OK
BY
CHARLt S C. JONES, JR.
v^C

MONUMENTAL REMAINS

OF
\ GEORGIA:

r
;

I*

CHARLES C. JONES, JR.

PART FIRST.

i

SAVANNAH:

JOHN M. CXX)PEB AND COMPANY.

1861.

.1

TO
MY FATHER,
AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED.
-Mii-S;

\

'1
ttcirnt Monument,
NEAR

LOIJD BACON, in his " Advancement of Learning/'

compares antiquities and historical fragments, which

have accidentally escaped the ravages of decay, to the

scattered, but still floating planks of a ship-wrecked

vessel; and commends to the industrious student of his-,

tory, a careful observation of all monuments, relics, and

ancient traditions, in order that somewhat may be saved f

and recovered from the deluge of time.

'

^

The antiquities of our State, have always appeared to

me, deserving of more attention, and worthy a higher

consideration than that, with which they are-usually re

garded. Although, like Fame, they may stand with

muffled heads, and tell but uncertain tales; although

the waves of time, in their ceaseless flow, may have ob

literated much that is certain; and the fiat of remorse*

less decay, doomed to silence and forgetfulness, many of

the most engaging and valuable memories of the Past,

yet, we must all recognize the fact, that the same in

evitable law, which robs the ancient column of its beau

tiful mouldings, and delicate flutiogs, also plants the

encircling ivy at its base, and places a seal of consecra

tion upon its time-stained capital.

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

The study of antiquity, necessarily involves an inves

tigation of many of the most important problems of

human history. Especially interesting becomes the in

quiry, when it leads us to die consideration of remains

and monuments--the only organic memorials of a peo

ple, who preceded us in the occupancy of that land, for

which we all entertain those abiding attachments, which

are the offspring of birth, education, and'association.

The Indian no longer walks the soil he once cherished

with such ardent devotion. He has looked for the last

time, upon the flowing rivers, noble mountains, and

beautiful valleys of Georgia--once all his own.

In obedience to the law of progress, the weaker and

the more ignorant race disappears before the conquering

march of the stronger, and the more enlightened.

Their names perished, when the forest tree, expanding

in the soft air and warm sunlight of spring, threw off

the rind upon which they were rudely graven. The

fragile hut, which sheltered them from the summer

storm, fell with the withered leaf of Autumn. Upon

the surface of our streams and harbors, are seen no fur- -

rows traced by their graceful canoes. Their traditional

songs, and historical legends, have vanished with the last

memory which retained--with the last voice which re

peated them.

Well may the sorrowing Indian, as he turns with a

last lingering look from the pleasant abodes of his

Fathers, exclaim: --

.

aSSi-^:..

ilOXU MENTAL KKMAINS OF GEORGIA.

" They waste us -- ay, like April snc In the warm noon, we shrink away;
And fast they follow, as we go Towards the setting day -- Till they shall fill the lahd, and we Are driven into the Western sea," ' .

' .

Here ami there, however, still exist scattered monu ments, fast yielding to the despoiling hand of map, and the remorseless attacks of time -- truth-speaking relics, which tell of their arts of war, of the "chase, pf their domestic manners -- and above all, consecrated mounds and burial places, suggesting -a belief in a future exis tence,-- organic remains iu the history of the Indians, evidencing the fact, that the savage breast was not insen.sible to those traits of humanity -- respect for the dead, and -veneration for the memory- of the .illustrious departed -- which have been, in all ages, held in esteem and honor.
It is due to the Race that is gone, that the poetic and suggestive names, with which they have invested the" prominent natural objects within the limits of our State, should remain unchanged -- still cherishing the m^mo/ ries of those, who first looked upon, and admired their beauties. It is demanded by the inquiries of the present, that every scattered fragment, every grass-grown monu ment, left by the Indian/should be carefully noted, in telligently examined, and so far as may be, industriously preserved.
Acting under this belief, and for the' accomplishtocnt

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

of this end, it shall be our purpose, from time to time,

as opportunity occurs, to visit and describe the most

remarkable remains still extant in Georgia; thereby attempting, by analogy, and in fact, to compass the

determination of, at least a portion, of what is at present

almost unwritten history; thereby hoping to stimulate inquiry and investigation, in behalf of this interesting

subject.

Four miles distant from the city of Augusta, at a

point known the Augusta

as " The Wash above Wa^rren's Spring," canal passes through a small hill, gently

sloping toward the right bank of the Savannah River.

To the casual observer, there is little of interest con

nected with the locality, other than the beautiful river,

--seen through the luxuriant vegetation adorning its

banks---as it leaps in joyous confusion among the many

rocks, that here crop out in every direction from its

time-worn channel; and the gentle undulations, on either hand, lending a quiet and pleasing attraction to

the scene,

A closer examination however, discloses the fact, that

this must have been a constant, and favorite resort of the

Indians. The surface of the ground, for an area of seve

ral acres, is literally covered witluarrow and spear heads

-- fragments of pottery--stone axes -- occasional rude

mortars, hollowed in flat rocks brought from the bed of

the river--pestles--soap stone ornaments -- and here

and there a pipe. Again and again, have numbers of

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

1.1

these remains been collected, and carried away by the

curious, as mementoes of the place, and of the Race by

whom they were fashioned; and still, the returning

ploughshare of Spring, each season/ reveals new speci

mens of the handiwork of the Ancients. Abounding

everywhere, are quantities of muscle, clam, and snail

shells, there deposited by the Aborigines.

That the spear and arrow heads were frequently here

manufactured, is clearly proven by the fact, that num

bers of them may be found in an unfinished condition;

while chips, struck from the silex of which they were

forming these implements of war and of the chase, lie

scattered in every direction.

The soap stone ornaments, and mortars, also indicate



.

local origin. It is to be observed however, that the

and hatchets, are formed generally of cyanite, a.

mineral not found in this vicinity. The pipes are. made

of steatite. Occasionally are seen--intermixed with the

soil -- thVbones of large fishes and animals. Therer ap

pears to be in the neighborhood, an absence of mounds

and burial places. This fact we shall subsequently

show, is susceptible of a very natural and positive x-

planation. Every indication points to -the conclusion,

that this was a favorite seat of the Indians; and the-rea-

son why it was selected as a place of resort,.becomes evi

dent upon a moment's reflection. The adjacent swamps

and alluvial bottoms, with their original tangled under

growth, must have constituted an attractive cover for

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MONUMENTAL REMAIN'S OF GEORGIA.

game. The river, flowing near,'.furnished not only a

nevrr failing supply of -water, but also afforded an

abundance of fish at all seasons of the year. Just here,

occur the rapids in the Savannah. From the projecting

rocks, and numerous boulders which lie exposed in the

current, admirable opportunities were presented for

spearing the fish, as they glided through the shallow

sluices, or rested sluggishly in the circling eddies.

We are informed that at the present day. in the

Spring of the year, a shad fishery is here conducted

with marked success.

It is well ascertained, that the Indians located thei

permanent settlement"5, with direct reference to the natu

ral advantages, and physical resources of the vflace

selected. The presence of fish, game and wate?, was

indispensably necessary, both to the convenience and

support of tribes, who had not advanced in civilization

beyond the hunter state -- who relied upon/the spear,

the bow, and the arrow, as the principal means of obtain

if

ing their subsistence -- who cultivated the soil only to

a very limited extent, and then simply by partially

loosening the earth with the scapula of/a deer or a bison

--- who erected, as a shelter from the inclement elements,
r buildings of the slightest and most .perishable materials,

-- and who could, at a moment's framing, change their

abodes without loss or inconvenience, locating anew,

where ever fancy, pleasure, ornecessity might suggest.

This spot may have been/used by them simply as a

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA. - 18

rendezvous, for the purposes of fishing and hunting dur

ing the Spring or Summer months of each year; but

we incline to the opinion, that it was a fixed settlement,

and that the peculiar.attractions of the spot^ received-;U

their hands, a general and permanent recognition. ' .

There ma>*, and probably do exist at particular points

along the banks of the Savannah, and' other Rivers of

our State, localities possessing like indications; but wo

doubt if many can be found, abounding to such a

narked degree, in varied remains and relics -- all attrib-

utable to a purely Indian origin.

;

Here they lie, speaking memorials of an almost for-

gotton race, -- like sea-shells found where 'the ocean has

been, to tell that the great tide of life was once there.

A mile and a half above the place, where the Augusta

canal takes its' inception -- near the middle of- the

Savannah River---is STALLING'S ISLAND, forming one

of that numerous and beautiful group of Islets, known

in the neighborhood, as "'the thousand Isles." On the

right bank of the river, rise the attractive hills of Geor

gia-- th*yr flanks covered with luxuriant vegefatioh--

their crests yielding a generous annual hardest, to re

ward the toil of the husbandman -- while on the other

hand, the sister slopes of Carolina, rejoice- in the same

warm sunlight. The river, here buoyant with life jaod

animation/leaps joyfully from rock to rock, now rush

ing gayly through the sluices of the descending rapids,

now pausing ever and anon, with eddying tide to dally

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

with the green slopes, and kiss the pendant branches of the forest trees, as they stoop to the refreshing influ ences of the spray. The axe of the woodsman has left unharmed the vegetation of many of these little islands; some of them rejoicing still, in the possession of their primeval foliage.
Stall ing's Island, is perhaps some six acres in extent, -- its shores hidden by dense masses of native cane, and indigenous vines, -- while far above the undergrowth, tower in conscious pride, and unchecked vigor, the Beech, the Cotton Tree, the Catalpa, the Maple, the Birch, and the Sycamore, intermingling their graceful branches of varied hue, in pleasing harmony. Spring ing as does its foliage from the water's edge, this Island appears a thing of life and beauty, resting quietly upon the bosom of the ever-changing tide.
Near the center of the Island, stands a most remarka ble and interesting INDIAN MONUMENT. It consists of a mound, whose area is somewhat less than an acre -- in form elliptical -- with a diameter in the direction of the major axis, of about three hundred feet, and a diam eter in the direction of the minor axis, of one hundred and twenty feet The average elevation of this tumu lus, appeared to be some twenty feet, or more. It4ooks to the north-east and south-west
The approaches seemed to have been made from either end of the mound, but especially from the south-eastern extremity; the ascent there, being far more gradual

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

15

than at the other sides. The surface is generally quite level, with however, an observable depression toward the central portion, thereby causing an 'apparent eleva tion at either end. The symmetry of the south-eastern side, has been somewhat impaired, in all probability by the action of the river current during a severe freshet in years long since past There, the wall of the mound is perpendicular, and its contents may be easily ascertained upon a casual examination.
A distinguishing peculiarity, whioh at once engages the attention, and excites the astonishment of the obser ver, is, that this tumulus is composed in chief, of the muscle, clam, and snail shells of the river. Probably three-fourths of its bulk consist of this material. The imagination almost fails intelligently to estimate ^the labor, the persevering, the continuous, the enormous labor, which collected this immense mass. These shells were doubtless, all obtained from the circumfluent river, and its tributaries; but who will calculate the' countless, weary miles traversed in the industrious search for them; who reckon aright the days, weeks, months, years--yqs, centuries, that must have elapsed, as the toil of one generation was added to that of another, in order that this tumulus might swell into its present stu pendous proportions ?
Those mighty piles, the Pyramids,
"Time's gnomons, rising on the -bank of
are unparalleled examples of the results, which may be

16

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

achieved by combined physical industry, and consecu tive labor. It will be remembered however, that Egypt was converted into a land of slaves, to raise a monument to Cheops, which should out live the feeble generations of mankind. Here however, we have a mound, -- the result of the united effort of many generations -- tiic off spring of inclination, and not of constraint -- a tumulus, designed to perpetuate, not the empty name of a tyrant king, but the devotion which the Indians of this region cherished for the peace, the security, the memory of their dead.
No epitaph gratifies the idle curiosj|y of the spectator, -- the traditions of the place are goire -- the dead, who here lie entombed, are nameless now; yet, this tumulus has stood for centuries, and will remain for ages yet to come, a speaking commentary upon the virtues, the in dustry, and the humanity of the Children of the Forest.
To such a marked degree do these shells enter into the - composition of this mound, that upon its summit, no tree or shrub flourishes -- nothing save coarse grass, and occasional cedars, struggling into a stunted exist ence.
The use of the shell, as a covering for their tumuli, was not unfrequent among th^ Indiaps who inhabited the coast regions of our State; their object apparently being, with the aid of this material -- almost indestructi ble as it is by the natural elements,--to impart a per manency to the graves of their dead, which co*uld not

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

. 1?

otherwise be readily attained. From' the extended oys

ter beds in the vicinity, exhaustless supplies of shells

could be, and readily were obtained] The present

mound however, occupying the position .that it does, is

most unique.

-..-..

Several pits have been opened in the north-eastern

end. At the depth of twelve feet, the amount of shells

was undiminished. They appear to have been distri

buted in layers of eight or ten inches in thickness, with

intervening strata of sand. An examination into the

contents of the mound, proves conclusively, that it must

have been used only for burial purposes -- that it is in

fact, a huge necropolis.

. .'

It could not ha\[e been the work of a year} or of a

generation. Strata* upon strata have been heaped, each

covering the dead of its age, until by degrees, and with

the lapse of time, (howlong, who can tell?) it grew into .

its present surprising dimensions.

Skeletons abound. One of them in particular--in a

reclining posture -- lay with the head to the north, the'

palms of the hands resting against either cheek. From

the wrists and neck, were taken numerous shell beads;

which, when strung, filled a thread nine feet in length.

Interesting pipes of steatite) and axes of cyanite, were

also exhumed. Interspersed in every direction, appeared

fragments of pottery. No traces of incineration coul(i

be perceived, nor were any specimens of metalic con

structio3n ascertained to exist

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

' We are clearly of opinion, that this mound is of

purely Indian origin. There are no circumstances or

peculiarities, suggesting the slightest probability of its

connection, with either the Toltec or Aztec Race. It has

nothing in common with the monuments of the Missis*

sippi Valley, or with those anomalous ruins -- extant

within the limits of our own State, -- which indicate in

far distant periods, the past existence of a people, prior

in point of time, and superior in point of civilization, to

the Indians who here inhabited, w;hen Georgia was first

i settled by the whites.

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**



The lower portions of Stalling's Island, subject as

they must be to at least an occasional over-flow, could

never have been inhabited by the Indians. In order to

ensure an exemption from this casualty, selecting the

moat elevated part of the island, they there erected this

immense tumulus, reaching far above the swollen tide,

I wherein the dead of the children of the forest might

| repose in undisturbed silence and security.

i There is something solemnly affecting, and deeply in

teresting in the thought, that by common consent, this

quiet, retired, beautiful place, should have been conse

crated exclusively to the purposes of burial. The ab

sence of mounds in the vicinity--the unusual dimen

sions of this tumulus -- the numerous skeletons en

tombed within, its bosom -- all attest the fact, that this

must have been used as the general cemetery of the

Tribes, who occupied the adjacent hills and fruitful val-

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

19

leys. No more attractive spot, no more suitable loca tion in this entire region, could have been selected.
Removed from the noise and confusion of the villages, and yet so near, that the bright rays of the fires, nightly - kradled upon either bank, shooting athwart the darkling tide, revealed the outlines of this island of the dead, -- away from the forest path, trod by the hunter--i- away from the conflicting voices^of the council-lodge, and the wild delights of the place of feasting and dancing, '-~ and yet, just where the eye of affection could ever turn and rest upon its hallowed form.
It is at all times a fearful thing to contemplate the approach of death; to look forward to an occupancy of that lonely dwelling, prepared for all the living; and yet, in view of the poetic temperament of ( the Indian-^in view of the peculiar religious belief cherished by him, with reference to a future state, -- we may well imagine how pleasing must have been his anticipations, as he regarded this mound-tomb, -- rich in. the associations, the consecrated recollections ofuhe past--hallowed by fthinealberleosvtiendga-n pdlahcoen; oaresdthdeuststoafrtcinengtu''prioeisn--tt washehn*isceowh.ne' himself, when the light of his wigwam grew dim, might enter upon the happy journey to the spirit land, and live anew amid /ihe hunting grounds of the blest,
whither his fathers had gone before. Here it stands, a speaking commentary upon that re
spect for the dead, that veneration for -departed worth

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MO2

PAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

and affection, that sincere respect and esteem for the

bones of their ancestors, which in a marked degree,

mvist have characterized these untutored sons of nature.

/ The vulgar tongue that talks lightly of the dead, and

the vandal band that would invade the sanctity of the

tomb, may well learn here, a lesson of tender and abi

ding interest

,

No wonder the1 Indians lovea their bunting grounds

-- their pleasant springs -- anjd above all, no marvel

that they clung with a tenacity a devotion which death

alone could teach them to forget, to the burial grounds,

consecrated for centuries, by th e dust of their fathers.

