- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Letter], 1826 May 29, Washington [to] James Barbour, Sec[retar]y of War / John Forsyth
- Creator:
- Forsyth, John, 1780-1841
- Date of Original:
- 1826-05-29
- Subject:
- Indians, Treatment of
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- Letter dated May 29, 1826 from John Forsyth, a Senator from Georgia, to James Barbour, United States Secretary of War, in which Forsyth discusses charges that two separate parties of Creek Indians received unequal treatment. Forsyth outlines the basis of the charge and puts forth evidence showing that much less was spent on the McIntosh party than on the other party (led by Creek Agent John Crowell ?) and that there were also dubious expenditures.
Digital image of original manuscript, scanned by the University of Georgia Libraries in 2000, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- jfp001
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_jfp001
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_jfp001#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_jfp001/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], John Forsyth Papers, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 4 pages/leaves
- Original Collection:
- Manuscript held by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, John Forsyth Papers, box MS477, folder N/A, document 01.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
[unclear text: (Washington ]
[unclear text: May 29 ] 1826
Hon James Barbour
Secy [Secretary] of War
Sir
[unclear text: Col ] Tatnall has permitted me to see your letter to him [unclear text: of the [deleted text: 18th ] inst. [instant] ] in which you [unclear text: assume ] that the Dept. has been charged on the floor of Congress with [unclear text: pampering ] one party of the Creek Indians with [unclear text: Champaigne ] & treating the other [unclear text: perniciously & in ] which you alledge [allege] that the same allowance was made for both parties [unclear text: 29. Dols [Dollars] ] per head for [unclear text: board ] ; [unclear text: & nothing ] beyond that for [unclear text: indulgences ] paid for [unclear text: either ] . In [unclear text: your ] anxiety to defend the dept. you have over looked the [unclear text: indelicacy ] of alluding in a letter to one of my Colleagues to [unclear text: charges assumed ] to have been by me (the [unclear text: only person ] who [unclear text: spoke of the difference ] in the treatment of the Two parties) in the H. of Rep [House of Representatives] To give you a fair occasion to do what [unclear text: you seem ] anxious to do, permit me to present to you the [unclear text: charge ] as made. nothing was said about a [unclear text: pernicious ] treatment of the McIntosh party. The [unclear text: Champagne ] was only [added text: mentioned as an ] item [unclear text: of vile ] & [unclear text: shameful expenditure ], stated to have been furnished [unclear text: & paid for ]
Page: [2]
[unclear text: on ] authority I could not doubt. [unclear text: In ] your statement it would seem that the payment for it is [unclear text: disputed ] in the Dept. I do not see why [unclear text: the ] [added text: [illegible text] ] [unclear text: should ] [deleted text: not ] have been paid as well as other [added text: [unclear text: parts ] ] of a similar [unclear text: accounts ] . [deleted text: [illegible text] ]
The charge of partial treatment was [unclear text: general ] [unclear text: intended ] to cover the whole ground of the [unclear text: conduct of the Dept. ] to the contending parties in the Creek Tribe from the appointment of Genl [General] Gaines & of Andrews (I think that is the name) to go into the Creek Nation. After [unclear text: referring ] to the accounts of money already paid for the Creeks in the 2nd auditors office copies which I have seen, you will find it difficult to reconcile it to yourself to a [unclear text: denial ] of the general charge, even if confined to the to the conduct of the dept. in Washington; & altogether impracticable to reconcile such [unclear text: denial ] to the fact that the [illegible text] party have had [unclear text: expended for them more than double the money spent for the McIntosh. ] The first exceeds $12000 the second is less than 6000 Dols. [Dollars] In the article of clothing [unclear text: the ] gifts to the McIntosh party cost $331. the gifts to the [unclear text: Crowel ] party of Clothes [added text: amounts to ] [deleted text: is ] between 2 & 3000 independent of the 652. Dols [Dollars] paid to gratify the [unclear text: savage vanity of ]
Page: [3]
the [unclear text: latter ] for their [unclear text: portraits ] .
In his [illegible text] haste
[Signed] John Forsyth
Page: [4]
Communications
August [illegible text] 1826
Hon James Barbour Secy [Secretary] of War Dept.