- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Letter] 1797 Mar. 5, Knoxville, [Tennessee to] John Watts and other cheifs [sic] of the Cherokee Nation / J[ohn] Sevier
- Creator:
- Tennessee. Governor (1796-1801 : Sevier)
- Publisher:
- Manuscript held by the Special Collections Library, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, Governor Sevier, box 1, folder 3, document tl036.
- Date of Original:
- 1797-03-05
- Subject:
- Cherokee Indians--Government relations
Cherokee Indians--Claims against - Location:
- United States, Tennessee, 35.75035, -86.25027
- Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This is a letter, dated March 5, 1797, written by Tennessee Governor John Sevier (1796-1801, 1803-1809) and addressed to John Watts and other chiefs of the Cherokee Nation. The letter was written in response to a letter from the Cherokee leaders in which they apparently denied any wrongdoing on the part of the Indians. Sevier contends that Cherokees have been killing white settlers and plundering their property, and he argues that it is in the best interest of the Cherokee Nation to halt such acts or war is likely to result. He also denies that his preceding communications were threatening in nature and further states that he hopes for peace between the whites and Indians.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries in 2001, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- gs036
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_gs036
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_gs036#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_gs036/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Governor Sevier, Special Collections Library, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 4 pages/leaves
- Holding Institution:
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
No. [Number] 4
1797
Recorded
Letter to the Indian chiefs
1797
Knoxville
5 March 1797
Brother
Your letter of the
4th came to hand to day [today], in which You Say that your people have done no damage on either the [deleted text: property ] person or property of [deleted text: any ] [added text: the ] whites. [deleted text: Man ] I wish this was the case, and I make no doubt [deleted text: but ] you think so, but you may be sure, several is killed one in powels Valley by a fellow called Dick, [added text: can talk some english, ] [deleted text: who ] has hunted there [deleted text: and was ], and is well known [added text: by the people ] ; [deleted text: can talk some english, ] I mention this that You may know the person, -- there has also been a great Many horses taken from cumberland and one Man killed And Another Wounded, [deleted text: there ] And yesterday another Was killed and scaulped [scalped] on little pigion about thirty miles from this place, [deleted text: this ]
This conduct my brother has a bad appearance and as I told you before will be attended with disagreable [disagreeable] events Should your people be so foolish And unwise Not to decline Such practices.
You mention that I wrote you in a threatning [threatening] Manner, but my brother if you listen to the Words of my letter, there is no threats [added text: in it ], I have only spoken to you the [added text: language of ] truth, and the fatal consequences, that Must attend your Nation, should you be so imprudent As to again go to War -- I dont nor never did
Page: 2d
Speak to you with a false toungue [tongue], nor do I wish your people to be treated ill, but on the contrary that they may live in peace and safety and raise their children in Quietude
I know very well, that some of [deleted text: our ] [added text: the white ] people are bad men and have been guilty of a horrid Crime in killing the red bird and Will, and [deleted text: I expect that ] when ever [whenever] they can be taken they [deleted text: will ] [added text: shall ] suffer for it, one of them has run away and the other as yet is not taken; as I told you in my last I tell you in this, that the innocent ought not to suffer for the guilty, neither ought your people to take Any Satisfaction until you had first made your complaint And stated your sufferings. It is impossible for me to know when damage is done to your people without you inform me; and your own good sense will point out to you that A Murderor [Murderer] seldom ever discovers upon himself, which I Suppose is the reason why your people denies they have done any Mischeife [Mischief]
You say you have been a long Journey and While at philadelphia received very different talks from that of mine; and say that I say you are but a handful of people and in consequence of our superior [added text: ity ] in Numbers [added text: Suppose ] we have aright [a right] to do as we please -- I deny saying we had aright [a right] to do as we please [added text: & ] on any such a supposition, neither is there any such a word in any letter
Page: 3
it is true I said you were only a handful of people, which is the truth and I also advised you of the danger of going to war ; If the people at philadelphia have told you that you [deleted text: were ] [added text: are ] a Numerous and strong people, and that you ought to go to War and kill your white brothers, they have not told you that which is true, nor that which would be for your good and the interest of your nation [added text: was you to take such advice ] . [deleted text: I spok ] what I said in my letter was to convince your nation of their danger and the Great evils that always attend a war, and the distressing condition your people would be in, Should Such a thing take place -- [deleted text: You say that ] you Wish I would talk to My people and tell them not to cross the River Tennessee or to survey your land -- I have often told them that, neither do I wish or intend any such thing should be done. But you know I am agreat [a great] Way from that place, and cant See what every foolish Man is doing, I expected that the gaurds [guards] at Tellico, [deleted text: and your own ] would stop such people from Crossing Over, and I Suppose, [added text: they ] Would was they to see them, but neither them nor myself can see the transaction of every bad man, no More, then [than] you can your people, who come over on our side And kill our people and steal our horses.
Now brother I hope I have Said enough to convince You, that I dont Wish our people and yours to [deleted text: go ] enter into War against each other, and I hearby [hereby] declare that
Page: 4
I wish to have peace and friendship subsisting between the two Nations, and shall with all my heart and strength do every thing [everything] in my power to promote the same -- I hope You will [deleted text: do the same and ] [added text: also ] endeavor to keep your people Within the bounds of reason; and let us try to prevent Any further effusion of blood. I wish us to live friendly and bury all Anemosities [Animosities] deep in the earth, If you have complaints, the government will redress them, and you know they are taking measures to effect the same, but if your people will undertake contrary to the [deleted text: treaty ] Articles of the treaty to redress themselves, you cant expect the government will do it -- I request that you will make enquiry into the murder lately done on pigion; and if [deleted text: You can ] [added text: possible ] have [deleted text: them ] [added text: the murderors [murderers] ] punished agreably [agreeably] to the Articles of Treaty. -- your people could have no [unclear text: color ] of excuse for committing Any depredations on that Quarter for they are not on lands claimed by your Nation, Neither have they interupted [interrupted] Any of your people --
I hope to have an answer from you as soon as possible
Your friend
[Signed] J. [John] Sevier
John Watts and other Cheifs [Chiefs] of the Cherokee Nation