Who wtfl recall the historic associations which cluster

about this\ilent, and yet not voiceless tomb? Who

enumerate the vicissitudes which have occurred, since

the first canoe, with measured dip, and accompanying

train of mourners, landed here its precious burden?

Whose memory will recount the names, numbers, and

lives of those who have been here interred ? Who tell

the day, when the first tear was shed above the first

.sleeper, when they laid him to rest beneath the sombre

shadows of these over-arching trees ? What changes!

what wars and commotions! what revolutions of States!

since the first shell, pure and bright from the bosom of

the limpid river, was laid upon the new-made grave!

.The hand of the conqueror has been heavily, ruth

lessly laid upon those, who here garnered up their

choicest and most sacred affections. Even their mem-

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

21

ory is fading from the recollection of those, who have supplanted them in the dominion - over forest, hill, and river; and yet decay--more kind than they-rleaves untouched this sad memorial of their sorrows, this striking monument of their affection, and venera tion for the dead. The forest trees, with their sturdy roots, protect the symmetry of the mound -- their over arching branches shielding its outlines from the ruthless influences of the storm. The murmuring voices of the ".tream, which so often charmed the living ear, still bring joy and gladness as. in days of yore; and the song-bird yet warbles sweetly .his morning and evening lays, above the sleeping dead.
All else is hushed; save the whispers of the passing air amid the forest branches, the startled note of the solitary water-fowl, frightened from its retreat among the reeds by the passing boat, and the soothing ripple of the river. The living Indians, where are they ?

"A noble race I but they are gone, With their old forests wide and deep,
And we have built our homes upon Fields, where their generations steep.
Their fountains slake our thirst at nooi^. Upon their fields our harvest waves,
Our lovers woo beneath their moon,'-- Then let us spare at least their graves."

.* ','

The warrior--his proud heart pulseless, his spearscattered, his tomahawk rusting near his nerveless
arm -- the sage chieftain,--his council fires dead, his heroic deeds unsung, his memory forgotten--the medi-

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

cine man, -- his healing arts entombed, his charms turned to dost, his potent herbs ungathered in the tan* gled brake -- the soft-eyed maijien, upon whose broken 1 vows the evening star never shbWn ^-- the sober matron, -- her labors done -- the tender infant, -- here they all rest in one common grave, and here they will remain, until the last trump shall summon both conqueror and conquered, before the judgment seat of Him who is mightier than them all.
In strains of touching pathos, has an American poet portrayed the feelings of the returning Indian at the burial place of his fathers:

" It is the spot I came to seek -- My father's ancient burial place;
Ere from these vales, ashamed and weak, Withdrew oar wasted race. It is the spot -- I know it well -- Of which our old traditions tell

" For here, the upland bank sends out f A ridge toward the river side;
I know the shaggy hills about, The meadows smooth and wide, The plains, that toward the southern sky, Fenced east and west by mountains, lie.

" A white man gazing on the scene,

Would say a lovely spot was here,

And praise the lawns, so fresh and green,

Between the hills so sheer.

\

t

I like it not -- I would the plain

'

Lay in its tall old groves again.

" The sheep are on the slopes around, Tb* cattle in the meadows feed,

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA. . '-' '2.3'" . ' V '

f:

And laborers turn the crumbling ground,

Or drop the yellow seed;



And prancing steeds, in trappings gay, .

Whirl the bright chariot o'er the way.

" Methinks it were a nobler sight

*

To see these vales in woods arrayed;

Their summits in the golden light,

Their trunks in grateful shade --

And herds of deer, that bounding go

O'er hills and prostrate trees below.

. ;
-

. ^
"

\ " And then to mark the lord of all,

'.'' '

The forest hero, trained to ware,

-. .'

Quivered and plumed, and lithe and tall,

'.

And seamed with glorious scars,

'

*

Walk forth, amid his reign to dare

'

*

The wolf; and grapple with the bear.

:



'
'" '. *

":
v ..-. f' 'I ' ,'.

' '
..

" This bank in which the dead were laid,

.

Was sacred, when the soil was ours;

.

'.

Hither the silent Indian maid

.

Brought wreaths of beads and flowers;

.



And the gay chief, and gifted seer,

Worshipped the God.of thunders here.

.

"But now the wheat is green and high, .

~

On clods that hid the warrior's breast,

*"

And scattered in the furrows lie,

-

.

The weapons of his rest.

"

'.;-.

And there, in the loose sand, is thrown

Of his large arm, the mouldering bone.

'

.

"Ah! little thought the strong and brave

.

Who bore their lifeless chieftain forth --

Or the young wife, that weeping gave

'.

Her first-bom to the earth, ;

..

That the pale race, who waste us now,

Among their bones should guide the plough.

'



,

(





.

" They waste us--ay, like April snow In the warm noon, we shrink away;

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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
And fast they follow, as7we go Towards the setting day,-- Till they shall fill the land--and we Are driven into the western sea.
" But I behold a fearful sign, To which the white man's eyes are blind;
Their race may vanish hence, like mine, And leave no trace behind, Save ruins o'er the region spread, And the white stones above the dead.
" Before then fields were shorn and tilled, Full to the brim our rivers flowed;
The melody of waters filled The fresh and boundless wood; And torrents dashed and rivulets played, And fountains spouted in the shade.
"Those grateful sounds are heard no more, The springs are silent in the sun;
The rivers, by the blackened shore, With lessening current run-; The realm our tribes are crushed to get, May be a barren desert yet"

I

H. Etowoh River.

G.GO Wo at or Ditch.

A. Larf Central Mound. .

Bt ' Circular Mound.

C. Peiitaronal do.

F.P.KF. Moulds within the enclosure.

R, Mould outride do. do.

PP Mtund do. do do.

E. d , eelted bj the Moat or Ditch

I. Ternoet.

.

BO. KxMvattont.

,

T.T. CroetinfB

.

K. Area meloaed-ome 66 Aoret

f NfiHAVk D BY H H MOWf t 1 <.AVANNAr1 I-'

0tttttn*iti#l
or THB
, 'tit.
,i5t''.

The most remarkable of the Monumental Remains of the Etowah and Oostanaula Valleys, are located upon the plantation of Colonel LEWIS TUMLDT, some two miles distant from the town of Cartersville, in ..the county of Cass. There are few monuments,'amid the vast numbers which have been observed and described in the valley^ of the Ohio, the Scioto, the Mississippi, and elsewhere within the limits of the United States, which can compare with the present, in extent and in terest Situated upon the right bank of the Etowah River, in the midst of a perfectly level alluvial bottom, they tower above all surrounding objects, changeless amid the revolutions of centuries.
They consist of a series of mounds (the character and position of which will be hereafter more. particularly considered,) surrounded by a large and deep moat-- the traces of which are not only now perceptible, but quite distinct,--which, when filled with tide of the river, would have effectually isolated all the space in cluded within its enclosure. The Etowah River here turns toward the south; after a gentle sweep, again irecovering its wonted course, thus forming a graceful bend.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

This moat originally communicated at either end with

the river. This feet is still apparent, although the cur

rent of the stream, in its flow of years, has filled to a

very great extent the mouths of the ditch, thus prevent

ing the influx and reflux of the tide. Formerly the

water must have coursed freely through it, thus isola

ting the enclosed space, and constituting quite a formi

dable obstacle in the path of an attacking foe. This

ditch varies in depth and width; in some places posses

sing still a depth of twenty feet--in others, of not

more than eight or ten; and.differing in width from

fifteen to forty feet

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North and west of the mounds situated within this

enclosure, and along the line of the moat, are two exca

vations, designated in the accompanying diagram, by

the letters D D, of nearly equal extent-1-each having

at present a conjectured area of about an acre, and a ^

depth of some twenty-five or thirty feet With these

excavations, the moat communicates directly, so that

the same rising tide in the river, which flowed into the

ditch, would also convert them in :o deep ponds, or huge

reservoirs.

The reason why these excavations were made is evi

dent. The earth removed in constructing the moat, did

not suffice to build even a moiety of the immense

tumuli within the enclosure. Hence, in order to swell

\ them into their present stupendous proportions, the mound builders were compelled to resort to these enor-

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

29

moua excavations, which still exist, and will remain for ages jet to come, wonderful proon if their labojr and protracted industry. The space (included withm the limits of the moat -- the river forming the boundary to the south and south-east, -- is between forty and fifty acres. This moat is distinguished on'the accompanying plan by the letters G G 6; at the points T T, commu nication can be had from the enclosed area to the sur rounding valley. Whether these embankments are por tions of the original work, thereby at ordinary times affording the means of ready ingress and egress; or whether they have subsequently been there placed for the purposes "of convenience, cannot now be positively ascertained. The first hypothesis however, under the . circumstances, commends itself to our approval; in as much as there are no appearances of any recent removal of earth, with which these crossings could have been made; and it would have been'a very easy matter, in a short time to have removed them, in case it Were deemed necessary to fill the entire moat
From the general appearance and nature, of the works,. we are induced to believe, that these excavations were designed to answer another purpose. . They-might have been, and probably were intended as huge reservoirs, wherein a supply of water, sufficient to flow the entire moat, might have been detained, and preserved ready for an emergency. The streams of this region, spring* ing as they do from hilly sources, and passing through

)

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

Valleys, are rapid in their currents, and subject to great

increase and diminution in volume. In the Spring of

tne year, full to the brim, and not unfrequently over

flowing their banks; the summer sun finds them with

lessened current When therefore, the water was low

in the Etowah, it might have been a difficult, if not art

impossible matter, to have filled the moat By permit

ting these reservoirs, however, to be completely filled

by the freshet tides of the Spring, an amount of water,

sufficient at any time to flow the moat, could, with but

little trouble, have been readily obtained and preserved.

The compact earth, at the depth of twenty-five or thirty

feet,!would suffer but little percolation; while with the

ever; changing current of the river, opportunities would

be constantly presented, for supplying any deficiency

that might have^been caused by evaporation.

Within the enclosure, formed by the moat and the

river, there are seven mounds. Three of them are how

ever, preeminent in size; one in particular--designated

in- the accompanying diagram by the letter A, --fer sur

passing all the others in its stupendous proportions^ and

in the degree of interest which attaches to it

\

This large central mound A, stands almost midway between the moat and the river--a little nearer the lat

\

ter. Its position is commanding, and to the eye of the

observer, as it rests upon its august proportions for the

first time, it seems a monument of the past ages, -- ven

erable in its antiquity --solemn in its silent, and yet

MONUMENTAL BKMAINS or GEORGIA. 31

not voiceless memories, -- a remarkable monumentvoT

the power and industry of some unknown race. It

belongs not to this generation. The hunter-tribes had

naught to do with its erection. The offspring of an

ancient people, who have passed forever beyond the

confines of this beautiful valley, it stands a solemn mon>

ument, ever repeating the story of their greatness, white

all else connected with them, and they themselves,, are

sleeping beneath the shadows of a forgotten-past. ' ;

Composed of native earth, simple yet impressive in

form, it seems calculated for an almost endless duration.'

Although no historian has chronicled. the 'names and

deeds of those, who aided in its construction--although

no poet's song commemorates the virtues, the manners,

the loves, the wars, the brave deeds of those, who here.

inhabited--still, this monument exists, speaking a lan

guage, perchance more impressive, than the most

studied epitaph upon Parian marble. "

.

In building this mound, the fact,--as disclosed upofc

an examination'of its constitution, as it has been parti

ally made manifest by the action of countless showers

upon its slopes,--seems evident, that the earth removed

from the moat, and the excavations D D, was first used.

The surface of the ground for a considerable distance

around the mound, was then evenly removed, and this

rich loam placed upon the summit of the tumulus. Lo-'

cated in the midst of an alluvial bottom, as level as a

table--this" circumstance is easily ascertained at a mo-

\

32

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

ment's view,, for the surface of .the ground dips on all

sides towards the mound to such an extent, that it ap

pears to rise out of a natural basin.

This central tumulus, is some eighty feet, or more,

above the level of the valley. There is no geological

formation entering- m the smallest degree into its compo

sition. To all appearances, it consists entirely of the

earth taken from the moat and the excavations, in con

nection with the soil' removed from around its base;

having received no assistance whatever from any natu

ral hill or elevation. In fact, its location -- situated as

it is in the midst of a rich alluvial bottom, at a remove

from rocks, hills or elevations of any character--pre

cludes the idea of its having received any additions

from such sources. In view of this circumstance, its

stupendous proportions become the more surprising.

In form, it may be regarded as quadrangular, if we

disregard a small angle to the south. That taken into

t

account, gives us a pentagonal form, as follows: length

of northern side, one hundred and fifty feet--length of

eastern side, one hundred and sixty feet--length of

south-eastern side, one hundred feet--length of south

ern side, ninety feet, and length of western side, one

hundred feet

Measured in the direction of east and west, its apex

diameter is two hundred and twenty-five feet--while

.the diameter, as measured north and south, falls a little

short, being about two hundred and twenty-two feet.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORG\LA' .

88

.\

The apex surface of this tumulus is nearly leVel. Orig

inally it was crowned with the most luxuriant vegeta

tion, but the utilitarian arm of the husbandman, has

shorn it of this attraction. A solitary tree stands, iiear

the northern extremity. The native weeds, and anni

grasses flourish however, in such rich profusion, thats

the steps of the observer are seriously impeded. .The

view of the surrounding country from the summit of

this tumulus, >is highly attractive. Almost at its base,

flows the ever-changing tide of the Etowah River, seen

through the dark green foliage adorning" its banks ~

coursing onward aiid onward through the fertile valley '

-- the hill-sides on every hand bending to catch its re

freshing influences. Alternate fields and forests charm

the eye. The rich alluvial bottoms, teeming with the

products of intelligent industry -- the crests of the

neighboring hills, adorned with pleasant cottages, their

sides covered with well cultivated orchards-^ the conse

crated spire, .rising from the oak-grove which marks the

suburbs of a neighboring village -- all proclaim in glad

accord, the happy reign of peace and plenty. Ten

der must have been the attachment, with which the

Mound-Builders regarded this beautiful valley.

The approach to this mound, is from the east by '

south. The other sides are too precipitous to permit

any other, than perhaps an Alpine guide, to accomplish

the ascent. The angles of the mound, are still sharply

defined. That approach was effected by the aid of ter-

&4

MONUMENTAL RtiMAINS OF GEORGIA.

races,--rising one above the other,--inclined planes leading from the one to the other. These terraces are sixty-five feet in width -- extending from the mound, toward the south-east
At the eastern angle of this tumulus, there is a path* way, which leads to the summit--affording a tedious ascent to the observer on foot This pathway follows
eastern angle of the mound, and does not appear to jye-been intended for general use. May it not have en the fact, that this approach was designed for the mesthood alone, while upon the broad terraces, the as-
ibled worshippers gave solemn heed to the religious ionics, performed upon the eastern summit of the
lulus? To the east of this large central mound, and so near, that thp flanks- of both meet and mingle, stands a smaller mound, about forty feet high, circular in form, with an apex diameter of one hunt&r^d feet The sym metrical construction of this tumulus is. remarkable, From its western slope, there is an easy, and immediate communication with the terraces of the central mound. This mound is designated in the accompanying plan, by the letter B. Two hundred and fifty feet, in a westerly direction from this mound, and distant in a southerly direction from the central mound, some sixty feet is the third and last of this immediate group. Like both the others, it has been made of the soil of

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

36

the valley, without any assistance from natural eleva

tions. It p ossesses an altitude of thirty feet or more,

and is pentagonal in form. The two diameters, mea

sured acros its apex surface, were respectively ninety-

two, and si: cty-eight feet It. is uniformly level at the

i



top. No definite traces could be perceived of an estab

lished approach to the summit. An ascent can readny

be effected from anay sid e. Tihis tumulus we' have". d' esignated by the letter C. These last two mounds, are

located between the central mound and the Etowah

River-- the former (B), lying to the east, the latter (C),

to the south.

~

To the east and north-east of this group, is a chain,of'

four smaller mounds, F F F F, running almost north and

south. There is but little interest attaching to them,

and nothing, other than their location in the vicinity of

these larger tumuli, and their situation within the enclo

sure formed by the moat and the river, to distinguish

them from numerous other earth-mounds, scattered here

and there throughout the length and breadth of the

Etowah and Oostanaula valleys. The mound E, lying

to the north-west of the central group, although posses

sing a trifling elevation, is somewhat remarkable for its

extent; and is. completely surrounded by the moat,

which at that point divides, with a view; to its enclo

sure. When the ditch was filled with water, this eleva- -

tion, completely isolated by the tide, must have seemed

an island. Outside of the enclosure, and within the

36

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

confines of the valley to the north-east, appears a sharply defined mound R Lower down\ the valley, and near the river bank, are seen two other\elevations PP.
The inquirer, upon the most casual, as well\aa after the most careful examination, rests fully satisfied\in the belief, that all of these works are of artificial construc tion. There are no evidences whatever of geological action. The tumuli within the enclosure, are all composed of the materials removed from the moat and ex^ cavations, and of sand, loam, and vegetable mould, sim ilar in fll respects to the superior surface of the valley, upon which the mounds are seated. The method adopted in the erection of them, appears to have been, by carrying the earth (how we can only conjecture, possibly in bags, skins, baskets, or vessels) and empty ing it upon the spot selected as the location for the mound. The slope of the sides of these tumuli, is just that, which would be made by general and gradual accretions of earth, successively deposited in small quan tities from above.
The summits of these mounds, as well as the cii jacent valley for miles, have been "completely deluded of the original growth, which overspread them in rich profusion. The attractive soil, with its animal generous harvests, is too highly prized by ttte husbandman, to be allowed to contribute only to the me and beauty of the forest trees. The consequence/is, Uh** every outline of

MONUMENTAL REMAINS ! OF GEORGIA.

these remarkable remains can be readily and carefully

noted. Upon: the summit of the large central mound, -

still stands the! stump of a walnut tree, not less than

three feet in diameter.

i

.

