- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Statement relative to] Creek Agent D[avid] B. Mitchell [and the smuggling of] African Negroes at the Creek Agency
- Date of Original:
- 1766/1837
- Subject:
- Smuggling
Misconduct in office
Indian agents
Slave trade
Mitchell, David Brydie, 1766-1837 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- legal documents
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- Undated and incomplete copy of a statement by an unnamed witness concerning General David B. Mitchell's participation in African slave smuggling in early 1818 during his tenure as U.S. Agent to the Creek Indians (1817-1821). The witness, who was ordered by Colonel David Brearly to observe the movements of a group of slaves brought to Mitchell's plantation by Captain William Bowen, reports that Mr. Gross, a partner in an Augusta firm, met with Mitchell and Bowen and took many of the slaves. He further states that a Mr. McIntosh of Darien, Georgia, arrived at the Creek Agency in the beginning of February, taking Gross and the aforementioned slaves into custody. The witness says that he assisted McIntosh in locating the remaining Africans who had been secreted in the forest by Mitchell's son William. He goes on to speculate about the nature of Mitchell and Bowen's relationship. (Mitchell's illegal trade in slaves during his agential service was made public in a report by U.S. Attorney General William Wirt, and he was subsequently dismissed by Secretary of War John C. Calhoun in 1821. Mitchell was the Governor of Georgia from 1809-1813 and 1815-1817.)
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2001, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- krc123
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_krc123
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_krc123#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_krc123/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Keith Read, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 2 pages/leaves
- Original Collection:
- Manuscript held by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, Keith Read, box 18, folder 37, document 01.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
(Copy)
On the
26 Jany [January] 1818 I received an order from Col Brearly of the 7th Regt. [Regiment] to watch the movements of a gang of African Negroes brought to the plantation of Genl D. [General David] B. Mitchell Creek Agent by William Bowen of Georgia, and if it indicated a removal to a distant state or Territory to take charge of them until his arrival at the Creek Agency or until they were removed by proper authority. On or about the
27 Jany [January] 1818 a Mr Gross of the house of A Irvin, Gross & Co. of Augusta Georgia arrived at the Creek Agency during his stay I observed him frequently in close conversation with Genl [General] Mitchell and Mr Bowen, I think it was on the Second day of his arrival I observed a part of the African Negroes consisting of about forty or fifty cross the flint river into the Creek Nation. I immediately called on Genl [General] Mitchell and informed him of the instructions I had received from Col Brearly, he stated that the negroes were removed by proper authority and that Mr Gross had given bonds & security for to place them beyond the limits of the U. States. There still remained in the houses and on the plantation of the Creek Agency about forty African Negroes.
On or about the
3d of feby. [february] 1818 Mr [unclear text: Qeen ] McIntosh Surveyor of the part and Inspector of the revenue of Darrian arrived at the Creek Agency on his way to
Page: [2]
libel the African negroes then in possession of Mr Gross and at the agency, on the
9th of feby [february] he returned with the said Gross and negroes in custody. Col Brearly was then at the Agency and gave me a verbal order [added text: to ] assist Mr McIntosh to discover the remainder of the negroes. Several days previous to this I had observed about fifteen African Negroes (the choicest of them brought to the agency by Bowen) building huts and clearing land at the agency the plantation of Genl [General] Mitchell -- On the night of Mr McIntosh's arrival these fifteen were removed and secreted in the woods by Willm [William] B Mitchell Assistant agent. On the morning of the
10th or
11th feby [february] I pointed out to Mr McIntosh fifteen African Negros, also the fifteen that Willm [William] B Mitchell had hid in the woods, that day Willm [William] B Mitchell delivered to Mr McIntosh eight or ten more, during this period from the
9th to the
13 feby [february] frequent expresses passed between the Creek Agent then at or near Milledgeville Georgia and his son Willm [William] B Mitchell Assistant Agent.
How or in what manner Mr Bowen was connected with the Creek agent Genl [General] Mitchell it is not in my power to state. I have heard Mr Bowen say that he had received some time in
1817 ten thousand dollars from Genl [General] Mitchell for the purpose of purchasing goods for the Creek Indians, goods said to amount to [page(s) missing]