The Winning of the West, Volume 4: Louisiana and the Northwest, 1791-1807Roosevelt, Theodore
History
The Winning of the West, Volume 4: Louisiana and the Northwest, 1791-1807
Roosevelt, Theodore
Northwest, Old -- History; United States -- Territorial expansion; West (U.S.) -- History
The Hurons went away much surprised, and resolved on peace; and the
other tribes followed their example. In January, 1795, the Miamis,
Chippewas, Sacs, Delawares, Pottawatomies, and Ottawas sent ambassadors
to Greeneville and agreed to treat. [Footnote: _Do_., Antoine Lasselle
to Jacques Lasselle, Jan. 31, 1795.] The Shawnees were bent on
continuing the war; but when their allies deserted them they too sent to
Greeneville and asked to be included in the peace. [Footnote: _Do_.,
Letter of Lt.-Col. England, Jan. 30, 1795; also copy of treaty of peace
of Feb. 11th.] On February 11th the Shawnees, Delawares, and Miamis
formally entered into a preliminary treaty.
Treaty of Greeneville.
This was followed in the summer of 1795 by the formal Treaty of
Greeneville, at which Wayne, on behalf of the United States, made a
definite peace with all the Northwestern tribes. The sachems, war
chiefs, and warriors of the different tribes began to gather early in
June; and formal proceedings for a treaty were opened on June 17th. But
many of the tribes were slow in coming to the treaty ground, others
vacillated in their course, and unforeseen delays arose; so that it was
not until August 7th that it was possible to come to a unanimous
agreement and ratify the treaty. No less than eleven hundred and thirty
Indians were present at the treaty grounds, including a full delegation
from every hostile tribe. All solemnly covenanted to keep the peace; and
they agreed to surrender to the whites all of what is now southern Ohio
and south eastern Indiana, and various reservations elsewhere, as at
Fort Wayne, Fort Defiance, Detroit, and Michilimackinac, the lands
around the French towns, and the hundred and fifty thousand acres near
the Falls of the Ohio which had been allotted to Clark and his soldiers.
The Government, in its turn, acknowledged the Indian title to the
remaining territory, and agreed to pay the tribes annuities aggregating
nine thousand five hundred dollars. All prisoners on both sides were
restored. There were interminable harangues and councils while the
treaty was pending, the Indians invariably addressing Wayne as Elder
Brother, and Wayne in response styling them Younger Brothers. In one
speech a Chippewa chief put into terse form the reasons for making the
treaty, and for giving the Americans title to the land, saying, "Elder
Brother, you asked who were the true owners of the land now ceded to the
United States. In answer I tell you, if any nations should call
themselves the owners of it they would be guilty of falsehood; our claim
to it is equal; our Elder Brother has conquered it." [Footnote: American
State Papers, IV., 562-583.]
Wayne's Great Achievement.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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