The first and most natural emotion, suggested upon

an examination of trase monuments, is one of absolute

wonder and astonishment,. at the immense amount of.

industry and Jabor expended in their construction.

Another

idea

presented,

is,

that

they must

have T

been



the result of t ic combined efforts of many generations;

or else, that t ic population, by whom they were built,-

must have b( en very numerous. The veil of an un

known and forgotten past is upon them. No historical

/reco>rds have I teen left behind; and we are compelled to

resort to the internal evidence of these tumuli, to the

scattered fragments which are revealed by the spade and

plough-share, to form even plausible conjectures, as to

the character of the rae^ by whom they were con

structed. Unfortunately for the enquirer, the herculean

task of opening these mounds has never been attempted.

Their contents are secrets still; and we ate only in pos

session of those facts relating to the manners and cus

toms of their autnofs, which may be gathered from an

alogy, and from the utensils, idols, and weapons, which

have been picked up at their base.

It will be at once remarked by those, who have even

to a limited degree bestowed any attention upon the an

tiquities of our State and Country, that these remains .

38

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

are not at aU Indian in their origin. They have noth ing in common with those, ascertained to have been con structed by the Indians who here inhabited, when this region was first peopled by the whites. ] We have also the positive testimony of the Gherokee Indians to the effect, that they had not even a tradition ,Of the race by whom these works were made.*
The authors of these tumuli, were probably idol wor shippers. Idols have been found at their base, indica ting in^ their formation, a degree of skill superior to t* hat/~possessed by the Cherokees. It is a well ascertamed fact, that the Indians of this region never, either made or worshipped idols, f 1 Among the Cherokees, neither idols nor idol worship were ever ascertained to exist Their religious belief, the theory of a future state, as cherished by them, all forbid the supposition that these idols were ever fash ioned by the Cherokees. Again--no people, who had not advanced in civilization beyond the nomadic state --changing their seats as often as fancy or a scarcity of game might suggest--would have undertaken the erec tion of such vast earth works, involving immense labor, and designed for almost endless duration. Men must have emerged from, the hunter state; they must have become more advanced in civilization; population must

* See Trareb of Win. Bartnun, pp. 265, 266. See also, Harris' JourMi, *0. pp. 147, 148. Abo, History of Wisconsin, p. 245.
fSee Bertram's Trareb. pp. 495, 496. Adair'a History American Indian, pp. 19. 23.

t
'If'

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEOKGIA.

have become dense, before the erection of such temples

--such fortifications could be undertaken.

There was not in the sixteenth century, a single tribe

of Indians, between the Atlantic and Pacific, which had .

means of subsistance, sufficient to enable them to apply

for such purposes, the unproductive labor necessary for

the erection of such a work. Nor was there any, in

such a social state, as would .^enable a chief to compel

the labor of the nation to be thus applied. It is only

under despotic forms of government, that pyramids will

be erected in honor of a prince--or such .huge earth

works for religious purposes.*

It is evident then, that these monuments E ever were

constructed by the Indians, who possessed t lis region

when Georgia was first peopled by the whi es. lake

that system of ancient mounds and fortifications, scat'

tered over that well defined area, comprising the hydro-

graphical basin of the Mississippi, over which the forest

had resumed its sway, the present monuments, can

afford us no positive history, either of the period when,

or of the people by whom they we're built.

Nothing has been more frequent than the effort, by

men in all ages, to distinguish themselves and their race,

by the erection of monufaents, temples, and high-places;'

thereby, attempting to impart permanency to the mem

ory of the departed--solemnity to their religious cere^

monies--and dignity to their age.

'

;

* See Trans. Amer. Eth. Soc., VoL I.; p. 208.

40

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEOKGIA.

The retreating waters of the deluge, had scarce dis appeared from the surface of the earth, when mankind undertook the erection of a tower -- its summit reach ing to Heaven, -- that might serve as a great national temple -- a proud monument of the power and industry of those by whom it was raised -- a grand bond of per petual union,'and a pledge, that amid the changes of coming centuries, the memory of their race should be effectually cherished.
The practice of mound-building, seems in times past, to have existed in almost every region of the world. The mound of earth, in a period of semi-civilization, appears to have suggested itself as the most natural, convenient, and enduring form of perpetuating the
>
memory of the dead, and of constructing lasting tem ples, for the solemnization of religious rites and cere monies.
By a comparison of the descriptions of those ancient works in Europe and Asia, with those now in existence in many parts of our country, we find them both re markably similar in the method of their construction, in the materials employed, and the articles found within them. This group of mounds, closely resembles many that have been examined in the valleys of the Scioto, the Ohio, and the Mississippi, They are the fruits of the industry and labor of the same race.
The researches of Dr. Atwater, as presented in his article prepared for the American Antiquarian Society,

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

41

have led him to believe, that these people derived their

origin primarily from Hindostan.

'

.

Without pausing to enumerate the proofs, varied, and

perhaps substantial, upon which the supposition rests, we

may here state in general terms, thai all the probabili

ties point to Asia, as the country, whence came the ear- -

liest inhabitants of America. When, and at what place

they first located, cannot at this remove be definitely as

certained. While there are, here and there, indications

of what maybe termed an intrusive type of civilization,

referred by some, to occasional-adventures and migra

tions, having their impulse from the east, towards the

Atlantic coast; we incline to that opinion^ which looks

to Mexico, as the parent of. that immediate civilization '

which originated in this valley, as well as in the valleys

of the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Scioto, and elsewhere,

these remarkable monuments of the industry, religious

zeal, and military skill of that people, who are, in

the absence of their ascertained name, denominated

Mound-Builders. The remains which they have left

behind them, are many of them precisely similar to

those, which have been exhumed in the valleys, and at

the base'of those ancient temples, seated upon the plains

of Mexico.

-r

Another fact, worthy of notice, jvs thi?s: ' these re "

mains are generally located upon, or near streams, hav- ( ..

ing communication directly or indirectly with the Gulf

of Mexico. '? 6

'

''

U-

42

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

Such is the case, with respect to the tumuli now un
der consideration. Idol worship, is another proof in support of this
hypothesis. These Mound-Builders seem to have been an agricul
tural people. This is a reasonable deduction from the fact, that their tumuli, temples, and fortifications, gene rally appear upon fertile ground only--almost always upon the rich alluvial bottoms of the rivers,--lands which might be cultivated for years, without the neces sity of the application of fertilizers.
Another inference suggested by the location of all their works, which appear to have been devoted to sacred uses, is, that ablution was a recognized religious
rite. Again -- the Mound-Builders evidently were sur
rounded by enemies, against whom they were forced to protect themselves. Else, why these fortifications -- la borious in their construction,---attendant upon so many settlements formed by these people?
It will be observed, that their locations are definite, indicating either a direct line of immigration pursued by them; or if there be no permanent iintermediate so journ, then only here and there a fort^hastily and tem porarily constructed, until some suitable 'location is selected, where they congregate, erecting their temples, building their fortifications, and cultivating their fruitful
valleys.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

4S

We may well conceive, how a common danger, and a sense of impending destruction, might concentrate the energies of a tribe in the hunter state, and accomplish k the occasional erection of fortifications, which even'at this day, would excite surprise, and attract the atjantion of the antiquary. But in the case of the Mound-Build ers, we are led to the conclusion, that they were und< a government, widely differing from that which obtained' among the Indians--a government, in which the willof the ruler was the undisputed will of the peftple-- where the energies of the entire community v^ere di rected, and expended in conformity with .the order and., edicts of the chief in command. Upon no other theory, can we account for these uniform and enormous exhi bitions of combined labor and industry. We infer fur ther from the location of these monuments, that the Mound-Builders occupied permanent seats, which they probably changed not, until forced by the conquering arm of the surrounding foe, to abandon the beautiful locations where they had fixed their homes. Th'eir set tlements, as has already been intimated, were almost always chosen, where the attractions of the soil prom ised a ready and bountiful reward to agricultural indus try. Radiating in communities, from the perchance over-crowded seats of Mexic\an civilization, they as* cended the principal streams, and their branches, having communication either directly or indirectly with the ' Mexican Gulf, or with the ocean; locating here and

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
there along their banks, in the richest alluvial bottoms --or in the valleys of some sister stream, where they could with success pursue their agricultural arts, build their temples, and worship their gods. That some of these valleys must have been densely populated, and for a long period of time, is clearly proven, both by the ' number and the character of the remains still in exist ence. That the valley of the Etowah must have been a chosen seat, is most evident It is onty through the exertions of a dense population, that such monuments could be erected; only amid a people, who looked not to a precarious subsistence, to be gathered from the wild animals of the forest, or the fish of the stream, but who bad come to love the soil upon which they had fixed their homes, who had learnejd to appreciate the value of the annual harvest, who had called in the assistance of the domesticated animal, and who were accustomed to the benefits which flow from an organized government, and the social state.
That the population must have been both permanent and numerous, is susceptible of easy proof. How great that population was, cannot now be determined. No historian has left the record of their manners, govern ment, and laws;---no voice, save that silent speaking testimony of these monuments, proclaims their past greatness. No reply is heard in definite response, by him, who knocks at their tombs.
Mr. Brackenridge has conjectured, that there were

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
once fise thousand villages of this people, in the valley of the Mississippi--and it is the belief of Dr. Atwater, founded upon extensive observation, that the population which once possessed the valleys of the Ohio, must have exceeded seven hundred thousand. Many of .the mounds there examined, contained an immense number of skeletons. Those of Big Grave Creek, are believed to be completely filled with huftan bones. Millions of human beings have been interred in or near these tu-. muli. To have sustained such a population, extensive resort must have been had to agricultural pursuits.
A small excavation, made in the western part of the mound B, began to reveal human bones. The.examin ation was not prosecuted to a satisfactory, extent An. ancient tumulus located immediately at the -junction of the Etowah and Oostanaula Valleys, in Floyd County, was a few years since tilmost entirely removed, in level- ^ ing the streets of'the village of Rome. It was com pletely filled with human bones, and various remains, of which we shall subsequently furnish an extended notice; Along the bank of the river just here, appeared numer ous skeletons in confusion, lying about four feet below the surface.
The indications of tiiis locality would seem to desig nate, it as a general n< scropolis, The remains existing every where in this viilley, assure us of the fact, that this remarkable people, in years long since past, must in large numbers, have fixed here their favorite and permanent abodes.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
The antiquity of these remains, may be inferred in general terms, from the following considerations:
First--Of their origin, of the time when built, and of the race by whom they were constructed, the Chero kees had no knowledge, traditional or otherwise. The Cherokees claim for themselves a residence of many generations in this region. They declare further, that ^rhen their forefathers ffest possessed themselves of this land, they expelled from its beautiful valleys a tribe of Indians, who, like themselves--although for a long period occupants of the soil,--could give no informa tion respecting the origin of these tumuli. If then we may believe the traditions of the Cherokees, the age of these works, may be estimated by centuries. /
: Secondly -- The character of these structures, affords an argument for their antiquity. They are not the hastily thrown np entrenchments of migrating bands; but, on the contrary, are the ruins of temples, burial places, fortifications of massive, carefully considered, durable dimensions, all indicating the consecutive, com bined, extensive labor of a large population, perma nently established.
Herodotus was informed by the priests of Memphis, that one hundred thousand workmen were employed for the period of twenty years, in the construction of the pyramid of Cheops. We may well imagine, that many years were consumed in the erection of these monumente. If then, to the time requisite for the prepara tion of the surface of the ground, we add the length of

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

time consumed in the ac tual construction of these works;

--add to this, the perioc intervening between their com

pletion and their abandonment----the length of which,

although entirely open to conjecture, could* certainly

have been by no means inconsiderable;--and then con

sider the fact, that the '. ndians, who preceded us in the

occupancy of this regi >n, could give no imfonnation

whatever in reference to them, the mind, in endeavoring

to locate their origin, is it once and irresistibly led back

to a remote date.

j

Thirdly -- The large tjrees, with which these long de

serted monuments were once over-grown, intimate the

length of years that thej^ have remained uncultivated--.

forgotten wastes--and add testimony of remote antiqu

ity. We have already a hided to the circumstance, that,

the summits of these timuli, the banks of the moat,,

and all the space included within the enclosure formed

by the moat and the rivjer, were once covered with ah

immense growth of forest trees, as large, and luxuriant,

and to all appearances quite as old as any vegetation of

this region.

The stump of a walnut tree--whose diameter cannot

be less than three feet, ---still stands upon the apex of.

the central mound. It 13 however, in such a decayed

condition, that the concentric circles could not be defi

nitely ascertained. To appreciate aright the force- of

this argument for the antiquity of these remains, we

must remember, that the! process by which nature re-

48

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

stores tbe forest to its original state, after it has been once cleared, is extremely slow.
Says a prominent writer: In our rich lands, it is in deed soon covered with timber; but the character of the growth is entirely different, and continues so, through many generations of men. The sites of the ancient works on the Ohio, present an appearance precisely sim ilar to that of the circumjacent forest [Such was em phatically the case with regard to these tumuli upon the banks of the Etowah, before the axe of the white man robbed them, and the ..adjacent valley for miles, of the magnificent growth which completely over-shadowed them.] You find on them, continues the writer, all that beautiful variety of trees, which gives such unrivalled richness to our forests.
This is particularly the case on the fifteen acres inclu ded within the walls of the work at the mouth of the Great Miami, and the relative proportions of the differ ent kinds of timber, are the same. The first growth, on the same kind of land once cleared, and then aban doned to nature, on the contrary, is more homogene ous, often stinted to one or two, or at most three kinds of timber. If the ground has been cultivated, yellow locust in many places will spring up as thick as garden peas. If it has not been cultivated, the black and white walnut will be the prevailing growth. jThe rapidity with which these trees grow for a time, smoth ers the attempt of other kinds, to vegetate and grow in

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA. .

4S

their shade. The more thrifty individuals soon over-top

the weaker of their own kind, which sieken and die.

In this way, there are only as many left as the earth

will support to maturity.

'.. . .

This state of things will not however, always con

tinue. The preference Of the soil for its first growth,

ceases with its maturity. It admits of no succession'

upon the principles of legitimacy. 'The long undis

puted masters of the forest, may be thinned by tne

lightning, the tempests, or by diseases peculiar to them-,

selves; and whenever this is the case, one of the oft-re-,

jected of another family, will find between its decaying

roots, shelter and appropriate food; and springing into

vigorous growth, will soon push its green foliage to-the,,

skies, through the decayed and withering limbs of its

blasted and dying adversary; the soil itself yielding it

a more liberal support, than any scion from the former

occupants. It wUl easily be conceived; what a length

of time it will require, for a denuded tract of land, by

a process so slow, again to clothe itself with the amaz

ing variety! of foliage, which is the characteristic of the

forests of tnis region.

'

-

Of what'an immense age then, must be these works;

covered so recently with the second growth, after the-

ancient forest state had been regained.*

* Says Caleb Alwater, in speaking of the antiquity of the monuments of the Ohio Valley:. "The botany of the country baa been boumlted on this subject It would have taken some time tor the seeds of plants and trees, to have been completely scattered, orer a whole country, ex-

1,

60

MONUMENTAL KXMAIN8 OF GSOBGIA.

Thus do these considerations all attest the great an tiquity of these remains.
Fourthly--It will be remembered that earthen struc tures, as a general rule, are not greatly impaired by the lapse of time. If favorably located, but little percepti ble change is caused by the action of the natural ele ments. Most certain it is, that monuments of a similar character, are among the most ancient which have been preserved, and are more enduring than the most solid specimens of architecture. That mound at Aconithus, which the Persians raised over Artachies, the superin tendent of the canal at Athoa, still exists, in its general features unchanged; while the most elaborate and beau tiful masterpieces of the Grecian artists, Scattered and broken, lie mingled with the common dust,'
Six hundred years before Christ, near Sardis, in Asia Minor, the Lydians erected a great mound-tomb over Alyattes, the father of Croesus. It still stands, while the architectural monuments of the intermediate twentyfive hundred years, have many of them, crumbled into fbrgetfulnesB and nothingness; and it may be, that these very monuments may out-live many of t te most strik ing achievements of our present tivilizatk >n.

tenefrdty caHfrated by a considerable population. Sow the only differ
ence between the botany of the country, where the works are foond, and those tracts, when there are none, is, that the trees are the largest on
the works, fives of toe largest size, whose concentric annn-
been counted, have hi many instances, as many as four
they appear to be at least the third growth, since the works ~ See Arch. An**., VoL L, pp. 219, 306.

