safety. Seven Frenchmen and 23 savages, who had got there first, found themselves face to face with some of the enemy: (a savage chief from the St. Louis falls,4 named Onorakinguiak, called out, "My brothers, French and savages, we are dead men, but we must sell our lives very dearly and not allow ourselves to be taken.) They fought so vigorously that they drove back the enemy into the woods, where they took refuge; [but], seeing only 30 men, they came back again and tried to surround them in order to capture them. They perceived this, and retired, fighting as they fell back; it was at this time that the Sr. de Croisille received a wound from which he died. When I came up with the Srs. de Lignery,5 the Chevr. de Chaillon and Chabert, a chief from the Lake of the Two Mountains, and several Frenchmen and savages, we marched by the flank of the enemy in order to surround them. One of the thirty men came to tell us this news. I immediately despatched all those who were with me to assist them, and told them that I would join them as soon as the greater part of the expedition, for whom I was waiting, should arrive. I set out about half an hour after with the Srs. de la Perade & St. Ours, several Frenchmen, and savages. I divided those who were with me, sending some to the right and others to the left, to fall upon the enemy. I surrounded seven of them on my side, who received two volleys. At this time I learnt that the Sr. Chabert was mortally Wounded. About two hours after someone called out to me that the enemy were making headway towards the wounded, in order to take their scalps, where the reserve party was. This obliged me to take the course of telling our men, as night was approaching, to retire in order to look for a place to intrench themselves, so that we could shelter the wounded and protect ourselves from the enemy, who were superior in numbers and quite fresh. I feared with reason that the Kikapous (page 126) might side with the strongest party, for I had seen them on rising ground looking at us fighting. It was very difficult for us to intrench ourselves in a prairie, the enemy having seized upon the only island there was in that place, on which their women and children had made a fort while they were fighting. For want of wood, I was obliged to divide my men into two companies; and while I was doing my best to intrench, I despatched 50 men, French and Savages, to fire upon the enemy's fort and protect us from their attacks while we were working.
Next morning the Iroquois invited me to come to them to hold a council as to the course that was to be adopted. I made no difficulty about going to see them. They told me that they had a savage with them who spoke all languages (it was the man Beauvais, a half breed settled at the St. Louis Falls) who had talked all the night with the Saki chief and one of the Fox Indians who had been captured in the fight. As soon as I had arrived, I saw a Kikapou- who had married among the Fox Indians- enter with a white flag. He said that we had called to them to come, and that he came, to see what we wished of them and to listen to us. I said everything that I could to him to make him induce the Sakis to abandon the Fox Indians and return to the Bay. He replied that if we spoke to them with our hearts, we would give up to them one of their men who was a prisoner. The Iroquois told me that we must send the Chief back to them, and that would induce them to come out of their fort and leave the Fox Indians. I consented, and the same chief returned with presents and porcelain to report to me that, if we had not attacked them, and there had been only Frenchmen, they would have surrendered readily; but as the French were not more numerous than the Iroquois, so as to restrain them, they had every reason to fear lest those savages should put them in the post when they were separated from the Fox Indians and at a distance from them; but that, upon the assurance of the French, they would come out when we wished. I said to him "You may come out during the day and fear nothing; for, if the Iroquois wished to make any treacherous attack upon you, I should oppose it; and although we are few in numbers, they would not meddle with us. He represented to me that it was very late; that their women and children would not have time to encamp, and that it was too cold. The next day the other Saki chiefs sent to inform me that they could not leave because the Fox Indians had said to them "Dogs that you are, if you abandon us, as soon as you have gone we will devour your women and children; we will then fight against you and afterwards against the French."
The Sakis sent me a young Saulteur with two of his sisters and an Illinois woman whom they had captured last autumn; and in exchange I sent them back a young Saki that I had. For four days, Sir, our party had eaten nothing but 12 dogs and a horse which was killed at night near the fort of the Fox Indians: several soldiers have been obliged to eat their Indian shoes. They all asked me to lead them to the attack, seeing that we were suffering and had no hope of any provisions. I proposed to the Iroquois to send some of their men to hunt, in order to find food for us and make us fit to attack the enemy again. They replied to me, bragging (ads you will see) that we must fast four or five days longer, and work. Afterwards they asked [permission] of me to go away. I can unhesitatingly tell you, Sir, that they were as much in need of food as we were. And as we could not hold on any longer, I sent a belt to the Sakis to convince them that their Father had commissioned me to tell them that he granted them their lives on the condition that they should abandon the Fox Indians,- as they had before promised him,- and return to the Bay. They promised me to do so.
