The Chickamauga Dam and its environsWalker, Robert Sparks
History
The Chickamauga Dam and its environs
Walker, Robert Sparks
Chattanooga (Tenn.) -- History; Chickamauga Dam (Tenn.); Tennessee River Valley
Without an interpreter Ostenaco suffered a serious handicap. He
was unable to deliver an address he had prepared for King George.
He was determined that the King should know what he had to say and
on his return to America, November 3, 1762, he gave the following
address to Governor Bull of Charleston, S. C., to be translated and
transmitted to King George:
“Some time ago, my nation was in darkness, but that darkness has now
cleared up. My people were in great distress, but that is ended.
There will be no more bad talks in my nation, but all will be good
talks. If any Cherokee shall kill an Englishman, that Cherokee shall
be put to death. Our women are bearing children to increase our
nation, and I will order those who are growing up to avoid making war
with the English. If any of our head men retain resentment against
the English for their relations who have been killed, and if any of
them speak a bad word concerning it, I shall deal with them as I see
cause. No more disturbances will be heard in my nation. I speak not
with two tongues, and ashamed of those who do.”
Ostenaco was seasick on his way over the big pond, and the following
brief report hints as to what impressed him most on the long journey:
“Although I met with a good deal of trouble going over the wide
water, that is more than recompensed by the satisfaction of seeing
the King and the reception I met from him being treated as one of his
children and finding the treatment of every one there good to me.
“The number of warriors and people all of one color which we saw in
England, far exceeded what we thought possibly could be. That we
might see everything which was strange to us, the king gave us a
gentleman to attend to us all the day, and at night till bedtime.
“The head warrior of the canoe who brought us over the wide water,
used us very well. He desired us not to be afraid of the French for
he and his warriors could fight like men, and die rather than be
taken.”
The Chickamaugas were not ready to give up after their towns had been
destroyed in 1779. They rebuilt Chickamauga Town, but in 1782 John
Sevier, in command of a troop of mounted Tennesseeans, descended
on them, and after burning Chickamauga, marched up the creek and
destroyed Little Owl’s village. Fourteen years later John Sevier
became the first governor of Tennessee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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