- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Letter] 1786 Nov. 28, Tuckabatches, [Creek Nation to] John Habersham, Augusta, Georgia / Alex[ande]r McGillivray
- Creator:
- McGillivray, Alexander, ca. 1740-1793
- Date of Original:
- 1786-11-28
- Subject:
- Creek Indians--Government relations
Creek Indians--Treaties
Creek Indians--Land tenure
Creek Indians--Politics and government
Indian land transfers
Georgia--Politics and government--1775-1865 - Location:
- United States, Alabama, 32.75041, -86.75026
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018 - Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This is a letter dated November 28, 1786 from Creek leader Alexander McGillivray to John Habersham, chairman of the commissioners for Indian Affairs in Georgia. McGillivray reports that John Galphin, a mixed blood Creek who served as an interpreter and a liaison between the Creeks and the state of Georgia, and Daniel McMurphy, a Creek agent for the state of Georgia, have arrived in Tuckabatche(e) (also Tuckabatchie) requesting a meeting with the Creek chiefs in order to read them a talk from the governor's board of commissioners. McGillivray complains that McMurphy has not given him a copy of the talk but says that Galphin has informed him of the substance of the talk. He maintains that the Indians do not owe the state anything as they have not breached any treaties, and he warns the state to give up its claims for satisfaction in the form of property or risk renewed bloodshed. McGillivray indicates that he plans to call a convention of the Upper and Lower Creeks for the following April and that John Galphin should plan to attend and deliver a talk that is agreeable to the wishes McGillivray has expressed on behalf of the chiefs.
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:
- tcc905
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc905
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc905#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc905/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 80, folder 05, document 05.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
Tuckebatches
28. November 1786
Sir
Messrs. [Misters] Galphin & McMurphy arrived a few days Since & notified to me that they came up for the purpose of calling a meeting of the chiefs to deliver them a Talk from your Honorable board, but in which they have not Succeeded owing to the chiefs being principally gone out a hunting. In the mean time I Shoud [Should] have been glad to have been favord [favored] with a Copy of the Talk from your agent Mr. McMurphy but as usual he keeps aloof. but Mr. Galphin is now here & I have learnd [learned] from him the Substance of the Talk. as I wish for nothing more than to meet & assist your endeavours [endeavors] toward Concluding a peace upon a permanent basis. I take the talk in question to [added text: be ] very Ill Calculated to bring about that desireable [desirable] purpose. the demands for Satisfaction are ill timed in the present disposition of the Nation the Indians have Some Idea of Treaties. they Say that where any are subsisting & have been violated Satisfaction has been demanded & given --
Page: [2]
but they Insist that none were ever formally agreed upon & entered into both the States Since the peace. that by their customs no acts of a few or part can or does bend the whole therefore they do not Consider what is past last Spring as any breach of treaty. but rather as in defence [defense] of their Just Rights.
my opinion is that these demands for Satisfaction & property ought to be absolutely abandond [abandoned] & given up. the men whom these demands affect are leaders of the first distinction & their freinds [friends] now in their absence loudly declare that if it is persisted in they will Swell the list of your killed tenfold. better to die like men Seeking revenge than at home like dogs. Indeed in a fall meeting. I Shoudnt [Shouldn't] chose [choose] to be present at Such a demand as I think the agent that woud [would] be hardy enough to make it woud [would] Suffer. --
Upon the whole to bring matters to the Issue that you wish tis necessary that moderate measures be adopted & a general oblivion of what is past & assuming a freindly Stile [friendly Style] in treating will do more than force. they may be led but will not be drove. -- a Satisfactory boundary & limits may be obtaind [obtained] in a freindly [friendly] manner. --
In
April next tis my Intention to call a general Convention in the Lower & Upper Creeks before which I Shall expect Mr. Galphin up with a Talk agreeable to the thoughts I have thrown together. when
Page: [3]
he shall receive all the assistance in my power.
I have the honor to be with great regard Sir Your Most Obed' Servt [Obedient Servant]
[Signed] Alexr. [Alexander] McGillivray
Hon: [Honorable] John Habersham Esqr [Esquire] Chairman of Commissioners for Indian Affairs. Georgia
Page: [4]
Honorable John Habersham Esqr [Esquire] Chairman of the board of Commissioners for Indian Affairs State of Georgia Augusta
by Mr. Galphin
A McG [Alexander McGillivray]
No. [Number] 40
McGillivray --
1786 --
Copied
Indian Affairs
Burke Committee
Oconee Lands
Mr Habersham
Mr. Taliaferro
Mr. Jno. [John] Jones
Mr. Irwin
Mr. King.
[illegible text] King [illegible text]
main
[deleted text: King ]
[deleted text: [unclear text: Rose ] [illegible text] ]