The Creeks seeming now to be nearly as much concerned in these raids
as the Cherokee, a remonstrance was addressed to McGillivray, their
principal chief, who replied that, although the Creeks, like the
other southern tribes, had adhered to the British interest during
the Revolution, they had accepted proposals of friendship, but while
negotiations were pending six of their people had been killed in the
affair at Coldwater, which had led to a renewal of hostile feeling. He
promised, however, to use his best efforts to bring about peace, and
seems to have kept his word, although the raids continued through this
and the next year, with the usual sequel of pursuit and reprisal. In
one of these skirmishes a company under Captain Murray followed some
Indian raiders from near Nashville to their camp on Tennessee river
and succeeded in killing the whole party of eleven warriors. [162]
A treaty of peace was signed with the Creeks in 1790, but, owing
to the intrigues of the Spaniards, it had little practical effect,
[163] and not until Wayne's decisive victory over the confederated
northern tribes in 1794 and the final destruction of the Nickajack
towns in the same year did real peace came to the frontier.
By deed of cession of February 25, 1790, Tennessee ceased to be a
part of North Carolina and was organized under federal laws as "The
Territory of the United States south of the Ohio river," preliminary
to taking full rank as a state six years later. William Blount (27)
was appointed first territorial governor and also superintendent for
the southern Indians, with a deputy resident with each of the four
principal tribes. [164] Pensacola, Mobile, St. Louis, and other
southern posts were still held by the Spaniards, who claimed the
whole country south of the Cumberland, while the British garrisons
had not yet been withdrawn from the north. The resentment of the
Indians at the occupancy of their reserved and guaranteed lands by
the whites was sedulously encouraged from both quarters, and raids
along the Tennessee frontier were of common occurrence. At this time,
according to the official report of President Washington, over five
hundred families of intruders were settled upon lands belonging rightly
to the Cherokee, in addition to those between the French Broad and
the Holston. [165] More than a year before the Secretary of War had
stated that "the disgraceful violation of the treaty of Hopewell with
the Cherokee requires the serious consideration of Congress. If so
direct and manifest contempt of the authority of the United States
be suffered with impunity, it will be in vain to attempt to extend
the arm of government to the frontiers. The Indian tribes can have
no faith in such imbecile promises, and the lawless whites will
ridicule a government which shall on paper only make Indian treaties
and regulate Indian boundaries." [166] To prevent any increase of
the dissatisfaction, the general government issued a proclamation
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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