MONUMKNTAb BKMAINS OF OEOBOIA.

51

Fifthly--Another argument which might be adduced

in support of the antiquity of these works is, that they

were constructed in the moundrbudding age -- a period

distinctly marked in the history of the-civilization of

the world.

,

*

Sixthly--Another circumstance worthy of note is,

that the people who built these works, were idol wor

shipped. Subseqently, wilt be presented a description

of an idol, found at the very base of the large 'central

tumulus. Sacred and profane history alike teach us,

that there was a time.when all nations, except the He

brew tribes, and those brought directly in contact with

them, were idolaters.

.

It is an interesting feet, and one which seems to be well ascertained by the observations of the intelligent,

that the sun was worshipped by the Mound-Builders,*

These tumuli are usually so situated, as to afford a good

and early view of the. rising sun. The approaches are

from the east

%



"

If we examine these'monuments of the Etowah Val

ley, with reference to this feet, we will find in them a
- * '. !
confirmation of this theory. The principal angle of the

large central mound A, looks directly towards the east.

* The doctrine of the worship of the sun, was the trnctare,** upon,

which was baaed the foundation of their general system. We have no

positive evidence, and can only conjecture by the 'apparent astronomical positions, and the enigmatical forma of the mounds, to be found in the.

'

west, that the worship of-the sun, at the time of tbeXdiacdvery, was stffl

maintained at Marietta. KMrarirto Gahokia, and Grave Greek, where the

principal mound-structures and rains now exist. See^chooicnuYs Hit-

tory, Ao, p. 593.

"V .
L

52

MONUMENTAL REMAINS t>F GEORGIA.

The approach, by means of the terraces, is eastward. The mounds B and C, look directly to the east and west There is that about this group, which suggests the impression, that the principal interest concentered about the eastern portion of the central mound. It was there that they probably offered their sacrifices. Thither the eyes of the assembled worshippers were turned at the sacred hour, and from thence, the expect ant eye of the officiating priest caught the earliest ray of^ the rising sun, as lifting his gorgeous face from out the shadows of the far off hills, he looked and smiled upon this beautiful valley. Where are now those tem ples, Angel of Light, which once flamed at thy coming, over all this region? Where the consecrated priest hood, that from thy rising beams kindled anew the hal lowed fires? Where the assembled worshippers, who, with reverential gaze, greeted thy dawning glories? Still thou pursuest thy sublime march,

---- " first of all the stony choir,"

but these, thy votaries," are gone--their shades are

mute, and thou sheddest thy benign influences upon an

other race, rejowsing in the light and love of a new civi

lization, a holier religion,

i( \

r This idol worship--this reverenc^ paid to the sun

and moon -- the location of their temples--the condi

tion of the arts and sciences, as they are ascertained by

the'remains still extant, to have existed among them --

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

58

the political economy of this people, as far as we have been able to arrive at it by analogy, -- all suggest the idea, that the civilization of the Mound-Builders should be referred secondarily to a Mexican origin. We are the more readily inclined to this, when we remark the direct similarity which exists in many important partic ulars. In the history of the Mound-Builders^ we dis^ cover only such modifications, as are incidentr to that colonial state, which is not in the possession of all those
*
appliances, which appertain to the well established homes of the parent civilization. We are well aware that it is the conjecture of some, whose ethnological re searches entitle their opinions to no little weight and consideration, that this ancient people---the authors
v .
alike of the monuments of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and the Etowah valleys, -- emigrating from Asia, at some remote period, made their first settlements around the waters of the northern lakes, following in their pro gress south-west, the streams and rivers which empty into the Gulf of Mexico-, and leaving in every place of their residence, traces of the degree of their civilization and improvement*
There is probably no doubt of the fact, that we must look to Asia as the source of American civilization; f but why locate the early settlements around the waters

* Arch. Amer., VoL L, p. 4. t See Cabell's Unity of Mankind, p. 178, et seq. See Bickering's Races of Men, p. 294, et seq. See SchoolcrafVs History, *&, Part 1, pp. 22, 24.

-V :

MONUMENTAL REMA KS OF GEORGIA.
of the northern lakes, hi prel ;rence to the shores and lakes of Mexico? By a refer* nee to the earliest annals, and remote histories of Mexican civilization, we are informed, that the Toltecs, driven from their native country, after a long navigation along the coast of Cali fornia, arrived at Huehuetlapallan (old Tlapallan) in the year 387 after Christ Thence, sailing along Xalisco, and traversing several provinces, they arrived at Toch'tepee on the south sea. Subsequently they colonized Tollantzinco, and finally founded the city of Tollan, where they elected their first king, Chalchiuhtlahetein, in the year of our Lord 510. Then follows a list of nine sovereigns, under whose reign the Toltec monarchy extended its dominion over one thousand leagues. Dur ing that period, a number of large cities was founded-- the ruins of some of which are still extant The last king, Topiltzin, ascended the throne A. D. 882. Under his reign, the country was desolated by sterility, plague and famine. Most* of the vassal princes rebelled, a dreadful civil war ensued, equally fatal to both parties, which terminated in the overthrow of the monarchy, and the almost total destruction of the nation itself* Fernando D1 Alva, in one of his relations states, that during the last war, which continued for aperiod of three yean, one month and eighteen days, there perished, on both sides together, five millions six hundred thousand souls. Some of the Toltecs fled into distant provinces. Others quitted the country precipitately, and forever.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
** *

Very few remained in the vicinity of the Lake of Mex

ico. This occurred about the middle of the tenth cen

tury. The Toltecs were great idolaters. ISheir principal

Gods were the sun and moon, and one of their especial

missions, appeared to'have been the erection of vast

temples.*

' ..

Is the supposition either unreasonable or improbable,

that these Toltec bands--outcasts from their own land

---'warred against by the surrounding nations, --and

rent by domestic feuds, should have betaken themselves

to the quest of new .seats -- new homes, new fields,

which they could again cultivate; where they could

anew erect their fallen altars, and build their massive

temples? Recollecting their fondness for agricultural

pursuits -- the necessity for the presence of water, for

the proper solemnization of their religious ceremonies-- the fear of persecution, and- utter destruction, which.

would impel them far away from their former regions,--

does it not appear probable, that after coasting along

the shore, they ascended the mouths of the Mississippi,

higher and higher, occupying its rich alluvial bottoms,

settling upon the banks of its tributaries, and where

ever the attractions of neighboring localities received

at their hands a ready recognition; until, with the lapse

of years, hot only the Mississippi, but also the Qhio,

and other valleys, became filled with their increasing

* See Tnuas. Amer. Eth. Soc., VoL I., p. 161.

56

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

population, and the ever multiplying monuments of

\

their skill, industry, and religious zeaL

From other wandering bands, the physical excellen

cies of the bay of Mobile claimed attention. Ascending

the waters of the Alabama, then those of the Coosa ---

fixing one especial seat, where the laughing waters of

the Etowab, meet and mingle with the more sedate cur

rent of the Oostanaula,--they finally reached these

beautiful valleys, and here erected these remarkable

tumuli, which will keep alive for centuries yet to come,

the memory of these Toltec refugees.

Other colonies settled in the peninsula of .--Florida,

and through themselves and their descendants, peopled

the lakes, river-banks, and coast regions. If this hy

pothesis be correct, we must assign, as the period of the

settlement of certain portions of our country by the

Toltecan Eace, the third quarter of the tenth century.

Besides the idols, and the other remains already

considered, which, in connection with information deri

ved Irom a critical examination of their temples, tumuli,

and fortifications, tend materially to strengthen the con

jecture, that these Mound-Builders came from Mexico

to these regions, we have the shell ornaments (made

from the species marginetta ftcurda, occurring on the

coast of Florida, along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico,

and in the West Indies). These shells are found even

in the valley of the Ohio, and tell the story of their

origin, as clearly, and as conclusively, as if it had been

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

57

traced in living letters upon enduring marbl^. Specimens abound in almost all of the large taimulwhich have been opened. They exist in the tumuli of the Etowah

valley.

'

I

Again, are seen antique tubes of telescopic device.

By placing the eye at the diminished point, the extrane

ous light is shut from the pupil, and distant objects are

more distinctly discovered. The effect, remarks-Mr.

Schoolcraft, is telescopic, and is the same, which is"

known to be produced, by directing the sight to tile

\heavens from the bottom of a well; an object which we.

now understand to have been secured by the Aztoc and

Mia races, in their astronomical calculations, by con

structing tubular chambers.

We have before us a beautiful and valuable remain of

this character, accurately constructed, and polished to a'

remarkable degree, the description of which -must be

\
postponedxfor a later page.



If this Mound-Building race came, as is supposed by

some, directly from Asia or Europe, to the shores of the

United States, why is it that we perceive no monur

mental traces of them, in the regions where they must

first have landed? Why is it> that they are almost ex

clusively confined* to the valleys of those rivers, and

their tributaries, which communicate with the Gulf of

Mexico? It seems evident, again, that we must seek a Mexican
origin for this civilization, Vhen we remember that this was a race of agriculturists. \

8

\.

58

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

In the Tennessee valley, ears of maize were exhumed

from the graves of this very people. Mr. Harriss, in his

Journal, mentions, that in a mound, near the large tu

mulus on Grave Creek, was found a stone signet, of an

oval shape, two inches in length, with a figure in re

lievo, resembling a note of admiration, surrounded, by

two raised rims. It was exactly the figure of the brand,

with which the Mexican horses were marked.* The

head of the Sus-tajassu, or Mexican hog, cut off square,

was found in a saltpetre cave in Kentucky, by Dr.

Brown. The nitre had preserved it. It had been de

posited by the ancient inhabitants, and must have lain

there for many centuries. This animal ia not found

north of Mexico.^

Without pausing to enumerate the further arguments

and circumstances ,which might be adduced in support

of this hypothesis, and commending to the considera

tion of those, who are interested in the subject of the

..origin of the civilization of those portions of North

America, which we have been specifically considering,

'we pass to the inquiry--

I

How long did the Mound-JSuilc^ers occupy i/tese regions ?

They have passed way. Their temples and monu

ments are tenantless now. The silent past gives back

no decisive answer to the voice of inquiry; and from

the great unknown void of our aboriginal history, we

receive no alphabetic message, save the small circular

* See Hamas' Journal of a TOOT, fta, p. 62. fSee Aich. Amer, YoL L, p. 244,

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

59

stone, wrested from its sleep of ages in the voiceless womb of Grave Creek mound, with its hieroglyphical representations, the proper interpretation of which, has as yet puzzled the profoundest antiquarian scholars of the world.
The period of their settlement here, if our conjecture be correct, was during the third or last quarter of the., tenth century. Upon the flat surface of the highest part of Grave Creek mound, grew a large white o.ak. la 1828, it decayed, apparently dying exclusively from old age. When it fell, its trunk was carefully and evenly cut off, in order that the cortical layers might be accurately counted. These numbered about five hun dred. Allowing a year for the growth of each layer, (the usual period fixed by botanists), this would desig nate the year 1328, for the commencement of the growth of this tr,ee.*
This mound was abandoned then, one hundred and sixty four years previous to the discovery of this conti nent by Columbus. Th,e Mexican Empire was then in the full tide of prosperity. Assuming our idea, ris to the time when the Mound-Builders first occupied these valleys, to be correct, and presuming the white oak tree -- whose age was so definitely ascertained, -- to have been in its inception coeval, or very nearly so, with the abandonment by that race of their monuments, we have an intermediate period of some three hundred and sixty

* See Tnms. Amer. Etb. Soc., Vol. T., p. 380.

\

60

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

years, as the time, daring which these remains were con

structed, and these valleys occupied by the Mound-

Builders. In the absence of positive history, we are

thus compelled to invoke the aid of any and every

circumstance, tending to throw light upon this hidden

subject.

As has been already intimated, the growth upon the

summit of these monuments in the Etowah Valley, was

in every respect as large, as varied, and as luxuriant, as

that of the forests by which they were surrounded. If

any difference could be perceived, it would indicate, a

superior vigor and size, in favor of those trees which

surmounted*the tumuli, and flourished within the en

closure formed by the moat and the river. The writer

did not enjoy the opportunity of examining the number

of cortical layers possessed by the largest trees, as, at the

time of his visit, not only the adjacent portions of the

valley, but the tumuli, moat, and elevations, had been

completely denuded of all vegetation, and were entirely

changed from their original condition into luxuriant

fields.

/

Within this period of three hundred and sixty years

--allowing only a moderate ratio of increase,--we may

well -understand how numerous must have become the

population of at first a small colony. Increasing and

multiplying, every year extending their possessions, and

erecting new monuments, they spread from valley to

valley converting the alluvial bottoms, rank with the

\.

i

v.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF -GEORGIA.

ftl

luxuriant growth of centuries, into flourishing fields,

yielding their annual harvests; perpetuating in almost

imperishable memorials, their devotion to the worship

of the sun and moon, and raising immense tumuli,

beneath which their generations sleep.

When, therefore, we consider the length of their so-

journ in these regions--when we estimate the increase

of numbers, which must have occurred in obedience to

physical laws -- when we remember the dense popula

tion which could have been readily supported by the

agricultural products of these fertile regions--the pecu*

liar form of government under which they lived, and the

religious belief cherished by them, -- we ^re prepared

to understand, how they were able to accomplish the

erection of monuments so vast; monuments proclaiming

themselves in tones that cannot be misinterpreted, the

combined results of the enormous labor, and united reli-.

*

.i.

gious zeal of the many.

And now the sad inquiry comes home to every one:

What has become of this teeming population? Their

pleasant fields have either been overgrown by massive

forest trees, or give generous token, that they are rejoic

ing in the teeming products of a superior agricultural \

civilization. Their.solemn temples--tenantless now of A-

worshippers--deserted of their Gods, --lie uncared for, //

and exposed to the harsh influences of the changing sea*

sons. No lettered shaft tells the story of their coming,

or of their going. No written history exists to remind

v

62

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

us aught of them. There is that however, about their remains, which most distinctly informs us, that these Mound-Builders had enemies, against whom they con tended, and against whom they were ever constructing fortifications and defences, of an extensive and efficient character. In the monuments which we have been par ticularly considering, what means this immense moat, excavated at the expense of so much labor, with its accompanying basins and breast-works, if its object was not, to render secure the enclosed area, within which were located the solemn temples of the MoundBuilders, and the sacred tumuli, wherein were de posited the mortal remains of their beloved dead? Lines of rampart, composed of earth, and sometimes of stone, enclosing areas, varying in extent from twenty to Wo hundred acres; -- subterranean passages, leading from within the walls to the banks of a neighboring river, as if to provide for a supply of water in the event of a siege; -- forts and watch-towers, varying in their form and dimensions, -- all indicate most unmistakably the fact, that the occupancy of this land was not at all times peaceable and without dispute ; but that on the contrary, the Mound-Builders were surrounded by those, who not only warred against them, but also threatened their very existence.
One of two suppositions then appears correct : ' either, that overwhelmed by the repeated and successful as* saults- of their enemies, they were at length overcome,

> *.1--

MONUMENTAL BEMAINS OF GEORGIA. . 6S \

and suffered at their hands total annihilation; or, that" .

retreating before tile advance of more powerful and war

like tribes of the north, they descended the streams

which first conveyed their ancestors to th'ese hospitable

retreats, and again sought a home within the confines of

more southern, and perhaps Mexican limits. It the lat* .

ter opinion be the correct one, the probability is, that

war, famine, and perhaps pestilence, must most sadly

have thinned their retreating bands.

^

.

In the pursuit of his inquiry into the origin and his-

tory of the Eed Race, Mr. Bradford writes: It may be. * . "

useful to inquire, whether any of the Indian traditions .

tend to elucidate the question of the origin of the

mounds and mural remains. The southern Indians





state, that when their ancestors migrated from the west,

.

they found these ruins deserted, and that -the tribes

.

which they dispossessed, had also observed them, upon

..

their first occupation of the country. The Creeks, Cher- "

'

okees, and Seminoles, are all united in-attributing their

erection to ancient and unknown inhabitants, without

any definite tradition upon the subject*

Indeed, their origin is an entire mystery to most of

the present Indian tribes,--a circumstance by no means .'-.'.

surprising, when we reflect that they were not ac-"

quainted with any accurate and permanent method "of

recording events. There is an old Delaware tradition, .. . -

which, whatever may be its other clamis to considera-

.

