The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

Indian Affairs.

NEW-YORK, August 18.

Copy of a Letter from a Gentleman at Fort d'Etroit, situate about one Third of the Way in the River that leads from the West End of Lake Erie to Lake Huron, in the Wyandot Country, dated July 9, 1763; being the most particular of Affairs that have happened at that Place before and after the late Siege by the Indians, than any yet published, viz.

On the 2d of May, Sir Robert Davers, and Capt. Robinson set out from hence in the Barge, in order to sound the Channel from this Place to Lake Huron, to see if it was possible to get one of the Vessels into that Lake; they requested me to let Mr. Rutherford go along with them to see the Lake, that as he was a young Man, he would have a good Opportunity of making useful Remarks along with them; to which I readily consented, as I look'd upon him to be very happy in such good company; but alas! he has been so unhappy as to fall into the Hands of the Savages, as you will see by his Letter to me of 18th May, which you have here inclosed: I wrote to a Frenchman of my Acquaintance in the Country, to endeavour to purchase him from the Indians, for which Purpose I conveyed to him privately, and gave him Orders to receive also from my Correspondents in the Country, Goods to the Amount of Eighty Pounds: He accordingly made the Purchase of him from his Master, who is a Sotaau, or Saganan Indian, who would not part with him but on Condition that the Frenchman should not suffer him to come into the Fort before the Siege was Over, which I agreed to, rather than suffer him to remain in their Hands, as they were committing the most cruel and horrid Barbarities every Day, in murdering their Prisoners in the most barbarous Manner they cou'd invent: He was but one Day and Night in the Possession of the Frenchman, before Pontiac (an Ottawa, Commanding in Chief of all the Nations engaged in the War) sent a Band of Fifty Indians, and took him by Force: saying, That no Nation should have Liberty to sell their Prisoners before the War was over. He is returned since to his former Master the Wyandot Indian, who still uses him very kindly, and took him Yesterday to see the Frenchman he had sold him to, and promised him, that he would not suffer him by any Means to be killed, for he loved him as his own Child.

May the 7th, The Ottawas, and some of the Chipawas, to the Number of 200 Men, came to the Fort, and held a Treaty with Major Gladwin, who had Information the Evening before, that the Indians were determin'd to fall upon and murder the Officers in Council, while they were to have Parties at the different Merchants Houses to treat them in the same Manner, and then make themselves Masters of the Garrison, by rushing into the Guard-House, Barracks, &c. and seizing the Arms: The Major would not refuse them Admittance, that they might see he was not afraid of them, but took proper Precaution nevertheless, to have the whole Garrison under Arms: The Merchants shut up all their Houses, and assembled, with their Servants, at Nine, all well arm'd. The Indians all enter'd about Ten oClock, and made their Dispositions according to the proposed Plan. Pontiac (as we are informed since) had in his Pouch a certain Belt of Wampum, which he was to have produced as a Signal to begin the Massacre; but he, naturally a Coward, seeing the Garrison under Arms, dared not to produce it, and made a Pretence of being surpriz'd at our being under Arms, and feign'd to be ignorant of the Cause: The Council ended, they retired seemingly much disconcerted, and encamped on the farther Side of the River: The young Warriors reproached Pontiac for not producing the Signal, saying, That they could have carried it with the Loss of only a few Men; to which he answered, he did not imagine they would like to lose any Men, but if they Were willing, should have a clean Opportunity to strike whether the Garrison be under Arms or not; to which they all agreed: In consequence of which Pontiac, with some others of the Chiefs, came the next Day, being Sunday, to smoke the Pipe of Peace with the Major, who despised them so much, because of their Treachery, that he would not go nigh them; but told Capt. Campbell, if he had a Mind he might speak with them; on which Capt. Campbell went, and smoaked with them, when Pontiac told him he would come the next Day and hold a Conference with the Major; and to wipe away all Cause of Suspicion be would bring all his old and young Men to take him by the Hand in a friendly Manner: After repeating several Pieces of such Stuff, he withdrew with his Gang to his Camp: next Morning about 10 Clock we counted 640 Canoes, all full of Indians, crossing the River above the Fort. Soon after they landed, a few of them came to the Fort and demanded Permission for the Whole to be admitted into Council, which the Major absolutely refused, telling him that it was not because he was afraid of them, for he had already gave them a sufficient Instance of the contrary, but that it was not customary to admit so many into Council; however they might bring 4 or 5 of their Chiefs, which he looked upon as a sufficient Number for that Purpose; they immediately retired to the others, who were lying all around the Fort, at the Distance of about 200 Yards, to whom, when they had communicated what the Major had said unto them, they all got up and fled off yelping like so many Devils; they instantly fell upon Mrs. Turnbell, (an English Woman, to whom Major Gladwin had given a small Plantation, about a Mile from the Fort) and murder'd and scalped her and her two Sons; from thence they went to Hog's-Island, about a League up the River from the Fort, and there murdered James Fisher and his Wife, also four Soldiers who were with them, and carried off his Children and Servant Maid Prisoners: the same Evening, being the 9th, had an Account by a Frenchman, of the Defeat of Sir Robert Davers, and Capt. Robinson.

