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.

Letter to Gage

(Johnson Hall, Feb. 15, 1772)

Johnson, Sir William in: The
Papers of Sir William
Johnson, vol. 8,
pp. 405-408.

pp. 405, 406, 407, 408.

(page 405)

Attorney, Executors, Administrators, or Assigns; the Just and full Sum of Three hundred and Sixty two Pounds Current Money aforesaid, on or before the fifteenth Day of February next ensuing the Date of these Presents without any Fraud, or other Delay; then this Obligation to be void, or else, to remain in full Force and Virtue

TO THOMAS GAGE

Df.¹

DEAR SIR,

The Albany Post has been so very Irregular & tardy of Late, That Letters neither come here or go down the Country as formerly. Your favor of the 20th Ult^o. did not reach this till the 10th Inst. and altho' I keep a Man on purpose to carry Letters to & from Albany I am at a Loss when this may arrive at N York.

Since my Last, the Messengers arrived from the Southward Via Philadelphia. After the Usual Ceremonies They laid down their sev^l. Belts, Pipes &c to a great number, After which they told me a very disagreable Circumstance namely That Annawacka who after the death of Tho^s. King was the man of the best Abilities in these Matters died on Shipboard, So that the Accot given by the rest, tho' it takes up Three Sheets of paper is far from being so Consistent as I might otherwise have (page 406) Expected. One is Still behind laid up with a Lameness who is more intelligent, him I expect to see Soon, however I shall give you the Sum of what they Report.-

They First Repeated the proceedings of Tho^s. King with the Shawanese &c at Fort Pitt on their way to the Southward, some part of which you may recollect we formerly rec^d. however they enlarged much on the promises Made by the Wawiaghtonos, and on the Sorrow they Expressed for what is past, & that they would Send Dep^ys to the Six Nat^s. & from thence to me, to Sollicit our friendship & a Continuance of peace. This (they say) was delivered by the Shawanese who were Come from Wawiaghtonon to Tho^s. King, and they gave me a Calumet Feather &c from them as also some belts & bunches from the Delawares to that Effect.-

When they arrived at Scioto Tho^s. King addressed each of the Nations Assembled, beginning with the Shawanese whom he upbraided for retiring down so far, & for Confederating with people who disregarded peace, & in Short repeated to each of them faithfully what had been given him in Charge by the Ind^s. & by myself,- The Shawanese answered That The Six Nat^s. had long Seemed to neglect them, & to disregard the Promise they [formerly made] of letting them Have the Lands between the Ohio & the Lakes [, that in] their distress they went into their Canoes & were determined to go where they sho^d Carry them, but were stopped at Scioto by the Six Nations who shook them by the heads, and desired them to Stay there & be in peace with the English, but that to their great surprise, they soon after Saw the 7 Nations In Arms Coasting along the Lakes with the English, and that after peace was Settled. The Six Nations Continued [to] act like Enemys to them, That they the Shawanese, sent thereupon se[veral] Belts to the 6 Nations, for their closer union, but that Gaustarax the Seneca Chief to whom they were delivered did not make them public so that they never rec^d. any answer to them, They then produced some Emblems [and] belts represent^g themselves & the Illinois Ind^s. with 10 Confederate Nations between them.- They then delivered a (page 407) belt from the Chickesaws who professed an Inclination to be directed by the Six Nations in w^t. ever regarded peace.- The 6 Nation Depy^s. then Accused them of insincerity, misrepresentation & evil Conduct on which they enlarged a great deal, Concluding with telling all present that they were come to bring them to their Senses. To strengthen the Union of those who were friends to the English Alliance, And for that purpose opened a Road from thence to the Council Fire at Onondaga, & that at my House, That those who chose to be happy might cast their eyes that way, & make use of it, but that the First Nation that sho. obstruct the same must meet with the resentment of the rest;- The Sev^l. Nations present then spoke on many belts Separately, each giving many assurances of their pacific resolutions, & promising faithfully to observe what was recommended to them.-

The Cherokees desired that many Thanks might be given to the Six Nat^s. and to me, and the same was repeated at all the Villages they passed thro' for the peace secured thro' my Mediation, by which they began once more to enjoy themselves.- At Gohi the Chief of the Creeks met them with many Compliments & Salutations, & was desirous they would Visit his Nation, But was answered that as a Road was now opened, for all who had a mind to apply to me, or to the 6 Natⁿ. Confederacy in person, and as another Meeting at the desire of So many would Shortly take place, it was unnecess.- The Chief of the Creeks thanked them & said he was certain that some of his Nation w^d. Accomp^y the Cherokees to the Ond^a. Council Fire & to my house, and then after sev^l. Less Material Conferences the Dep^s. proceeded, the Cherokees taking Leave of them & the Catawbas escorting them to Charles Town.-

This is a brief detail of the Relation of Nickaroondase's one of the principal Survivors from whence I have good reason to conclude that the Shawanese who grasped at the Lands on both sides of the Ohio, repenting of the Sale of the South Side, had sent belts to their Next Neighbours the Senecas to stir up the (page 408) Chat^s. to disavow their act & to Joyn in dispossessing the English thereof, That this was approved of by Gaustarax & his People, but disapproved of by the rest of the Confederacy so that he was necessitated to try to set up others which gave rise to the Acc^t. of the Senecas Plot & Gaustarax's belts, and the particulars of which the foregoing is only heads, together with the Conversations I have had with the Young Chiefs, are a farther corroboration thereof.- The Ind^s. are Extremely Inquisitive to know the particulars, & every day since the return of the Dep^ys there have been parties here to enquire concerning the same.

It is now upwards of a Month since the 6 Natⁿ. Dep^ys (who were sent to the Southward agreable to my Letter of Nov^r. 16th) left Karaghiyadisha, one of the last Seneca Towns near Ohio on their Way to the Shawanese Town, where they were to take the belts and Hatchet, from the Wawiaghtonos &c and deliver them their last Words, as they said, after which sho^d. they continue obstinate, they were to Expect no favor. They had orders to make great Expedition but as some Chiefs are coming from the 6 Nat^s. who are daily Expected here, I shall then let you know what they say, so that measure may be taken as the Case shall appear to require.

His Excell^cy LIEUT GEN^L. GAGE.

__________________________

¹ In handwriting of Guy Johnson; missing sections supplied from manuscript letter dated Feb. 18th. in William L. Clements Library, Ann Arbor, Mich.

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