* See Bartram's Travels, pp. 365, 366.

' . ' .



. . .. ,
*
-. :
"
>

s,

/

-\

4r

'

.

.'

' '-
i"

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.
merits attention, as being the only detailed narrative nected with the history of the Mound-Builders; and >r its congruity with the traditions of the Iroquois.
related that the great race of the Lenni Lenape, iy centuries ago, inhabited a country far to the west pon migrating eastwardly, they found the territory, of the Mississippi, occupied by a numerous and ivilized people, whom they denominated the Alligewi, >d who lived in fortified towns. The Indians made an application to pass over the river, and through the ntry to the eastward; which request, though at first
was subsequently acceded to, under directions o make nc settlements until they had passed the Aliigevi boon fanes. In accordance with this permission, hat tribe iciade the attempt; but during the passage of he river was attacked and driven back. Upon this, a eague wasl struck with the Iroquois, who had also emi-
from the west, and reached the river at a higher nt; and the combined forces of the allied tribes as* led the Alligewi so fiercely, that after suffering severe osses and numerous defeats, to escape extermination, they finally fled down the shores of the ississippi. The vast and beautiful territory thus abando ed to the conquerors, was divided between them; th( Iroquois selecting the district upon the borders of the g eat lakes, and the Lenni Lenape, an extensive tract of land! lying further to the south, and towards the Atlantic. By one of the Iroquois tribes (the Senecas), it is related, that

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGl'A.

65

>
at a very distant era, the country about the lakes was occupied by a.powerful and populous nation, subse quently destroyed by their ancestors.
Several of the most beautiful, and the richest locations of the Six Nations, are stated by them to have been-in habited and cultivated before their arrival, by another people, whose burial places they distinguished from their own. The tradition they have received of these ancient inhabitants from their fathers states, that they formerly occupied a wide extent of territory, and were eventually extirpated by the Iroquois, after long and bloody wars. It is added in detail, that the last fortifi cation was attacked] by four of the tribes, who were repulsed; but the/^Mohawks having been called in, ^ their combined power was irresistible; the town was taken, and all tlie besieged destroyed.*
The conforjnity of these'traditions to the vestiges of civilization at the west, and to the Mexican narratives as contained in their paintings, entitles them to more weight tlian they would otherwise deserve. They pro ceed also from nations, which, from their numbers, their extensive diffusion over a wide region, and some features in their customs and character, appear to be among the

.1

* Traditions of tbe Kaskaskia and Tuscarora Indians, make direct /reference to ancient Indian wars and contentions. The rains of Cheche-
ticali, of Peos, of the platform mounds of Florida, and of the Mississippi Valley, as well as minor monumental reliquae bearing evidences of a su perior cultivation, and of artfe, beyond those possessed by the North
American Indians, assure us!of tbe fact, that a foreign people trod at least a portion of this continent before the era of Columbus, or the plant ing of Virginia. See Schoolcraft's History, Ac., -- preface.

9 L.-,



66

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEOBGIA.

first, and most ancient occupants, after the country was

abandoned by* its former inhabitants.

/

The Algonquin, Lenape, and Iroquois, seem to have

been borne upon the first wave of that tide of migra

tion from the west, which probably swept before it the

Aztecs and Toltecs--and the former, were in precisely

that position, where we should expect to find the fore

most of the invading hordes, -- at the east, and along

the shores of the Atlantic. It is unnecessary to exam

ine minutely the native traditions, to prove the direction

of these migratory movements; for no fact is more

clearly established, than their universal agreement, in

tracing their origin to the west or south-west.

These facts, in connection with those which have been

exhibited, as proving the common origin of all the Abo

rigines, favor the conclusion, that the original source of

population is to be "placed in Mexico and Central Amer

ica; and the vestiges of civilization observed among

the Natchez and other nations; the traditions of a period

when many tribes were more cultivated and numerous

than at present; the evidences which exist of important

alterations in dress, customs and religion, and a declen

sion in the arts, since the discovery, all tend to confirm

this idea. The exceptions, if any, which exist, are chiefly

confined to some western and northern tribes, to which

an Asiatic origin by Behring's Straits, and the Alenth

Islands, may with some plausibility be ascribed.*

See Bradford's American Antiquities, p. 205. et seq.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

6<

f

After a notice of the Bribes, once resident in Mexico,

and in the valley of the Mississippi, Mr. Schoolcraft

observes. We learn that there were two great ethno

logical families of red men in America. . Occupying

different latitudes, separated by climatic barriers, and

holding diverse ppsitions in the scale of civilization,

they inhabited coterminous countries, and were in char

acter sui generis. They coincided in general features,

character, habits, and modes of thought and action.- The vocabularies of their languages differed; but the gram matical structure of them, and the philosophical princi

ples upon which they were based, were remarkably-

coincident. Their arts and occupations wete also dis similar-- one being an agricultural people, and the

other, still retaining their normal type of hunters and '

foresters. The picture writing of the Aztecs, was an

.improvement on pictography.

There was nothing however, in which the broad line of separation was more clearly defined, than in their

modes of government The American class adhered to

a primitive patriarchal or representative form, under

the control of chiefe and councils; the other groaned

under a fearfully despotic rule. While the one class of

tribes had not "emerged from the simple hunter state,

v

V
and still roamed through the vast forests of America,

filled with animals and birds of every plumage,, the

other class had made important progress in arts, agri

culture, and architecture.

68

MONUMENTAL BEMAINH OP GEORGIA.

The investigation of the antique remains of labor and art, scattered over the Indian Country west of the Alle^hanies, which was instituted with a view of procuring some clue to the early history of the people formerly resident on the soil, developea a general correspondence between them, and those common among the Mexican (tribes at the era of the occupation of the Mexican val ley by the Chichimacos and Acolhuans, or Tescorans; which event Clarigero places in 1170. These barbarous tribes were not conquered, nor was Tauochtitlan, or Mexico founded, until 1324.
Could the veil of oblivion be lifted from the events which transpired in the Mississippi valley at that date, i. e. one hundred and ninety-five, or two hundred years jbefore the advent of the Spaniards in Mexico, it would in all probability, be found to have been thickly inhab ited by fierce, athletic and barbarous tribes, possessing kll the elements of progress known to the Chichimacoans
d their associates. These tribes were worshjppers of the sun, whom they propitiated by fires kindled on ie apex of high hills; they erected sepulchral mounds, which they interred the remains of their kings and ers; and they incessantly maintained the same.fierce strife with all their neighbors, which has marked the entire Indian race during three and a half centuries, [f the Mississippi tribes defended a town, as the existing remains indicate, by ditches and pickets, in which there iras a zig-zag gate, conforming to the Tlascalan fashion;

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
precisely the sime mode was prevalent among the bar barous tribes o Mexico, at the period when our south ern stocks segr igated from them.
So few traces of art, were observable among the Vesperic tribes along the shores of the Atlantic, from the capes of FJ >rida to the St. Lawrence, that when the population of t .e colonies began to cross the Alleghanies, and descend ii to the rich agricultural valleys of the Ohio, and the Mississippi, surprise was expressed, to find concealed beneath a forest growth, the ruins of labor and arts, which appeared superior to any, known to have been practised by the ancestors of the existing tribes.
The accounts of the fertile soil, genial climate, anc natural beauty of the Ohio valley, given about the y 1770, by hunters and adventurers, appeared,, wlien recounted east of the mountains, like tales of some newly-found elysium, or land of promise. The/qesire for the acquisition of landed property was universal.; America rang with the tale; and a collision/ of races was the consequent result The earliest 1 explorations of a reliable character, were those which Idate from the generic era of Washington's youthful'visit in 1754. The first grant of land from the Indians/was that made to William Treat and his associates in/1768, and con veyed the tract situate between the Monongahela and Ohio rivers. D-eta' ched tract*s were lJocated, and' settle ments began to be made in 1770 ;/which is the date of-

70

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

N

;he founding of Red Stone, or Brownsville, west of the

nountain slope at the foot of Laurel Hill. Some other

ocations were made in these valleys, between the years

770 and 1772. At the latter period, explorers reached

he noted flats, covered with Indian tumuli, the stream

.rough which, hence received the name of Grave-Creek,

tort Harmer was erected in 1785, at the junction of the

Muskingum River with the Ohio. Within a couple of

years thereafter, Congress extended its jurisdiction north.

^rest of Ohio, appointed a Governor, and provided a

Judiciary; thus establishing a reliable protection for the

settlements. On the 7th of May, 1788, Putnam, an(

is New England associates, landed at, and laid tjre

'Undation of Marietta. This may be assumed as/Ihe

liest period, at which attention was attracted to s/spe-

ies of Indian antiquarian remains, bearing evidence of

superior to anything known among the ^xisting

ndian tribes.



Marietta was, in fact, one of the locationsJwhere the

itiquarian remains of prior occupancy existed, and still

xist, in one of their most striking andf enigmatical

Tins. They embraced the acute form cp the ordinary

sepulchral mound, but were composed of a raised

latform of earth, of the general fornvof a parallelopi-

,on, pierced with gates or spaces, clearly used as pub

lic entrances; and, if the outer lines of the raised work

supposed to have been surmounted with wooden pick-

and turrets for marksmen, the whole must have

MONUMENTAL BEMAINS OF GEORGIA.

71

presented a palatial display. The height of the level

floor of this fortified establishment, could] not possibly

have exceeded seven or eight feet, and though its solid

cubical contents were considerable, it was not probably

beyond the ability of the inhabitants of a populous

Indian town to construct Such a structure, raised by

the Toltecs or Aztecs, or their predecessors, would not

have excited remark, either on account of the amount

of labor expended on it, or of the skill evinced in its

construction: but being a deserted ruin, in the territo

ries of tribes who possessed neither much art, nor indus

try, beyond the merest requirements of pure hunter

*

'K

tribes, they became a theme of conjecture, and excited

wonder: the more so, as the discoverers had never seen

the evidences of semi-civilization evinced by the Indian

tribes of Mexico. As the country filled up with popu

lation, other remains of analogous kind were brought to

light, most of which were in the form of small sepul

chral mounds or barrows, ditches, or entrenchments

once surmounted by pickets; but they excited little re

mark, except as bearing evidence of the ordinary appear

ance of an Indian town. The great tumulus at Grave

Creek, had early attracted notice on account of its size.

There was scarcely a tributary stream, from Pitfsb^-g to

the mouth of the Ohio, which did not yield some vestige

of this kind: but there was no locality, in which the

earth-works were so abundant and complicated, as in the

Soioto valley. Those at Chillicothe, Circleville, and

2

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

'aint Creek, evinced the existence of a once numerous ancient population. The entire area of the States of I Ihio, Indiana, and Illinois, as well as the surrounding orders of Virginia and Kentucky, appeared to have een the theatre of dense Indian occupancy, partial cul-
vation, and of a peculiar character of internal comiierce. There, the antiquarian found specimens of '. lammered native copper, steatites for amulets and pipes - -- the delicate marginella shell--mica obsidian, and 1 lorn-stone 'suitable for arrow-heads.
The art of making cooking-pots and vases from tem pered clay, was understood and practised by all the bribes, from the mouth of the Mississippi, to the farthest extent north and east The conch, and other heavy ea-shells were ingeniously carved into medals, beads, and rampum. An extensive trade was carried on in native iopper, mined from the basin of Lake Superior. The ine red pipe-stone, from the dividing grounds between Missouri and Mississippi, has been found in the antique ndian graves around Oswego and Onondaga. "Wrist>ands and chisels, of hammered native copper, were also bund. The tips of the horns of quadrupeds, were used is awls; and a thin, tubular piece of siliceous clay slate, worked into the shape of a parrallelogram, and pierced with two orifices, was employed to separate the strands, in making cords or ropes. Thin pieces of bone, with m eye delicately drilled in them, served the purpose of xxlkins. Mortars for crushing corn, were scooped out

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

78

of solid pieces of rock. Fire was produced by the rapid

rotation of a stick, with a string and' bow. Discoidal

stones, fabricated with great labor from pieces of hard

granite, and porphyry, were used in games. Chisels,

made of hard stone, were employed, for removing the

incinerated part of trunks of trees, in the process of fel-..

ling them, and also, in converting them into canoes;

tomahawks, in the shape of lunettes, having sharp points', ;

and an) orifice in which to insert a handle, supplied,

the place of iron blades. Smoking-pipes were formed

of clay; but this cherished article was generally carved

out of stone, with much skill and ingenuity. Long

spear-points were made from chert and horn-stone..

Fleshing instruments, used in the primary process of

preparing skins, were made from porphyry and other

hard stones. * * * -*

The mounds erected by them, varied much in size.'

The largest* spherical circumference of any of the

mounds, is six hundred and sixty-s^c feet, and that of

the smallest, twenty feet. The greatest height attained,

is ninety feet; and the two principal mounds of Caho-

kia and Grave Creek, could not contain much less

than three million * square feet of earth. The most

copious evidences of the density of the former popu

lation, and of their cultivation, were found in the Mis

sissippi Valley, on the extensive and fertile alluvial

plains in Illinois, opposite to the present city of St.

Ijouis, thence extending to Kaskaskia, and the junction

10

-

74

MONtMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

of the Ohio, and up the valley of the latter, into the

territory of the ancient Andastes, Eries and Iroquois.

The Scioto Valley must have contained a dense hunter

and semi-agricultural population, previous to its occu

pancy by the Shawnees; and the Grave Creek flats

appear to have been the central location of populous

tribes. The most striking evidences of agricultural in

dustry, were disclosed in the forests and prairies of

Indiana and southern Michigan, during the settlement

of the country, between the years 1827 and 1837.

These points of the rich domains of the west, may be

conjectured to have supplied the means of subsistence

for the aboriginal miners of Lake Superior. The small

growth of the forest trees in the ancient mining excava r ' tions of that region, does not give evidence of an

antiquity more remote than the twelfth century -- if it

even extends to that time. Mauls of stone, and the ele

ments of fire and water, were the principal agents em

ployed. The natural lodes and veins of native copper;

>r which that region is so remarkable, were followed

tally. There is reason to believe, that the process

of riKning in Ihe northern latitudes of the region of Lake

Superior, was carried on periodically, by persons who

^V

**

ierived fl^eir sustenance from, or who permanently re

dded in theVenial plains south of the .great lake. The

exploration, foKsome cause, appears to have been sud

denly abandonedX^s if the miners were driven off by

an inroad of barbarofca hordes.



'V
\.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

75

From an examination of the ages of trees, as disclosed

by the annual deposit of vegetable fibre, the termination

of the ancient-mound period, appears to have occurred.'

in the twelfth, or early in the thirteenth century. There

seems then, tojhave been a generaT disturbance among,

and breaking up of the aboriginal stocks. .

The late Dr. Locke, after counting the cortical rings

of trees growing on the ancient work, found by him in

Ohio in 1838, determined it to have existed six hundred :

years; which would place/ its abandonment in 1238.

Mr. Tomlinson, the propraetor of the large tumulus at

Grave Creek, in Virginia states, that a large tree, of the

species guercus albus, w/aich stood on the flat surface of

the apex of that mo/nd, blew down in 1828, and in

counting the cortical/rings, they were ascertained -to be

five hundred; whidn denotes that the tree commenced

its cortical deposits in 1328.

- \

I

It

General George Rogers Clark, whose opportunities

for making a personal inspection of the.western vestiges

of the mounel period, were extensive,--expresses the

opinion, tha/these remains do not exceed the age of five

p/

."

hundred years; which would place the date of their -

abandonment about the year 1380.

j

The /tumuli or mounds, continues Mr. Schoolcraft,

constituted no part of the military defence, though fre

quently located at or near the entrenched towers; but

were devoted exclusively to ecclesiastical or sepulchral

irposes, and were under the .care and control of the

. If
'*

1

70

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

priesthood. Some of the smaller mounds had been merely circular altars of earth, a few/feet in height; but after serving this purpose a long time, they were heaped up with loose earth into the shape of cones, and left as memorials of the Indian. /
The whole field of antiqfuarian research, as repre ss nted in the Mississippi "VJalley monuments,. may be re garded as the local nucleus, and highest point of develO] >ment of art and industry attained by the Red Race, after their segregation from the nomadic Toltec stocks. These monuments were widely scattered, but they as sume the same mixed sepulchral, and civic character, which is apparent in those found along the Alleghany branch of the Ohio, in western New York, and in other parts of the Union. The largest mounds in the Union, and those which are truncated or terraced, bear the closest resemblance to the Mexican teocalli. They occupy the most southern portions of the Mississippi Valley and Florida. They become less in size as we progress north, and cease entirely after reaching the lati tude of Lake Pepin, on the upper Mississippi, the,head waters of the Wisconsin, and the mining excavations of Lake Superior.*
We have thus presented the reader with a general view of the monuments of the Mississippi Valley^ be cause they, and the principal remains of the Etowah

* See Schootenft'a History, Ac., part VI., p. 595, et seq.

