THE OHIO VALLEY-GREAT LAKES ETHNOHISTORY
ARCHIVES: THE MIAMI COLLECTION
It is noted that the following work from the Miami Archives should be read and
considered within the historical context in which it was composed and printed.
The opinions expressed and the language used do not reflect the opinions or
standards of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, but are, rather,
indicative of thought in that historical moment during which the document was
published.
Raymond to Rouille
(October 1, 1751)
Raymond in: Archives Nationales, Ministere
des Colonies, C11A 97:389 and in Illinois
Historical Collections, French
Series,
Vol. III, pp. 393-401.
In 1749 that general detached him from the command of that garrison and sent him orders to go and command at the post of Miamis. Here he stopped Le Pied Froid, grand chief of the Miami tribe, and all his band, who were abandoning that post to go among the English; this he did through his continual application and vigilance and the care which he took to keep spies among the revolted Miami and their allies. He discovered the (page 395) intrigues for a conspiracy, broke up the plan, and caused to it fail of execution; it would if successful have drawn in the Piankashaw, the Wea of the band of Le Comte, the revolted Miami, the Shawnee, and a number of Iroquois renegades who had gone off to the Ohio River and had caused to enter into their plans the tribes of the region of Illinois, who would have acted at the time indicated to them. A letter written him on that subject by M. Benoist, commandant of the Illinois, which he sent to M. de la Jonquiere, who said he had sent it to Your Greatness, is annexed in the form of a copy. By these negotiations he would have gained the families of Le Pian and Le Sac a Petun, who were the chiefs of the revolted Miami. Their return to the post would have drawn the rest of the tribe and would have caused calm to prevail everywhere.
He had conducted things to this situation and had reason to hope for a happy success when his recall, unforseen, unseasonable, and a surprise to that tribe, made them about face immediately. Matters were so bad from that time on that they (page 396) became desperate and past hope of adjustment. This ought to be evident today to M. de la Jonquiere if he wished to open his eyes, as well as how MM. de Celoron and Varin deceived him in soliciting him to relieve M. de Raymond in order to put the Sieur de Villiers in his place. This last, according to the project which was sent to you, Monseigneur, should have made the revolted Miami return and caused everywhere tranquillity to prevail through the great experience the great influence that he was supposed to have. These however served to no other progress than to have the band of Le Pied Froid abandon the post of the Miami and go off in the direction of the English without the Sieur de Villier's being able to stop them. There remained with him at that post only Le Pied Froid and his family, which made up three or four cabins. The families of Le Pian and of Le Sac a Petun, who were going to come to him at the Miamis, after they had heard of De Raymond's recall no longer wished to hear mention of returning.
Return
to TOC, p. 12
Continue to
next part of Miami Collection
[return to Miami
Collection Menu]
[return to Glenn A. Black
Laboratory of Archaeology List of Publications]
[return to Glenn A. Black
Laboratory of Archaeology Home]
Last updated: 29
November 2000
URL: http://www.gbl.indiana.edu/home.html
Comments: webmaster@www.gbl.indiana.edu
Copyright 1996, Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology and The Trustees of Indiana University