Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora IndiansJohnson, Elias
History
Legends, Traditions, and Laws of the Iroquois, or Six Nations, and History of the Tuscarora Indians
Johnson, Elias
Iroquois Indians; Tuscarora Indians
When the report of the gun was heard by the Canadian force and they saw
the effect it had on their comrade, they halted. Their commander, Mr.
Longboard, of the Tuscaroras which numbered at that time twenty-six, from
them selected three men and instructed them to get upon and to go along
the top of the mountain and to blow a horn occasionally, which they had
in their possession, and to keep nearly opposite the Canada Indians. The
object was to serve as a scare-crow, to make them believe that there was
a force also on the mountain in the act of flanking them. But the
remaining force of Mr. Longboard rushed down the mountain with their war
whoops as if legion were coming down, and pursued the Canada Indians,
while the train of white people had gone on in their flight. The Canada
Indians retreated about one mile and a half, near to where the main force
were. Then one of their men halted and aimed his gun at one of our men,
John Obediah, and the latter also aimed to his opponent, while Samuel
Thompson got behind a large elm tree. In the meantime, John Obediah spoke
to the stranger in all the different six languages of the Iroquois, but
did not get an answer. These were the only two men in pursuit at this
time, as the rest of them had halted some ways back. Finally the British
Indian retreated backwards, keeping aim as he went, and all at once gave
a spring and ran off. The three men that were on the mountain kept
occasionally blowing the horn as they went, as the road is parallel with
the mountain.
By this time the train of white people had gone quite a good ways in
their flight: it is evident that the timely intervention of the Tuscarora
Indians, saved great slaughter of men, women and children among the white
people.
The Tuscaroras then went back and kept in the rear of the white people in
their flight. The British Indians perceiving that it was the Tuscarora
Indians that killed one of their number and repulsed them, made their way
to their reservation, (the nation had already deserted their homes), and
began to burn their houses indiscriminately, and also a meeting-house
which was built by them, except eight dollars, a convenient chapel where
the early christian Tuscaroras such as Sacaresa and Solomon Longboard,
both sachems, with many others, delighted to worship the Almighty in the
simplicity of their faith. And after they had finished their destruction
they went down in pursuit of the fleeing train of white people on the
ridge road: by this time the Tuscaroras had stationed themselves at a log
house, eight or ten miles from Lewiston, near Nathan Peterson's, which
was used as an armory; when the Tuscaroras first came, there were a few
white men there breaking open the powder kegs in this log house, making
it ready to set on fire but the chief, Mr. Longboard, remonstrated in
having it burned, and was interpreted to them by Colonel Jacobs, so they
consented not to destroy the powder.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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