designs. Pushmataha's influence was so great that Tecumseh could not persuade the Choctaws to go to war. It has been said that the Choctaws, as a nation, never in war shed the blood of a white man. A small band of them joined the Creek war-party. Pushmataha afterwards captured the members of this band. He induced them to pass between the high banks of a sunken trail, and, while passing, they were shot to death by his orders. The "Tombigbee Settlements" were surrounded by Indians, and were completely separated from friends in Georgia and Tennessee. The Creeks and the tribes related to them occupied the country from the Oconee to the Alabama rivers. The Cherokees lived along the Tennessee. The Chickasaws held northwest Alabama and northern Mississippi. The Choctaws dwelt in central and southern Mississippi. The Choctaws and Creeks were still disputing over possession of the region between the Black Warrior and the Tombigbee rivers. The whites were in extreme danger, and there was much fear lest the Choctaws should forget their long-standing friendship and unite with the Creeks. Had they done so, the Chickasaws and Cherokees would probably have done likewise, the whites would all have been killed, and the history of Alabama would have been entirely changed. At the outbreak of the Creek War Pushmataha offered himself and his people as allies of the whites. He led his warriors in the battle of the Holy Ground, and did other important service for the Americans. He was a true patriot, ever watchful for the good of 1813 his tribe, and ever anxious to preserve friendly relations with the white settlers. He was much admired by the Americans. General Jackson pronounced him the bravest man he ever saw. 9. Vanity and Popularity.-Pushmataha was very vain. Entering a company of whites, he would ask, "Do you know who I am? I am General Pushmataha." His vanity, however, did not lessen his popularity among the Choctaws nor among the whites. His timely aid saved the whites from destruction, and they honored him in life and in death. 10. Death and Burial.-Pushmataha's great weakness was drunkenness. He probably brought on his death by a long drunken spree, though quinsy is Dec. 24, named as the disease which killed him. He died 1824 Sept. 27, 1830 in Washington City, having gone there with a committee of his people on business with the United States government. General Jackson visited him on his deathbed, and heard his request, "When I am gone, let the big guns be fired over me." He was buried in the Congressional Cemetery with military honors. His body was attended to its last resting-place by the great men of the country. The big guns were fired over his grave. The inscription on his tombstone reads, "A warrior of great distinction, wise in council, eloquent in an extraordinary degree, and on all occasions and under all circumstances the white man's friend." 11. Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.-Six years after the death of Pushmataha, by the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the Choctaws very unwillingly ceded to the United States all their lands east of the Mississippi river. They were advised to prepare for removal to hunting-grounds in regions west of the Mississippi. In the great War between the States they aided the South, thus proving their devotion to the friends of their fathers. Colonel John McKee was the United States agent to the Chickasaws. He encouraged them to remain friendly to the whites, and kept them from joining the Creek war-party. SUMMARY William Weatherford, the gifted nephew of Alexander McGillivray, was half brother to David Tate. He opposed the war counsels of Tecumseh, but joined the Creeks at the outbreak of the war. He helped to inspire the attack on Fort Mims, but would have checked the terrible massacre of the whites. He commanded the Indians at the battle of Holy Ground, and was present at the battle of Calebee. To save his people from starvation, he surrendered to Jackson and helped to bring about peace between the Creeks and Americans. He lived honorably and quietly after the war, and died in 1824. Pushmataha, the eloquent chief of the Choctaws, also opposed the war counsels of Tecumseh, but sided with the whites when the war began. He kept the Choctaws ever faithful to the whites, fought bravely as their ally, and was honored gratefully by the American people. QUESTIONS 1. Sketch the family history of William Weatherford. 2. Why did he join the Creeks instead of the whites in the Creek War? 3. Describe the Massacre of Fort Mims, and its effect upon the country. 4. Describe the battle of Holy Ground. 5. Give an account of the surrender of Weatherford. 6. Give a brief sketch of his life after the war. 7. Who was Pushmataha? 8. How did he regard the counsels of Tecumseh? 9. Tell of his friendship for the whites. 10. Describe his death and burial. 11. What were the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek? 12. Who kept the Chickasaws from joining with the Creeks? 1796 SAMUEL DALE 1. Early Life.-Samuel Dale was called the Daniel Boone of the Southwest because of his daring deeds as a backwoodsman. Born in Virginia and removed early to Georgia, he was familiar with all the hardships and rich adventures of border life. His father and mother died before he was twenty years old, leaving him heavily in debt to take care of seven brothers and sisters The Indians were constantly about him, killing his neighbors, burning homes, destroying crops and cattle, and threatening every interest dear to his heart. Food was scarce, but experience had taught Dale how to meet boldly and confidently every danger and difficulty. He made good crops and paid his debts. In the winter of 1796, he became a wagoner in Savannah, Georgia, but returned to his farm in the spring. He met success in business, and used his profits for buying goods. These he exchanged among the Creeks for ponies and cattle, hides and tallow, which he sold to his American neighbors. He hauled a great many families from Georgia to the Mississippi Territory. His caution and bravery fitted him to protect the lives and property of movers. He kept several wagons on the road, and established a trading-post so as to have return loads of Indian products. He served as guide to the United States commissioners, Harris and Easley, in marking out the public road through the Cherokee nation. He could not keep out of the border wars. He acted as scout and aided his fellow Georgians in beating back the Creeks, who were forever disputing, and with good reasons, the rights of the whites to advance into their territory and occupy their lands. 2. Tecumseh Arouses the Indians.-Dale was present at the annual grand council of the Creeks at Tookabatcha on the Tallapoosa river. Tecumseh, the celebrated chief of the Shawnees in the North, and his brother Francis were there. They wished to arouse the Creeks to war against the whites. Benjamin Hawkins, the United States agent, was present, but did not understand the anger of the Creeks towards the Americans. He supposed that Tecumseh civil war might arise among Tecumseh, with twenty-four warriors of his tribe, marched for several nights in perfect silence into the great square, took the pipe offered by the Great Warrior of the Creeks, passed it to his warriors, who passed it from one to the other until it went to all; and then in silence and single file they marched back to their cabin, around which they 1811 |