_____________
THE OFFICIAL LETTERS
WHICH
PASSED BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND BRIG.-GEN. WILLIAM
IRVINE AND BETWEEN IRVINE AND OTHERS CON-
CERNING MILITARY AFFAIRS IN THE
WEST FROM 1781 TO 1783
ARRANGED AND ANNOTATED
WITH AN INTRODUCTION CONTAINING AN OUTLINE OF
EVENTS OCCURRING PREVIOUSLY IN THE
TRANS-ALLEGHANY COUNTRY
_____________
ILLUSTRATED
BY C. W. BUTTERFIELD
Author of "Crawford's Campaign against Sandusky," "History of
the Discovery of the Northwest by John Nicolet"
and other works
MADISON,
WIS.
DAVID ATWOOD
1882
Butterfield, C. W.
Washington-Irvine Correspondence
p. 188.
188 |
Washington-Irvine Correspondence. |
XXXII.- LINCOLN TO IRVINE.
|
WAR OFFICE, May 3, 1783. |
Sir:- Mr. [Ephraim] Douglass, who will have the honor of presenting this letter,1 is charged with a message to the Indian nations on the frontiers of the United States. You will be pleased to afford him every assistance which will contribute to render his mission speedy and effectual.2
1This letter was directed to Irwine at Fort Pitt although he was at
Carlisle. However, he soon left for Pittsburgh, reaching there previous to the
arrival of Douglass.
2 On a report of the secretary at war of the United States to congress on the 1st of May, 1783, to whom had been referred a letter from President Dickinson of the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania to the delegates of that state, covering one from General Irvine to him on the continuation of Indian hostilities in the vicinity of Fort Pitt, that body
"Resolved, That the secretary at war take the most effectual measures to inform the several Indian nations, on the frontiers of the United States, that preliminary articles of peace have been agreed on, and hostilities have ceased with Great Britain, and to communicate to them that the forts within the United States, and in possession of the British troops, will speedily be evacuated; intimating also that the United States are disposed to enter into friendly treaty with the different tribes; and to inform the hostile Indian nations, that unless they immediately cease all hostilities against the citizens of those states, and accept of these friendly proffers of peace, congress will take the most decided measures to compel them thereto.
"Ordered, That the secretary at war transmit the proceedings of congress herein, with copies of President Dickinson's and General Irvine's letters, to the commander-in-chief and to the commissioners for Indian affairs in the northern department."
The secretary at war appointed Ephraim Douglass, a prominent citizen of the western department, a resident of Westmoreland county (of that part which soon became Fayette), to visit the western tribes under the foregoing resolution; and issued to him early in May, 1783, proper instructions for his guidance in the performance of his duties. He also wrote the above letter to be presented to the officer commanding at Fort Pitt. For further information as to his visit, see Appendix M,- Douglass to Irvine, June 7 and July 6, 1782(?-illeg).
Continue to
Dft. Ex. 137.
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