On this occasion we lost two Frenchmen and a Huron; four or five of the savages were wounded, and the enemy lost 30 men between the killed, wounded and prisoners. I proceeded, Sir, to the post of M. Dartaguiette in order to go against the Chicachas in accordance with your orders. Almost all our savages left me and went away on the war path in one direction or another. Most of them told me that they wanted to go back to their homes to make a living for their families.
M. Dartaguiette asked me whether I wished to go back; [he said] that an expedition of 400 Missouris6 and Kanss,7 with some Frenchmen, was to go against the Fox Indians and Sakis; that we could join and destroy them, and that he would give me provisions and men. I told him that I was quite ready to proceed if he would take the responsibility as regards the expense which this new war would have caused. He replied that he would take no responsibility. I did not venture, Sir, to take it upon myself, looking to the uncertainty of succeeding. Nor could I proceed against the Chicachas because of the expedition which the Missouris had formed against the Fox Indians, and the desertion of our savages. I have nothing, Sir, to reproach myself with; and I venture to flatter myself that you will have no reproach to make to me, as I have done my best. You will scarcely believe all the difficulties I had, and the hardships I have gone through. I should count them as nothing if I had succeeded. The savages alone are the cause of it, and they could not (page 128) help acknowledging to me that Nontagarouche had caused the failure of our attack.
I take the liberty, Sir, of representing to you that, in expeditions of this sort, it is necessary that the French should be stronger than the savages, so as to be able to control them; otherwise it is they who control us; and I have experienced this only too fully, in spite of the acts of kindness and the regard I have shown them. There was one of them from Le Sault who had the effrontery to beat one of our soldiers in my presence. I pretended to turn my head the other way so as not to see it, being constantly on the point of being deserted by these people, on the slightest word that might have been said to them.
The Kikapou who had married among the Fox Indians, who followed those that were with me, was shot by an Iroquois two leagues away from the Foxes. He took his scalp in my presence. Never were savages more surprised; they trembled like a leaf, and feared- with good reason- that they might all have to pass through that ordeal; for the Iroquois had said "We have been to look for enemies,- there they are ready found, for by the way they have acted they are as much Fox Indians as the others."
____________
CONFIRMATION OF LAND GRANTS AT DETROIT.
Monseigneur
We have received the letter which you did us the honor of writing to us on the 25th of April last, with which were inclosed the Warrants ratifying the concessions which we made as seigniories, and a general warrant in confirmation of the grants which we made at Detroit, subject to quit rents. We have handed all the Warrants, except the last to the parties concerned; and the one which refers to the grants at Detroit has been registered at the Superior Council from which every grantee can obtain an extract. The settlers at Detroit shall be informed of this.
We do not see that there are any other arrangements to be made at present
for securing the position of these grantees; and we shall continued to grant
lands to those who wish to settle there hereafter, as there ought to be no
further question of the interests of the Sr. de la Mothe Cadillac
___________________________
1 Pierre D'Artaguiette. Captain of the troops. He was at Kaskakia July 9, 1720.
2 Tarieu Thomas, Sieur de la Perade, lieutenant of troops, Seigneur of St. Anne, was born 1677, married Marie Madeleine Jarret 1706 and was buried Jan. 26, 1757 at Ste. Anne de la Prade.- C. M. B.
3 (1, p. 124) A small raft made of logs or square timber.
4 (1, p. 125) Falls of St. Louis are in St. Lawrence river near Montreal.
5 (2, p. 125) See appendix, Vol. 33.
6 (1, p. 127) Missouris, Siouan tribe who aid French at siege of Detroit.
7 (2, p. 127) Kansi or Kansas, Siouan tribe located on river of same name.
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