The 10th in the Morning, they attacked the Fort very resolutely; there continued a very hot fire on both Sides until the Evening, when they ceased firing, having had several killed and wounded; they posted themselves behind the Garden Fences and Houses in the Suburbs, and some Barns and Out Houses that were on the Side of the Fort next the Woods, to which we immediately set Fire by red hot Spikes, &c. from the Cannon, which dislodged them.

Wednesday the 11th, some of the French advised to try to come to Terms of Peace with the Indians, which was thought advisable, as we had then but three Weeks Provision for the Garrison, at a Pound of Bread and two Ounces of Pork a Man per Day; they went accordingly and acquainted the Indians of what they had advised to; in Consequence of which five of the Indians came to the Fort, and demanded that two of our Officers should go out and hold a Treaty with them in their Camp, and that Capt. Campbell should be one of them, to which he readily agreed, and the more so, as the French who had advised the accommodating of Matters, told him there was no risque in going out, that they would go along with him; that they would answer Life for Life, Body for Body, that he should return safe into the Fort: The Major did not seem to like the Scheme, for which Reason he would not order him out, but told him if he had a Mind, to go that he might, tho' he did not imagine it would be of any great Service, only to amuse them whilft we might get Provisions into the Fort: He took Lieutenant M'Dougall along with him however in the Afternoon, and went off with the five Indians, accompanied by five or six Frenchmen, who after having given their Parole d'Honneur, went and proved their true French Faith, by delivering him up into the Hands of the Enemy, and left him there, and brought Pontiac's Proposals for us to capitulate: Judge of the Conduct of the Generality of the Canadians here by the Behaviour of these few Rascals I have mentioned: I can assure you with much Certainty, that there are but very few in the Settlement who are not engaged with the Indians in their cruel Design; in short, Monsieur is at the Bottom of it; we have not only convincing Proofs, Circumstances, but undeniable Proofs of it: There are four or five sensible honest Frenchmen in the Place, who have been of a great deal of Service to us, in bringing us Intelligence and provisions, even at the Risque of their own Lives: I hope they will be well rewarded for their good Services: I hope also to see the others exalted on high to reap the Fruit of their Labours, as soon as our Army arrives: The Discoveries we have made of their horrid Villainy, are almost incredible.

But to return to the Terms of Capitulation, Pontiac proposed, That we should immediately give up the Garrison, lay down our Arms, as the French, their Fathers, were obliged to do, leave the Cannon, Magazines, and Merchants Goods and the two Vessels, and be escorted in Battoes by Indians to Niagara: The Major returned Answer, That the General had not sent him there to deliver up the Fort to Indians, or any body else, and that he would defend it whilst he had a single Man to fight along-side of him. Upon this Hostilities recommenced; Since which Time, being two Months, the whole Garrison, Officers, Soldiers, Merchants and Servants, consisting only of 120 Men, have been upon the Ramparts every Night, not one slept in a house, except the Sick and Wounded in the Hospital. Our Fort is extremely large, considering our Number, the Stockade being above One Thousand Paces in Circumference; judge what a Figure we made upon the Works: The Schooner arrived from Niagara about ten Days ago, and brought some Provisions, with 22 Men of the 80th, and 28 of Capt. Hopkins's Company; who luckily escaped from the unhappy Affair of Lieut. Cuyler, which I suppose you may have heard of long e'er now.

About six Days ago we made a Sally, in which we killed and wounded several of the Enemy; among the Killed was a Chief of the Soteaus; those of his Nation, to revenge his Death, fell upon Capt. Campbell and cut him all in Pieces; they skinned his Legs and Arms to make Tobacco Pouches, and other Toys: Lieutenant M'Dougall would have Shared the same Fate, but very luckily made his Escape from them, and got into the Fort about two Nights before: Lieut. Pauly made his Escape from them a few Minutes after Capt. Campbell was massacred: We have got also Ensign Schlosse, and two Soldiers, for an Indian Prisoner we had. Presqu' Isle, Sandusky, St. Joseph's, Miamis, Ouatanon, and Michilimackinac, taken and almost all the Soldiers belonging to each of them put to Death, except the Garrison of Ouatanon, which they have carried off to the Illinois. Lieut. Holmes, Commandant at Miamis, is killed; also Lieut. Jamett, at Michilimakinac, with about 17 of the Soldiers, and Warrant Tracey, a Trader. Capt. Etherington, Lieut. Lesley, and a few Soldiers, remain their Prisoners: They have plundered every Thing belonging to the English Merchants at all the Posts they have taken.

Since writing the above, the Hurons, who be-
Indians begin to be wearied of the War. have brought and delivered unto us eight Prisoners, among whom are Ensign Christie, late Commander of Presqu'ile and Little Levy, from Niagara. The Hurons and Pouteotamies, who were partly forced into the War by the Menaces of the Ottawas, begin to withdraw, being afraid, I believe, of the Arrival of our Army: so that Pontiac, whose Army lately consisted of about seven or eight hundred Men, cannot muster at present more than 500. They were so confident of succeeding, that they began to divide the Lands with the French, and planted large Fields of Corn; but I know who will reap it. We have at present plenty of Provision and Ammunition, and our Men are in high Spirits: We are also happy in having one of the best Commanding Officers the Army can afford; under whose Command, I think we can give a good Account of all the Indians that can come against us.

I am yours, &c.

Since our last no further Accounts of Indian Affairs are come to Town, nor have we any Accounts of the Arrival of the Forces sent against them, at the several Places of their Destination.