MONUMENTAL KEMAJNS OF GEORGIA.
Valley which we have been considering, are both to be referred to the same period, and are the results of the industry of the same race. It is an interesting fact,'that the large central tumulus, designated by the letter "A, upon the accompanying plan, will compare favorably in extent and interest, with the most remarkable yet de scribed in the valleys of the Mississippi and the Ohio.
It has not been our pleasure, as yet, to have exam ined the monuments of the Chattahoochee Valley, and those which lie scattered through the peninsula of Florida. We trust however, at no distant day, to enjoy an opportunity for so doing, and will hope in a future paper, to furnish the results of those observations.
For an extended and specific description of the mon uments of the Mississippi, Ohio, Sicioto, and Paint Creek Valleys, the reader is referred to the works of Mr. Schoolcraft; to the primary volume of the American Antiquarian Society, published in 1820, under the title of Archceologia Americana, containing the observations of Mr. Atwater, with reference to the earth-works at Newark, Marietta, Circleville, Paint Creek, Portsmouth, in the little Miami Valley, at Grave Creek, and at other places in the 'Ohio Valley, and in the "Western States; and also to the full and comprehensive memoir on. this subject, under the caption of " Monuments of the Mis sissippi Valley," published in the transactions of the Smithsonian Institution; the information therein con tained, having been derived from personal surveys, principally made by Mr. E. G. Squier, and Dr. Davis.

ii 1I

1

!

f :'

78

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

A comparison of the civilization of the Mound-Build ers, as disclosed by the varied remains which they have left behind them in the valleys of the Mississippi, and its tributaries--as well as in the regions to which our in quiries have been specifically directed--with the ancient civilization of many parts of Central America, Mexico and Peru, while it discloses not a few differences, will on the whole, we are inclined to believe, evince a commu nity of purpose, object, and origin. At a later period, we hope to institute this contrast
The condition of the arts among this people, may be briefly stated as follows:
L To the cultivation of the soil, and to agricultural pursuits, they devoted much attention -- in the selection of sites for their temples and villages, always choosing those rich alluvial bottoms, of .almost exhaustless fertil ity, which would for centuries, generously reward the labor of the husbandman.
IL They understood the uses of clay--in the man ufacture of various articles for service and ornament, combining this substance with others, which imparted a permanency and consistency, often remarkable. The pottery of this people, is far superior to that made by the Indians; differing from the latter in many essentials of form, color, and constituent elements. They appear also to have manufactured a sun dried, and sometimes fire-burnt briek, made of clay, which was employed in connection with round and flat stones, in the construc tion of paved ways, leading from the settlements to the

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

,1 .

neighboring stream or spring; and also in flooring cir

cular depressed localities of varied dimensions, the spe

cific uses of which at this remote period, can only be

conjectured.

.

'

III. With the mechanical advantages of the wedger

and inclined plane, they were familiar.

-

IV. That the art of sculpture, and working in stoner

was understood, at least to a considerable extent, is

clearly proven by the numerous remains still -extant.

Some of their idols, pipes, sacrificial plates, &c., were

fashioned with a degree of precision, polish, and beauty,

which renders them quite remarkable.

t

.

V. Silver ornaments have been found in the mound*

of the Etowah Valley. One of them, --a silver buckle,

in the form of a heart -- is before us as we write. It

is fashioned of native silver, unalloyed, and although

rather rude in its construction, answered well thb pur

pose for which it was designed. A specific descriptioi

of this interesting remain, will be postponed for the

present

-

We are credibly informed by eye witnesses, that gold-

beads, and copper utensils, have also been exhumed in

this valley.

.

VI. Isinglass (mica membranacea) appears to have

been Selected tiy them, as the material best suited*to

answer the purposes of a mirror. Although no perfect

mirror has come under our observation, yet large frag-'

ments, carefully prepared,* have been fonnd in and

around these tumuli.

f

80

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

VIL Of the probable theory of their government, we have already spoken; and have before alluded to the character of their religious belief and worship.
VIII. The nature and extent of their fortifications, all indicate a degree of civilization much superior to that, which belongs to the condition of such, as have not advanced beyond the hunter state.
*
IX. The angular construction of many of their tu muli, discloses a knowledge and recognition of the car dinal points; and as it sufficiently appears, that their principal devotions were paid to the sun, and perhaps to the moon, it may be, that their knowledge of astron omy extended also to the apparent motions of some of the other heavenly bodies. The principal angle of the tumulus is generally toward the east -- and the ap proach, almost without exception, on the eastern side.*
X. No traces of alphabetic, or hieroglyphic writing, have as yet been discovered in this valley. Occasion ally, upon the surface of a pipe is seen the counte nance of a human being--a representation of a risen sun -- a circle -- an eye -- the beak of an eagle--or

* It appeals from certain traditions that the Ottavrwaus offered sacrifi ces to the'sun and moon. The changes of the moon afforded to the Indian Tribes a method of measuring time, Of the true cause of the increase and decrease of the moon, of eclipses, and of other phenomena which depend upon the motions of the heavenly bodies, they had no cor rect conceptions. The Aurora Boreans they call the dance of the dead. Sea Tanner's Narrative, p. 322, et aeq.
Although we have no positive proofe to justify the supposition, the probability is, that the Mound-Builders possessed a knowledge of As tronomy superior to that enjoyed by the Indians. Occupying a higher parities, in the scale of civilization, we cannot doubt bat that they had acquainted themselves with many facts, in reference to the revolutions of the heavenly bodies, which are the results of continued observation.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

81

some other delineation descriptive of some physical ob

ject. In tracing various devices upon their shell orna

ments, they exhibited no little skill and ingenuity. All

of these representations however, we are-inclined to re

gard, as evidencing the fcaste and ingenuity of the artist,

J

t

and not is indicating any positive attempt at picto-

%

graphic o r historic narration. We find no written

records of the past. Upon the rock walls which fence

in this villey, we look in vain for any monumental-

trace of their history. Among the stone fragments

which here and there intermingle with the soil upon

which they dwelt for centuries, we search in vain .for a single tablet, whereon were engraven their laws. A

people without letters, they lived and died; and the

Muse of History scarce finds an epitaph for their tombs.

Sad, but striking commentary, upon the evanescent con dition of that society, whose membsrs have never been

trained to brave deeds and ennobling thoughts -- whose intellectual powers have slumbered the sleep of centu

ries-- who trusted to the failing voice of the aged war

rior, to recount their warlike prowess, -- and committed

to the dying memory of the chieftain, the historical

records of their past existence--who gave to the i passing

air, the spoken word--but carved not a line, to trans mit to coming generations assurance of their existence.

It is a remarkable, as well as a sad fact, that the Ameri

can tribes came to this continent, without either alpha

bet, phonetic sign, or digit



11

i;

I-

82

JCONTTMINTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

Both above and below these remarkable remains upon the plantation of Col. Tumlin, in the valley of the Etowab, we find mounds, and other organic traces of the Mound-Builders, proving that they fully occupied this region.
Without pausing to describe them minutely, we may in passing allude to the fact, that in various localities in the bends, and near the banks of the river, still exist mounds, isolated, and in groups--generally circular, sometimes ovoidal, and again quadrangular or pentago nal in form -- circular stone-paved ways -- avenues lead ing from the vicinity of the tumuli to the river--eleva ted spaces, perfectly level at the top, which may have been used as places of amusement, or as sites for the erection of their abodes; while fragments of their pot tery, and various utensils of their handiwork, are con stantly disclosed by the plough-share, in the cultivation of this beautiful valley.
Just where the Etowah and Oostanaula meet and mingle their waters, forming the Coosa; upon the point of land, whose base is washed by the waves of these three rivers, formerly stood an interesting mound, circular in shape, some twelve or fifteen feet in height, and with a diameter at the base, of not less than fifty feet. The earth .and clay which composed this tumulus, have almost all been removed; the same having been employed in levelling the streets of the village of Home, and in the construction of a suitable landing place for a ferryboat " '

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
From this mound, .the silver ornament, and gold beads, to which allusion has been already made, were, taken. It was found to contain numerous skeletons -- pots--vases--stone axes--arrow-heads. -- spear-heads --shell ornaments 1--pipes--copper beads--mortars--* silver ornaments--circular stones, carefully- rounded and polished -- besides other'relics of a less interesting character. Along the banks of the Etowah and the Oostanaula on this side, are numerous traces of] inhuma tion. This spot appears to have been consecrated to the; purposes of burial. The swollen tide of these rivers never washes the shore, without bringing to light new proofs of this fact In the immediate neighborhood, were several other mounds of smaller dimensions, all of which seem to have been devoted to the purposes of sepulture. They are now nearly level with the plain. Upon the very spot, occupied by at least two of them; have been rear id the dwellings and work-shops of another and a nob er race. The contents of these were all similar, and lil e those of the larger tumulus at the junction of the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers. They were composed of the blue clay, and alluvial soil of the valley, inteispersed with stones, and muscle shells taken from the teds of the circumfluent streams.
Of the race b r whom these mounds were erected, the Cherokees could give no information. When questioned as to their origin, by the whites who first located here, their reply was, that they possessed not even a tradition

84

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

of the people who constructed them--referring them to the labor of a race, of which they knew nothing, and who. had preceded them in the occupancy of this region.
Tradition designates this, as the spot rendered memo rable by a battle, which DeSoto and his adventurous band are said t here to have fought with the natives. Without considering the probability or improbability of this alleged historical fact, certain it is, that the remains now under consideration, are not to be referred to that period. They are much older--as is conclusively shown by the vegetation which covered them -- and by the internal evidence of the mounds.
A casual examination of the base of the principal tu mulus, and the removal of th4 earth along the f ice of the bluff to the depth of somje five feet, disclo $ed a number of skeletons--ranges Of vases and pots, vary ing in size and shape--soap-stone ornaments--fleshing knives--arrow and spear-heads, &c. Doubtless, the in dustrious antiquarian can here still finfl many remains, possessing no little interest, and which will richly reward the labor and care involved in the search for them.
Beautiful 1n all its features, is this necropolis of a de parted race. Standing upon the almost obliterated traces of the larger mound, whose base is washed by the confluent waves of the Etowah and the Oostanaula, the eye, gladdened by the joyful meeting, watches the stranger wavelets, now friends, as in joyous companion ship they leap along the current of the softly gliding

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA. / 86 "

Coosa--- now sporting with the pendant branches of the

trees on either han^d--now rushing past the rapids, that

r .- ,

here and there seem anxious to interrupt the harmony

'

of the scene. The dark green foliage which crowns .the

left bank, grows darker still, as-the shadow of the oppo- .

site hill -- almost a mountain,--settles upon the river^ - *

j

while the trees on the other side, are joyously waving

their beautiful branches in the soft sunlight, that rests

upon the valley beyond. On the right, hill succeeds

hill in gentle undulation. Behind, stretches the valley

of the Etowah, beautifuF in its foliage, attractive in its

graceful windings, aa it bends ever to guard within'its "

accustomed channel, the stream that imparts its life and I . "

verdure. Upon the adjacent eminences, sits the village ;

of Rome, replfete with life and activity. The stately trees "

.

have fallen before the stroke of the woodsman. Broad.

bridges span the streams. The steamboat, freighted

with the products of intelligent industry, stems their'

currents. Through the echoing valley of the Etowah,

. ...

are heard the shrill whistle, and the rapid march of the

locomotive. On every side are seen the traces of. a new,

a superior, and an advancing civilization.

.

;'

How changed! since that time, when the Mound-

Builder fixed here his home, and above the remains of

: .

his family and friends, heaped these memorials of his

sorrows--these tributes to the memory of the dapWted.

The same heavens over-arch now. as theyi did centuries '

-

long ago. The voices of the streams, in subdued mur-

86

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

mars, still greet the ear. Here and there a forest tree,

rejoicing in its primeval proportions^ still bespeaks the

stately growth of the original groves, which crowned

these hills and over-shadowed these fertile valleys. All

else, how changed!

! Ascending the valley of the Oostanaula, we are met

by tumuli and remains, similar in all respects to those

which we have noticed in the valley of the Etowah.

___

s

We have not learned however, of the existence of any,

so remarkable as those located upon the plantation of

CoL Tumlin.

Some eight miles above Borne, in a bend of the Oos

tanaula River, known as Pope's Bend, is a mound, at

present some five or six feet in height, and eighty feet

in diameter at the base. It stands in the middle of a

field, which is said to have been cleared and cultivated

by the Indians. Circular in form, its central, portion is

considerably depressed. In consequence of the expos-
i
I ure of this tumulus to the immediate action of the wind

and tempest, and the further fact of its having been for

years cultivated, its present proportions do not realize

its original size.

The walls of this mound, must at first, have been

raised several feet above its central portion. In this re-

spect, it seems quite unique. Now however, the outer

rim has an elevation of not more than a foot and a half,

or two feet It is composed entirely of the sand and

soil of the valley. Upon its surface, lay broken frag-

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

87

ments of pottery -- a stone axe -- a pipe--a soap-stone ornament -- broken clay utensils, and numerous frag ments of human bones. This was, without doubt, a burial mound. Just across the river, and upon a neck of land formed by the confluence of Armurchee Creek and the Oostanaula, is another of these burial mounds. The surface of the ground for several acres here, is 'cov ered with pieces of pottery, and a great variety of spear and arrow-heads. From this mound were taken, a mor tar of beautiful proportions -- pestles -- stone axes, &c. We are inclined to refer these last tumuli, to an Indian origin. Certain it is, that many of the remains found in and about them, are purely Indian in their character. It will be observed however, that the same locality sometimes, and in fact not unfrequently, indicates the existence of remains peculiar both to the Mound-Build ing, and to a later period.
The aboriginal remains of these valleys, may be divi ded into three classes.
I. Those which are to be referred to-the MoundBuilders-- an ancient race who possessed this region, and who have left behind them, remarkable monuments of their labor, and combined industry.
IL Such as are purely Indian in their character, and lastly,
HL Those, which although the work of the Indians, were' suggested by, and are the result of their inter course and contact with the Whites, or Europeans,

5

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

Those which may be embraced under the first head,

hare been already sufficiently considered.

It is a well ascertained historic fact, that the Ohero-

kees entertained for these valleys of the Etowah^knd

Oostanaula, an especial love and attachment Nor need

we wonderfor a moment at this. Upon the slopes of

the swelling hills--in the <iense forests which over-shad

owed the luxuriant alluvial bottoms, -- upon the banks

of the swiftly moving streams -- and by the generous

fountains, sported the fairest and fattest game. The

rivers, and their limpid tributaries, teemed with fish.

The cultivated field of maze brought forth an hundred

fold. The pure mountain air, the pathless forest, the

broad valleys, the towering hills, all were invested with

a degree of attraction, known only to the breast of the

free, untamed Indian.

Their national name was derived from ckeera --"fire"

--which was their reputed lower heaven. Hence the

spelling Cheerahe, which is adopted by Adair, and other

writers of his day.

\I

The [first quarter of the eighteenth century, they lire

reputed to have had sixty^four villages filled with

women and children, and to have possessed not less

than six thousand warriors. Their towns, says Adair,

were always close to some river or creek, as there the

land is commonly very level and fertile, on account of

theifrequent washes from the mountains, and the mois-

tur* it receives from the waters which run through their

X1

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

89

fields. Such a situation also enables them to perform the ablutions, connected with their religious worship. .
Now however, these villages and settlements are scarcely remembered. The Cherokees themselves have. passed far beyond the blue mountains, and but few and frail are the memories, which perpetuate the recollection of this interesting but unfortunate race. In vain do we seek amid tribes, who have not advanced in civilization beyond the hunter state, for those monuments of art, . skill, and industry, which shall resist the disintegrating influences of Time, and tell to succeeding generations the history of the past. Occasional and unimportant . are the remains, which combine within themselves, all tjiat is left of the power, the intelligence, the labor, and the life-history of those who immediately preceded na in the occupancy of this soil. Not unfrequently, within the rude grave, is contained the only record that time has left to us of this people.
From the best authority it appears, that the Cherokees of this region did not, as a general rule, erect mounds ovar their dead. The usual custom was, to hide the \ body in some rocky fissure, covering it with bark, de- . positing with it the bow and arrow, pots, stone axe, and other articles, the property of the deceased, and then- close securely the entrance.
Often the hut of the deceased was burnt, and with it . many articles used by the late owner. Sometimes they interred12 beneath the floor of the cabin, subsequently .



