- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Letter with deposition] 1790 Nov. 22, State House Augusta, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives / Edward Telfair
- Creator:
- Telfair, Edward, ca. 1735-1807
- Date of Original:
- 1790-11-22
- Subject:
- Creek Indians--Treaties
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- official reports
depositions - Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This document is a letter, dated November 22, 1790, from Georgia Governor Edward Telfair (1786-1787) to the State Senate and House of Representatives, which includes the deposition of John Bradshaw, who had traveled into the Creek Nation in search of some stolen horses. Bradshaw visited Coweta Town and the Tuckabatchies and also met with Alexander McGillivray, Creek Indian Chief. During his travel, he learned of the general attitude among the Creeks toward the recent Treaty of New York (1790) signed by McGillivray, which ceded Creek lands from the Altamaha River to the Oconee River (both in Georgia).
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:
- tcc096
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc096
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc096#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc096/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Telamon Cuyler, 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, Telamon Cuyler, box 77, folder 17, document 02.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
State House, Augusta,
22 Novr. [November] 1790
To the Honorable the President of the Senate and the honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Having received the deposition of John Bradshaw, (a person to whom I granted a passport to go into the Creek Nation in quest of horses stolen from his neighbourhood [neighborhood] ) in the words following
" Georgia Wilkes County} John Bradshaw [deleted text: came ] personally came before me, and being sworn on the holy Evangelists, deposeth, that he was one of the men chosen by Daniel W. Easly with three others / he having the Governors passport / to go to the Creek Nation. That they went on to the Coweta Town, at which place the Indians seemed very surly, morose and much displeased at seeing them. One of them asked how many white men were coming and where they were going, three several times."
Page: [2]
"That they continued on their way to the Tuckabatchies, and on the second night they were overtaken by five of the Chiefs and a whiteman on their way to the same place where was to be held a general talk, two days after, they encamped together, and the white man told them, that he had turned back a party of Indians that was following on from the Coweta Town to kill them. They continued on in Company with the said Chiefs & white man, to the Tuckabatchies, where they had a talk with McGillivray, who gave them very little satisfaction, signed their pass and advised them to return by another route than the one they came: They accordingly took a route higher up the Country and on the second night about midnight the Indians fired on them two different times; they were all asleep the first time, and don't know what number of guns fired, but there was but two fired the second time. One bullet struck one of the mens saddles within five inches of his head. That the Indians carried away their horses. The next day they continued their route on foot, and went to a town on the Chatahootchie, where one Paddy Daniel a white man resides. They were prevaild [prevailed] on by Daniel to leave two of their Company there, while he sent back
Page: [3]
after their horses, they did so, and an Indian was dispatched for that purpose, the two men stayed till his return, and he told them that the Indians who had their horses said they ought to be very well satisfied with geting [getting] off with [added text: their ] lives. The two men returned home on foot, the former three men got [deleted text: off ] horses from the said Paddy Danel to come home on."
"This deponent further saith [said], that Paddy Danel and the other white man told them that the Indians in general were very much disatisfied [dissatisfied] with the Treaty held at New York and also with McGillivray, paying very little respect to his authority, and declaring that Congress might do what they pleased with the Treaty, for that they intended to do as they pleased with it -- this they uttered in great contempt. They also told him and his company that they might expect to be killed before they got home, and also that the prisoners & property taken by the Indians would never be given up without a war."
"Sworn to before me this
13th Novr. [November] 1790"
[Signed] John Bradshaw
[Signed] Tho. C. Russell, [unclear text: J.P. [Justice of Peace] ]
Page: [4]
I have thought proper to communicate the same.
[Signed] Edwd. [Edward] Telfair
A Message from the Governor the
22nd Novr. [November] 1790
recd. [received] read & ordered to lie on the table. --