- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- Talk of the Fat King to Governor [George] Mathews [and] the Council, 1787 July 27, Cussitah [i.e. Cusseta, Creek Nation] / [signed] by A[lexander] McGillivray. Letter, 1787 Aug. 1 [? to the Governor of Georgia, George Mathews ?] / Timothy Barnard
- Creator:
- Fat King
- Contributor to Resource:
- Barnard, Timothy, 1756-1847
- Date of Original:
- 1787-07-27/1787-08-01
- Subject:
- Creek Indians--Government relations
Creek Indians--Treaties
Creek Indians--Violence against
Georgia--Politics and government--1775-1865
McGillivray, Alexander, ca. 1740-1793 - Location:
- United States, Alabama, 32.75041, -86.75026
United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018 - Medium:
- speeches
letters (correspondence) - Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This document contains both a talk by the Fat King, which is dated July 27, 1787 and signed by Creek leader Alexander McGillivray, and a letter from Timothy Barnard, both of which are directed to George Mathews (Governor of Georgia, 1787-1788). The Fat King's talk is a response to the state's talk sent by assistant agent Timothy Barnard. The Fat King says that it is the State of Georgia, not the Creek Nation, that has violated the Treaty of Shoulderbone of 1786. He says that the Georgians have acted rashly against his people by seeking revenge for unspecified damages inflicted by a few of the Upper Creeks and maintains that neither he nor Alexander McGillivray had anything to do with the recent depredations. He calls for the lives of twelve Georgians to make up for the twelve of his own people who were murdered by the Georgians. Timothy Barnard's letter explains that neither he nor (John ?) Galphin could deliver this talk of the Fat King in person. He reports that Alexander McGillivray has been able to keep the Indians from seeking revenge on the whites for the twelve men who were murdered, and he says that McGillivray would like to avoid war with Georgia. He says that no war parties have gone out yet, but he warns the Georgians to remain on their guard. Barnard urges the governor to send up a talk to the Creeks as soon as possible to help discourage any attempts to seek revenge.
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:
- tcc906
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc906
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc906#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc906/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 06.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
In a meeting of the Lower Creeks held in the Cussitahs
27 July 1787
Talk of the Fat King to His Honor Governor Mathews & the Council &c [et cetera]
Friends & Brothers
The talk you Sent us in answer to my by your Commi [document damaged: ssa ] ry Mr. Barnard. we have Seen this day and as that Talk is not deemd [deemed] Satisfactory by our people we have agreed upon to Send you this one more --
Friends [document damaged] tis not we that have forgot the Talks at Shoulder bone but you. among other things it was proposed by you & agreed to by us that no hasty revenges Shoud [Should] be taken in [unclear text: future ] by either Side & in the late affair tis you that have been rash for when the Injury was done to you. You did not wait but for a little while & look around you to find out from whence the blow came. (but fell directly upon one people. Your real freinds [friends] who were daily among your houses & whose persons you well knew & Some that were taken declared themselves & Town to you, which you disregarded.) it might have been [added text: from ] people of another Nation for what you knew at the time. --
Friends
You ought not to think of making us accountable for any measures of the upper Towns our brothers. they had two men killed last Summer, they can answer for themselves & they went against you unknown to McG. [McGillivray] or us & he did not mean to break the promise he made to Mr. White as he had declared to the whole Nation & a talk from him is Still expected by us.
Friends
You must give us Immediate & ample Satisfaction life for life an equal number for twelve of our people destroyed by you The leader of those mad people that did the mischief & So many of his people Shoud [Should] fall for Satisfaction. (tis our Custom so [added text: to ] give it.) then then [then] tears of the relations of the dead will be dried up & our hearts be not [added text: [unclear text: continue ] ] [unclear text: hot ] against you.
Page: [2]
for tis in Vain that you call us friends & brothers & not Consider & treat us as Such & as you wish the chain of freindships [friendships] to [document damaged: be ] kept bright between us. we expect that you will not fail to give us the desired Satisfaction as we Shoud [Should] have given to you had we been in fault.
when you do this you will then Send a Gentleman into our land to renew freindships [friendships] as we have often gone into yours for [document damaged: s ] uch purposes [deleted text: before now ]
by
[Signed] A [Alexander] McGillivray
in twenty days from the day that [deleted text: the messenger ] [added text: Mr. Galphin ] Sets out we Shall expect the return of Mr. Galphin --
Mr. Galphin agreed to come down with this talk but altered his mind before the next morning as I had no horses to come myself was oblidge [obliged] to bye [buy] a horse and send my Own negroe [negro] with it as far as Ogeeche and have wrote to Mr Stephin Durezeaux that lives there to take us in to Augusta for his trouble have wrote him that he will be paid Six Silver dolars [dollars] or the value wich [which] I beg your honnour [honor] will be so good as see paid Should have come myself but was not able to ride oweing [owing] to a bad kick from a horse wile [while] in the town was hardley [hardly] able to ride oute [out] here I hope this Express will be dispatched back withoute [without] delay as I have but the one hand to assist me up here wich [which] I have sent down as all the rest [unclear text: ran off ] when Jarvis and Jones come up with there storeys [their stories] to the Indians wich [which] has been a very considerable loss to me Mr McG.y [McGillivray] has been very moderate in the presant [present] situation of matters and has taken a great deal of troubl [trouble] to keep the Indians from Goeing oute [Going out] Ever Since this affair hapned [happened]
Page: [3]
he Still w [document damaged: ish ] es to keep his promise With Mr White and by wh [document damaged: at ] I can desearn whants [discern wants] no war with Georgia if [document damaged: it ] can be avoided I am much affraid [afraid] if these fellow [document damaged] Should goe oute [go out] to take Satisfaction they wil [document damaged: l ] goe [go] to Great lengths as there is so many of difren [document damaged: t ] familyes [different families] killed wich [which] has relations in almost all parts of the nation I know of no partyes [parties] gone oute [out] yet and have all promised to lay Still till this answer returns but after I hope Every one that way will be on there gaurd [their guard] as as [as] th [document damaged: eir ] talk here fulley [fully] Express there senta [added text: men [document damaged: t ] ] [their sentiment] if they are to have no Satisfaction I hope by this express to be acquainted how matters are to be carried on in the presant [present] situation of affairs that was wich [which] if a war shall keep to myself and make the best of my way oute [out] of the nation to Georgia as it will not doe [do] for me to stay here too long [unclear text: as ] I am from that quarter if any answer comes up to the Indians shall take them into the town and Let them hear it. I hope there will be a talk sent to them at any rate as it will be necessary to send them an answer Less satisfaction than the men [document damaged] I am sensable [sensible] would moderate matters I conclud [document damaged: e ] with a beging [begging] a speedy return of this Express for my own safety
and remain you honnours [your honor's] most obdt. Sert [obedient Servant]
[Signed] Timy [Timothy] Barnard
Page: [4]
Letter
[deleted text: Timothy Barnett inclosing [enclosing] a Talk from the Fat King ]
1st August 1787
no. [number] 24
Mc.Gillivray's Talk --
1 Aug. [August] 1787 --
27 July 1787
Indian Affairs
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