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MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.
setting fire to the walls and roof, thus obliterating all traces of the inhumation.*
Again, they buried by placing the body underneath a ledge of rocks, or upon the slope of a hill in some unfre quented spot, heaping above it a pile of stones. Subse quently, they adopted the plan of digging a grave some three feet or more in depth, into which the corpse was lowered. Above it was heaped a small tumulus, some six or eight feet in length, and two or three feet in height. Upon the range of hills running to the south .of Rome, are several graves of this latter description. They lie north and south, and ajre generally located in
!
the vicinity of a large tree. i On the right bank of the Etowah River, near Rome,
at a point known as the " Old Bridge," a heavy ledge of rocks, projecting from the side of the hill, over-hung the river. It was necessary to remove this, in order to construct the track of the Rome rail-way. When forced from its position by the blast, the fissures in the ledge, were found filled, with/ the skeletons of Indians. By many, they were supposed to have, been the dead, killed in a battle fought but a short distance from this spot, and .here secreted by those who survived.
Upon the hill opposite Rome, known as the " Ceme tery Hill," many bodies have been discovered securely lodged in the inequalities of the hill-sides -- carefully
* See also History o North America, p. 260.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

91

covered, and with their utensils of the chase, of war,

and of domestic use, interred with them. !

Scattered throughout these valleys, therfe are however,

mounds of moderate dimensions, circular or ovoidal in

form, which are doubtless, to be referred to an Indian

origin. Judging from their internal evidence, we' are

inclined to regard them as the oldest organic remains of

the Cherokees. Within them are found the skeletons of.

the dead, and various ornaments, looking utensils, pipes,

implements of war, and of the chase.

'

_^Elevajted spaces, perfectly level at the top, are still to.

be seen. These were formerly used by the Cherokees

for the^mrposes of sport, dancing, ball playing, and

quoit rafting. In one locality, not far from the'village

of Rome, was pointed out a track, some quarter of a*-

mile of more in extent, from which the loose stones and

inequalities, in the surface had been removed, which tra-.

dition designates as an Indian race-course.

-

The cultivation of the soil, and the springing foliage,

are however, fast obliterating all traces of their play

grounds.

Ball playing is said by Adair to have been their chief

and most favorite game. To him we are indebted for

the following description of this amusement The ball

was made of a piece of scraped deer skin, moistened,

\

.

and stuffed hard with deer's hair, and strongly sewed

with deer's sinews. The ball sticks were about two feet

long, the lower end somewhat resembling the palm of a

92 MONUMENTAL BEMAINS OF GEORGIA.
hand. They are worked with deer skin thongs. Be tween these they caught the ball, and were enabled to throw it a great distance, when not prevented by tie opposite party, whose effort it was to intercept its pissage. The goal is some five hundred yards in extent. At each end of it, they fix two long bending poles into the ground, three yards apart below, but standing a con siderable way outward above. The party that succeeds in throwing the ball over these, counts one; but if it be thrown underneath, it is cast back, and played for as usual. The gamesters are equal in number on both sides; and at the beginning of every course of the ball, they throw it up high in the centre of the ground, and in a direct line between the two goals. When the crowd of players prevents the one who catches the ball from throwing it off with a long direction, he commonly sends it the right course, by an artful, sharp twirl. They are so exceedingly expert in this manly exercise, that be tween the goals, the ball is mostly flying the different ways, by the force of the playing sticks, without falling to the ground; for they are not allowed to catch it with their bands. In the heat and intense excitement of the game, the arms and legs of the players are sometimes broken. The celebration of this game, is preceded by fastings and night watches, by those who are about to engage in it
They turn out to the ball-ground, continues Mr. Adair, in a long row, painted white, and whooping a

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA:'

93

if Plato's prisoners were all broke loose. The leader

then begins a religious invocation, which is joined in by

his companions. Each party'strives to gain the twentieth

ball, which they esteem a favorite divine gift.

These play grounds no1 ? lie deserted. The animated

voices of the gamesters are hushed. Ball, bat, and the

stalwart forms that contended for the victory, lie moul

dering in silence and forgetfulness beneath a common

sod; and a modern civilization has devoted to .the pur

poses of agriculture, places once consecrated to sport.

Large clearings are still pointed out, which were culti

vated by the Cherokees. Corn was the principal agri

cultural product. To the women chiefly, was committed

the care of the fields.

All traces of their dwellings have of course, disap

peared, with the exception of some of the more modern

dwellings, -- such as the ruins of the house formerly

occupied by the Chief John Ross, beautifully situated

upon a gentle elevation, upon the edge of the Coosa

Valley, near the inception of that river, -- and the for

mer residence of Major Ridge, which still remains in

good preservation upon the left bank of the Oostanaufe

River, some two miles from Rome. These however, are

modern in their character; and belong not to the Indian,

as he existed in his native, uncontaminated condition --

but to the semi-civilized Indian, as modified in his

tastes, habits, and character, by association with the

White race.



94

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

Of their pottery, very few specimens remain un

\

broken. If we may judge however, from the various

fragments--some of them quite large, --and from the

few relics of this description, in an almost perfect con

dition, which have come under our observation, we can

readily award to the Cherokees, no little skill and inge

nuity in the manufacture of their pots -- pans -- vases

-- bowls--platters--and various vessels of antiquated

form. Some of them are well glazed within. Others,

on the outside, bear the impression of marks or stamps,

I made when the material was in a soft condition. Others I, have ornamented rims, and are furnished with

handles.

-

Bed and blue clay appear to have been the principal

materials used. In many instances, everything like

gravel o\r sand has been carefully removed. In others,

large grajrel appears to have been intentionally inter

mixed witn the clay. We have examined vases and

pans, which aeem to be composed of an admixture of

blue clay, and crushed muscle shells.

The impressions upon the outside of the pottery, are

said usually to have been made by a wooden paddle,

upon which had beeft traced certain figures, or patterns.

The newly formed, and still soft pot or vase, was gently

struck, time and again, with this paddle, until- its sides

were completely covered with the desired impressions;

the line grooved into the p&ddle, leaving of course a

corresponding elevation upon tnfc pottery, while the ele-

1

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

.95

vated work upon the former, caused a corresponding

depression upon the latter. The vessel, thus impressed .

with such devices as fancy or ingenuity might suggest, .'

in a still soft state, was then inserted over burning coals

of hickory or oak--piled up so as very nearly to- fill

the inner space of the article, --and thus subjected to

as great a degree of heat as could thereby be obtained;

the bed of coals being at intervals replenished, and so

arranged in a conical form, as to distribute the heat as

equally as possible. So intense at times was this heat,

that the entire vessel glowed; and almost a fusion of

the particles on the inner side of the-vessel occurred.


When sufficiently

burnt,

"
it was

allowed

to

cool

-' .- -
gradu-'.

ally --^retaining in its hardened condition, the impres-

sions which had been made with the paddle upon its

"formerly soft and plastic surface. The countless fragj ments of this pottery, mingled with the leaves o the

forest, and lying exposed in every field, assure us of the

fact, that these regions were long and thickly peopled.

It is also evident, that vast quantities of pottery,, of

Varied form, must have been here manufactured. When

we reflect upon the frail, perishable character of these

utensils, we may very readily appreciate how often in

daily use they must have been broken.

'

Bough beads, and rude ornaments, were also fashioned

of like'material.

Stone axes are still found -- many of them remarka

ble for their beauty and symmetry. Of these there are

three varieties.

. '-

. 'I

..

|

. ..4

'

, |

I
*..'**"' -J

* '

MONUMENTAL BEMAINS OF GEORGIA.

! L The ungrooved axe -- cunieform.

I IL The axe with single or double groove.

I 11. The double-edged axe, with a hole neatly drilled

| through the centre.



| The manufacture of these implements, accomplished

| (in the absence of tools requisite for working in stone),

! only by protracted labor, must have been abandoned by

j the Indians at an early period of our acquaintance-with

them. The probability is, that almost all of the speci

mens which we now obtain, were made before their con

tact with the Whites; and consist principally, of such as

had been accidentally lost in the forests by the Indians,

casually forgotten by them in their frequent changes

of abode, or of such, as exposed by the action of the

seasons, have been removed from the once hidden

places, where they had been interred with the bones of

their former owners.

Says Adair: "The Indians formerly had stone axes,

which in form commonly resembled a smith's chisel.

Each weighed from one to two or three pounds." [We

have now in our collection, a double grooved stone axe,

of unusual proportions, weighing nearly ten pounds.]

" They were made of a flinty kind of stone. I have seen

several which chanced to escape being buried with their

owners, and were carefully preserved by the old people-

as respectable remains of antiquity. They twisted two

or three tough hickory slips, of about two feet long,

round the notched head of the axe; and by means of.

this simple and obvious invention, they deadened the

.. -;>.. .iM

\

" . - "''

'. r '' v

'.'-

" I ;

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

97

trees,

by

cutting

'- : through the

. bark, and

burned

' them,

'

,

-'

1"

'.'..

when they either fell by decay, or became thoroughly " ,

dry."

-

'.." .. '; -:

'.

."

In this manner, in process of time, convenient -fields : *

.'

were cleared. Another use made of these stone axes

was, with their aid, in preparing their canoes (which . " ^

were hollowed out chiefly through the agency of fire)i to

.

peck off the charred portions from time to time, as the - *

burning progressed, and thus afford new surface, and .

'

.

fresh fuel for the flame. When engaged in this occupa-.

tion, they are said to have stood with their backs to the *

burning log, and looking over the shoulder---the axe ' f

being attached to the end of a pliant bough or vine,--

-t

to have swung it against the charred surface.

'. <

Still another use: the smaller axes, especially, those ....

with holes drilled through them, were employed as " .

.

weapons of war, A most beautiful specimen of this ' - '"

description came under our personal observation. It .

:

was made of silex, well polished, a hole neatly drilled

' ..*

through the centre--one end being fashioned into a

:

pipe -- the other into a sharp edged axe. There is also

'. '

the double-edged battle axe, or tomahawk.

.

.



Others there are, without drill or groove, nearly re-

.

sembling pestles at the smaller end, which answered a .

doable purpose of axe and pestle. From the remarka-

'.

ble degree of polish, and the peculiar shape of still

.

another variety, the idea is suggested, that these were .

.

used in the preparation of their skins. 18



98

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

Bade stone knives, and polishing stones, are also here found.
Not unfrequently are seen circular stones, probably employed in grinding clay, and other substances for paint. What may be denominated hurling stones, al though rare, are picked up here and there, generally in the neighborhood of one of the former settlements of the Cherokees. The account which we have of the use of this article of sport, is briefly as follows:
Near the principal house in the settlement, the Indi ans prepared a square piece of ground, well cleaned. Fine sand is carefully scattered over the surface, so that the motion of anything rolled along the ground, may be impeded as little as possible. Only one or two on a pide play at this ancient game. The stone used, is per fectly round -- about two fingers broad at the edge, and two spans in circumference. The size of the stone varies however in thickness, from a half inch, to an inch or more, with diameters ranging from two to six inches. Each party playing, has a pole about eightYeet long, smooth, and tapering at each end -- the points flat The players sit off abreast of each other, at six yards distance from the end of the play ground. One of them hurls the stone on its edge, in as direct a line as he can, a considerable distance toward the middle of the other end of the square. Banning after the stone a few yards, each, darts his pole -- anointed with bear's greese, -- with a proper force, as near as he can calculate, in pro-

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

99

portion to the motion of the stone, in order that the end

of the pole may lie near to the stone when it ceases its

motion. When the end of the pole lies close by the

stone, the thrower counts two of the game; and in pro- "-

portion to the nearness of the pole to the mark, one is -

counted. In this manner the players wfn run inces- ,

santly at half speed the greater part of the day, under

the violent heat of the sun, manifesting the most untir

ing interest in the game, and staking their ornaments,

property of every description, and even their wearing .

apparel, upon its event

,

These hurling stones are,prepared with great^labor

and care, being rubbed smooth in every part. They

are preserve^ from one generation to another, and are

exempted from being buried with the dead. Considered

as public property^ each town or village possesses its

own hurling stones.

Pipes, both of stone and of clay, are still found in .'

these valleys; -- those of the former material, not un-

frequently in a perfect state of preservation, while those

of the latter, are usually somewhat impaired- by the

action of the changing seasons. Mr. Adair says, that of

all the Indians, the Cherokees excelled in the manu- .

facture of beautiful stone pipes; and assigns as one rea- ;

son for this, that their coutitry,--mountainous in its

character, -- afforded an unusual variety of materials

proper for such uses Speaking of the manufacture of

these pipes, he continues: "They easily form thepa with

f
vV-
-

100

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA-

their tomahawks, and afterwards finish them in any desired forai with their knives; '-- the pipes (i. e., those made of clay, and some varieties of soap-stone,) being of a very soft quality, till they are smoked with, and used to the fire, when they become quite hard. They are often a full span long, and the bowls are about half as large again as those of our English pipes. The fore part of each, commonly runs out with a sharp peak two or tbrefe fingers broad, and a quarter of an inch thick. On both sides of the bowl lengthwise, they cut several pictures with a great deal of skill and labor; such as a buffalo and a panther; on the opposite sides of the bowl, a rabbit and a fox, and very often a man and a woman, puris naturalibus. Their sculpture cannot much be commended for its modesty. They work so slowly, that one of these artists is two months at a pipe with his knife, before he finishes it: indeed, as before ob served, they are great enemies to profuse sweating, and are never in a hurry about a good thing. The stems are commonly made of soft wood, about two feet long, and an inch thick, cut into four squares, each scooped till they join very near the hollow of the stem; the beaus always hollow the squares, except a little at each corner, to hold them together, to which they fasten a parcel of bell buttons, different sorts of fine feathers, and several small battered pieces of copper kettles, round deer-skin thongs, and a red painted scalp; this is a boast ing, valuable and superlative ornament According to

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

101

their standard, such a pipe constitutes the possessor a

grand beau. They so. accurately carve or paint hi^to-

glyphic characters on the stem, that all the war-actions,

and the tribe of the owner, with a great many circum

stances of things are fully delineated." *

When we remember in what esteem this article was.

held by the Cherokee -- in ordinary times, his compan

ion around the lodge-fire, and upon his march-1-never .

forgotten either at home, or abroad,--when we recollect

the historic memories whiqh cluster around the Pipe of

Peace -- and think of the solemnities attendant upon its

use, when war was to be declared, when compacts were

to be entered into, and, when 'the battle was over, as its f

graceful curl, denoting that peace had again spread her

white wings over the land, ascended from the midst of

the assembled braves, -- a7 peculiar interest attaches to these relics of a past race// 'The m* any fragments of the

ordinary red or blue clay pipe, and of the soap-stopae

pipe, attest their general use.

^

Of all the remains Mill extant, by far the most nu

merous are the spear and arrow heads. Of these there

are sundry- varieties,/all modifications however, of one

general idea. They lie scattered in every field--are

disclosed by the careless foot of the pedestrian, as it

brushes aside the fallen leaves of the forest --are

washed from the road-sides by every passing shower,

and are seen in nearly every grave. They vary in

length, from the half of an inch, to ten or twelve inches; .

I 102

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

\
and in breadth, from the quarter of an inch to four

inches; one huge specimen is before us, measuring four

teen inches in length, and four inches in breadth. Silex

was a favorite material used in the construction of these

implements of war and of the chase. They are in color

red, yellow, white, rufus, black, blue, and parti-colored.

Great stress appears often to have' been laid upon the

selection of a unique stone. In not a few localities, the

black darts predominate. That they were here manu

factured, is clearly proven by the countless chips, lying

intermingled with broken spear and arrow heads, re

jected in the process of construction.

It is an interesting fact, that this manufacture of darta

and arrow points, was common to all the tribes of the

American Indians, and that they all coincide in form

and size. Intermingle, for example, a number of spear

and arrow heads picked up in these valleys, with an

equal number collected at random from the mounds, or

in the fields of the coast regions of Georgia or South

Carolina, and you will be unable to distinguish between

them. It is probable that large quantities manufactured

here, where materials for their construction abound,

were carried to the coast, and there exchanged for com

modities, which could not in this regioj* be Readily ob

tained. There is an interesting tradition still extant to

this effect'

/

It will be remarked however, by any one at all con

versant with the antiquities of Southern/Georgia, that

//i/ _

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

108

the Tribes who there inhabited, did, to a certain extent

at least, manufacture their own spear and arrow heads.

Of this, the physical proof iis positive and abundant.

A description of the fleshing knives--soap-stone or

naments-- beads -- pestles -- and other trivial remains

which lie scattered upom the surface, is deemed useless,,

as they are really possessed of but little interest, and

have been noticed by others.

- ',

"We shall conclude this enumeration of the Indian

remains, with the mere mention of a beautiful mortar,

which was exhurried from a small earth mound upon

left bank of the Oostanaula River, some nine miles

abo\-v>e the village of Rome. It is composed of a very compact, yellow stone, capable of receiving quite a de

gree of polish, and hard to be worked -- possessing a

diameter\of nearly six inches -- and a thickness at the '

edges, of two inches and three quarters. It has two

cavities -- each four inches in diameter, and one inch

in depth -- the\ central posfiSh of the mortar lying be

tween the convex, and concave hollowed surfaces --

being only three quarters of an inch in thickness. In

form, it is accurately circular, everything about it indi

cating great neatness of construction, and remarkable^

symmetry. We^bave designated as a third class, those remains,

which, although fashioned Vy the Indians, are yet the

offsprings of wants, and the results of suggestions, evi

dently derived from their association with the White race.

1*
L

104

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

1 As an illustration of this, we may refer to a bullet* mould made of soap-stone, capable of answering well the purposes for which it was intended. It was found among other articles, in the grave of an Indian. This mould has thirteen chambers, varying in size, from that of an ounce-ball, to that of swan-shot..
We will not pause to enumerate the various remains, of clearly European origin, which are not unfrequentiy disclosed bpon an examination of the later graves. These,--if antiquities they may be called,--belong to a more recent period; a period about which, the clouds of uncertainty and conjecture gather not
So much for the remains of the valleys of the Etowah and the Oostanaula, and a glance at the interesting suggestions, which attend upon their examination. Few and short were the days given to their consideration; but the recollection of the pleasure experienced upon first sight of those august monuments, which tower above the level of the Etowah Valley--silent, yet not voiceless representatives of a past age, of a lost race, -- still lives, and is only equalled by the vivid remem brances of the beautiful hills which environ, and the attractive streams which water this favored region.

fmmd neat the Sumlit

AND WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE,

Jfurmtb

G

1st of

I. PIPE -- fashioned of a species of green stone*

almost equal to Egyptian'granite, -- three and a,half

mches:,in height; consisting of a human figure in a sit

'

ting posture, holding in extended arms, quite a" classic

urn, which constitutes the bowl. This urn-shaped bowl

is two inches in diameter, with ornamented rim,'.,and

unique handles.

:

The countenance of the figure, is clearly not Indian

in a single feature. The head is thrown back, and the

uplifted eyes seem resting upon some superior, unseen,

yet adorable divinity. The chiselled hair upon the

front, is gathered upon the top in a fo|ld; and thence

flowing backwards, is- confined behind in a knot. Ears

prominent.

The careful observer of this interesting specimen of

the handiwork of the Mound-Builders, cannot but ad

mire the skill with which it has been fashjoned.' Unique

in all its parts, there is that about this idol-pipe, which

impresses you with the idea, that it was intended a$ a

direct representatio.1 of a custom of offering jincense to

their Gods, which may, and probably did obtain with

that ancient race, which centuries ago possessed these

108

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

beautiful valleys. The upturned face,--the expression of reverential awe emphatically traced upon every linea ment of the countenance--the extended arms, uplifting the sacred symbol of worship,--all indicate the attempt to perpetuate, in the form of this article of daily use, the recollection, of perchance, a well-established reli
gious rite. Not more surely does the water lily remind of fallen
Persepolis, or the crisp acanthus, bespeak its Attic origin, than does this interesting specimen of the workmanship of the ancients, tell us at once of their skill, and of the religious rite of that people, by whom it was iashioned
and used. IL STONE PIPE, --four and one quarter inches in
height, similar in design to the first, but ruder in its
construction. J Human figure in sitting posture--upturned face -- extended arms -- in hands holding bowl of pipe. Idea conveyed, 'precisely the same as that suggested by the
pipe first described. HI. CLAY PIPES,--some perfectly plain, others with
rude impressions upon the outside, and scalloped rims. Probably of Indian origin. Bowl at right angles with the stem--some of baked, others of sun-dried clay.
IV. STONE IDOL. -- This interesting relic, made of a coarse, dark sand-stone, is twelve inches in height It consists of a human figure in a sitting posture, the knees drawn up, almost upon a level with the chin, the hands

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

109

resting upon either knee. Retreating chin and forehead

---full head of hair, gathered into a knot behind -- face

upturned--eyes angular. Not a single feature, not a

single idea connected with this image, is Indian in its

character. Everything about it--the place where it was

exhumed--its internal evidence--all suggest the belief,

that it must have been fashioned by the ancient Mound-

Builders. That this idol is not Indian in its origin, ;

appears evident from the following, among other con

siderations;

(a) The retreating forehead and chin,!

(5) The full head of hair, gathered into a tuft or knot

behind.

. ',

*

f

(c) The Indians of this region* never were- Idol-wor

shippers.

(d) The traditions of the Cherokees, while they do -

not even name the race by whom these remains were

constructed, nevertheless distinctly disclaim the idea,

that they were ever made by the Indians; and refer,

them to the possession of, and use by a people in ages

long since past, who inhabited these beautiful .valleys, .

and rich alluvial bottoms, building here their immense

tumuli for the purposes of worship and defense, and '

who had deserted these regions, befpre ever the Chero

kees chanced upon an occupancy of them. .

It is an interesting fact, that the Cherokees never were

Idol-worshippers. The same remark is applicable to '

nearly all the Tribes of North America. Recognizing

E.C - .%------I

110

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

the existence, and the omnipresence of an unseen yet omnipotent Deity, they did not deem it consistent with the magnitude and grandeur of that God, to attempt to confine him within rude temples, the work of their own hands; nor did it comport with their exalted ideas of his majestic being, and the proper homage to be ren dered, that they should liken his image to that of man, beast, bird, or Jiving creature, and bow before the sense less clay or stone. With them, the great, beneficent, supreme, holy spirit of Fire, although residing above the clouds, still communed with unpolluted men. They heard his tones of anger, in the crashing notes of the thunder-storm; listened to his tender words of love and mercy, as whispered by the soft airs of spring; implored his health-giving influences in behalf of the disease stricken and the infirm; from Him, directly invoked the refreshing showers of summer upon the thirsty fields of maize; by daily fastings, and night watches, endeav ored to secure His interposition in their behalf, in the anticipated battle, and looked up to Him as the sole author of warmth, light, and of all animal and vegeta ble life.
*
James Adair, whose opportunities for observation were probably surpassed by none, writes as follows :* " They (i. e^ the Indians) do not pay the least perceiv able adoration to any images, or to dead persons; neith-

* Aduir's History of the American Indiana, pp. 19 and 22.

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

Ill

er to the celestial luminaries, nor evil spirits, nor any

created being whatever. They are utter strangers to all .

the gestures practiced by the Pagans in their religious

rites. They kiss no idols, nor if they were placed but

.

of their reach, would they kiss their hands, in token of

reverence, and a willing obedience/'

.

-.''

Again: "They pay no religious worship to stocks. '

or stones, after the manner of the old eastern Pagans;

neither do they worship any kind of images whatso-' '

ever."

Speaking of the Cherokees, William Bartram says :.*-.

"These Indians are by no means idolaters, unless their

puffing the tobacco smoke towards the sun, and rejoic-'

ing at the appearance of the new moon, may be termed

so. So far from idolatry are they, that they have no im-

ages amongst them, nor any religious rite or ceremony

that I could perceive; but adore\the Great Spirit, the

giver and taker away of the breath of life, with the "

most profound and respectful homage. They believe in

a future state, where the spirit exists, which they call the

world of spirits, where they enjoy different degrees of '

traoquility or comfort, agreeably to their life spent

here; a person who in his life has been an industrious

hunter, provided well for his family, an intrepid and

active warrior, just, upright, and has done all the good

he could, will, they say, in the world of,spirits, live in

.<

.

..

.

*.

'

.,

/

'.

j

'. '

'!

-. "

..

-

.



.

' / ' * Bartram'i Travels, pp. 49fi, 496.

.- ;

.

;.

112

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

a warm, pleasant country, where are expansive, green, flowery savannas, and high forests, watered with rivers of pure waters, replenished with deer, and every species of game -- a serene, unclouded and peaceful sky; in short--: where there is fullness of pleasure, uninter rupted."
With such testimony, supported as it is by strong cor roborating proofs, and the concurrent recorded observa tions of others, which might be adduced, were it neces sary--from the well ascertained traditions of the Cherokees themselves* to the effect, that they were en tirely ignorant of the race by which, and of the pur poses for which these tumuli were raised, these relics, found within and around them, made--that they were all in the same condition in which they now appear, when their forefathers, arriving from the West, pos sessed themselves of the country--having first van quished the nations of red man who then inhabited it, who themselves found these mounds and other remains when they first occupied this region--the former pos sessors of the soil, handing down the same tradition with respect to these monumental remains--from the inter nal evidence of the Idol itself, as in< licated more partic ularly by its posture--the method in which the hair upon the head is disposed -- by the retreating forehead and chin, and by every feature and expression of the

See Tfrols of William Butrmm, pp. 266, 266.

f

"=

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

118

countenance,--the conclusion becomes irresistible, that

this remain is to be referred directly to the Mound-Build

ers, and should not be regarded in any respect as an

Indian relic.



;

Although robbed of that sanctity and veneration,

which the superstition and ignorance of the past had

thrown around it, this rude image is still possessed of

no ordinary interest and.1 historic attraction. -A small

stone idol out-lives, not only the generation by whom it

was fashioned and elevated to the dignity of a God, but

survives the rise and fall of many nations-; still preserv

ing those characteristics of form and expression, which

were at first traced by the hand of semi-civilized art,

upon the shapeless stone; still confirming the past exis

tence of a people, whose name and origin can only be

conjectured, whose history is here perpetuated only by,

a few scattered organic remains, which have escaped the

ravages of time, and lie uncrushed by the advancing

tread of civilization.

The religious festivals celebrated in its honor, are n$

longer renewed. The sacred chant, yean ago died out

amid the solitudes of these forests. The worshippers -.

themselves, nameless and forgotten, are seen no more;

and this idol, once the object of so much regard, oboe '!<
invested with such god-like attributes, neglected by

those in whose behalf its magic power and protection

had been so often, and so humbly invoked, has lain for T

centuries, uncared for and alone, in the damp, dark

15

.

114

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

shades of the woods, -- exposed to the merciless influ ences of the storm -- covered by the fallen leaves of Autumn --the stool of the toad -- trod upon by the wild animal in its daily pasture, and exciting only a
/
momentary curiosity in the breast of the savage hunter, as perchance, in after years, his unguarded footstep re moved the decaying mould which gathered about it.
Awakened at length from its sleep of ages, by the industrious plough-share of the husbandman, it stands now amid a new race, in a new civilization, shorn it is true of its original attractions, but dear to the student of antiquity -- a precious relic, -- a connectirig link be tween the present, and an almost unknown past -- a striking commentary upon the fading memory of man, a sad proof of the lamentable ignorance, and supersti tion, which must have characterized the people, who invested its dull, cold, inanimate form, with the essence and the attributes of Deity.
V. STONE PLATE. -- This unusual remain is circular in form, with a diameter of eleven inches and a half; scalloped edges, two circular depressed rings, between scalloped edge and central portion of the plate. The centra] portion has been hollowed out to the depth of the eighth of one inch -- diameter of this central hol lowed portion eight inches -- thus leaving a margin, or rim on the outside, of the uniform width of a little less than two inches. Thickness of plate, one inch and a quarter. The stone of which this plate is made, is of a

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

115

sea-green color -- close in its texture, and appears some-'

what discolored by dark ted spots. "Weight-- neatly

seven pounds.

.

The use of this relic can only be conjectured.- It

"appears improbable that it was ever employed as an

article for domestic or culinary purposes. Its weight,

the care bestowed upon its construction, and the length.

of time necessarily consumed in its manufacture, seem-'

ingly preclude the idea, that it was intended simply.as"

an ordinary plate, from which the daily meal should be'

'eaten. We incline to the belief, that this was a conse

crated vessel, in which was exposed the food placed by

the Mound-Builders before their idols.

This unique specimen, excites in the mind of the anti

quary, no ordinary interest. No remain of this, char

acter has ever, that we are a'ware, been found or

described. Perfect in all its' parts, it is in its present

coitdition almost wholly unchanged from that, in which

it first came from the hand of its maken The stains -of

centuries are upon it.

VI. SHELL ORNAMENT.--Five and ; a quarter inches

in length; and four and a half inches in wjidth ovoi-

dal in form; various designs chased on both the inner

and outer side; numerous apertures cut -- some circu-'

lar, others elliptical. It was probably worn as an orna

ment, suspended from the neck. The impressions cut

upon this shell, appear to indicate the fancy and taste of

the artist, rather than any positive attempt at represen-

116

IfONUXKNTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

tation of any particular object or thing. The carved lines may be hieroglyphical, but who at this day, will reveal their hidden meaning ?
This specimen has lain for so many years subjected to the vicissitudes of climate, that it has been almost con verted into a chalky condition." These shell ornaments, and domestic utensils formed of this material, have been exhumed and found in many portions of our country.
Upon the sea-coast, the muscle, oyster, and clam shells, were used as coverings for the sepulchral mounds. In some instances, as in the case of that large tumulus upon Stalling's Island, in the Savannah River, the bi valves and other shells of the stream, enter as a very important element into the construction of the mound.
Among the articles of antiquity found in the ancient works, which formerly existed where the city of Cincin nati now stands, Dr. Drake enumerates several large marine shells, belonging perhaps to the genus buccinum, cut in such a manner as to serve for domestic utensils.
Other shells have been exhumed, which are supposed by some to be similar to the sacred chanka of the Hin dus. It is a well ascertained fact, that some tribes of the American Indians, used sea shells as drinking cups. These were not unfrequently buried with the dead, in order that they might, in connection with their other utensils, serve them in the land of spirits.

* SM entrant's Travel! pp. 450. 451.

MONUMENTAL RWCAINS OF GEORGIA.

117

William Bartram * minutely describes the ceremony r of imbibing the Hack-drink from conch shells--a custom

which obtained among the Creeks.

James Adair* also alludes to a similar use of that

shell, when the Indians, with set formalities, and estab

lished solemnities, drink an infusion of cussena, '

Dr. Atwater mentions the fact, tnat nine murex shells, :

similar to those described by Sir William Jones in his

"Asiatic Researches," and by Symmes in bis "Embassy

to Ava," have been found within twenty miles of Lex-

ington, Kentucky, in an ancient work. Their compo

nent parts remain unchanged, and they were in an excel

lent state of preservation.

'.*

Of the thicker portions of the muscle shells, beads

were fashioned; while from periwinkles and small conch -

shells, were formed ornaments for the wrists and ankles.

These remains abound in the smaller tumuli, in the

graves and burial places which exist in many localities -in

the valleys of the Etowah and the Oostanaula, and else

where. The present specimen however, appears to have

been made from a shell much larger than any that now .

exists in this region. It was formed simply of the cen

tral portion, and is slightly convex.

We are enabled upon an examination of this relic,,

readily to conjecture, not only the size of the shell in its

original condition, but als&aUtssoojjjgin/.and the

\J

* SM Adairt Htatory, fat, p. 48.

118

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OP GEORGIA.

seems both reasonable and necessary, tor ascribe to it a

marine character.

Specimens of a similar nature have been recently ex

humed, in an ancient mound located at the head of the.

Coosa Kiver, and within the corporate limits of the yil-

lage of Romej in Floyd' County. We are inclined to

refer this relic to the handiwork, and to the era of the

Mound-Builders.

VII. FRAGMENTS OF ISINGLASS (mica membranacea.)

Of this material, the Mound-Builders constructed their

looking glasses. Dr. Atwater states, that within his own

knowledge, he has met with them in fifty places. Be

sides the large and very elegant one at Circleville, and

the fragments at Cincinnati, he found more or less of

these mirrors in all the mounds which have been opened

in the valleys of the Ohio, Mississippi, &c. They were

common among that people, and answered very well

the purpose for which they were intended. These mir

rors were very thick, as otherwise they would not have

reflected the light.*

J

'

' I-

The Isinglass mirror -- the most remarkable as yet

discovered, -- found at Circleville, in the Scioto Valley,

twenty-six miles south of Columbus, is described as

being about three feet in length -- one foot and a half

in breadth -- and one inch and a half in thickness --

and on it, a plate of iron which had become an oxyde.f

* See Ardueologia Americana, YoL I, p. 225. fSee Arctookgi* Americana, Vol. I, p. 173.

J .- .

MONUMENTAL REMAINS OF GEORGIA.

119

The present specimens, although in the main devoid

of regularity of form, nevertheless indicate an inten

tional and not an accidental origin. One in particular,

was found upon the very summit of the largest tumufus.

VIII. STONE PESTLES.

IX. NUMEROUS FRAGMENTS OF POTTERY.

_

*

X. HEAD AND NECK OF BIRD, two inches and a

i half in length prominent eyes with a comb upon

; the top of the head, not^unlike that of a cock. This

specimen of clay is of very fine texture baked.

XI. VARIOUS LITTLE IMAGES of sun-dried and

baked clay some representing the human figure, with

distorted expression, and extravagant features; others

in imitation of the heads of birds and wild animals.

%Wlen it is remembered that these remains were found

simply upon th surface of the tumuli, and in the fields

around their base, we may, with eager expectation, am

ticipate the Tevelations which shall be brought to light,

when the Herculean task of exploring them even to

their very centres, shall have been undertaken and suc

cessfully accomplished.

Vi