George Croghan

“ The messenger was one of those three, that went to our camp; and it seemed to rejoice all the company; for some of them were much troubled in their minds, fearing that the English had kept them, as prisoners, or killed them. In the evening we arrived at Saccung, on the Beaver creek. We were well received. The king provided for us. After a little while we visited Mr. Croghn and his company.
30th.—In the morning the Indians of the town visited us. About eleven o’clock about forty came together; when we read the message to them; Mr. Croghn, Henry Montour and Thomas King being present. ”

“ George Croghan and Andrew Montour were sent, May 7, 1751, to Logstown to carry a Provincial present to the Indians. While there the wily Irishman met Joncaire, the French Indian agent, but succeeded in outwitting him in diplomacy; and the chiefs ordered the French from their lands and reasserted their friendship for the English. At this time the Indians requested Croghan to ask Governor Hamilton to build a strong house on the Ohio River for the protection of their wives and children in event they should be obliged to engage in war. ”

“ I hope we, your Brothers the English, and you the Six Nations, Delawares, Shawonese, Owendatts, and Twightwees, will continue in such Brotherly Love and Friendship that it will be as strong as that Mountain to which you tyed our Ship. Now, Brethren, I am informed by George Croghan that the French obstruct my Traders and carry away their Persons and Goods, and are guilty of many outrageous Practices, [68] Whereby the Roads are rendered unsafe to travel in, nor can we ask our Traders to go amongst you whilst their Lives and Effects are in such great Danger. ”

“ A Speech delivered the Shawonese from the Honourable James Hamilton, Governor of Pennsylvania, by George Croghan:
“Brethren the Shawonese:—Three years ago when some of your Chiefs and some Chiefs of the Six Nations came down to Lancaster with our Brethren the Twightwees, they informed me that your People that went away with Peter Chartier was coming back, and since that I hear that Part of them are returned. I am glad to hear that they are coming home to you again that you may become once more a People, and not as you were dispersed thro’ the World. ”

“ Shingas and the other counsellor said, they had spoken nothing to Colonel Bouquet on the string they gave me, but what was agreed between the Indians at Kushkushking. They said, Mr. Croghn and Henry Montour had not spoke and acted honestly and uprightly; they bid us not alter the least, and said, “We have told them three times to go back; but they will not go, insisting upon staying here. Now you will let the governor, general, and all people know, that our desire is, that they should go back, till the other nations have joined in the peace, and then they may come and build a trading house.” ”

“ One of the Indian captains spoke to the French and said, “To be sure it would offend us, if you should offer to knock them on the head. If you have a mind to go to war, go to the English army, and knock them on the head, and not these three men, that come with a message to us.”
After this speech the Indians went all off, and left the French. Nevertheless it had enraged some of the young people, and made them suspicious; so that it was a precarious time for us. I said, “Brethren, have good courage, and be strong; let not every wind disturb your mind; let the French bring the letter here ”

“ I said, “Brother, you did well, that you first came here, before you went to the kings; as the good news we brought is to all nations, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same; that want to be in peace and friendship with the English. So it will give them satisfaction, when they hear it.” The French captain told us, that they would demolish the fort; and he thought the English would be to-day at the place.
25th.—Shingas came home, and saluted us in a [260] friendly manner, and so did Beaver, in our house; and then they told us, they would hear our message ”

“ You do not know what your own nation does, at home; how much they have to say to the Swannocks. You are quite rotten. You stink. [40] You do nothing but smoke your pipe here. Go to sleep with your father, and when you are sober we will speak to you.”
After this the French demanded me of the Indians. They said it was a custom among the white people when a messenger came, even if it was the Governor, to blind his eyes, and lead him into the fort, to a prison, or private room. They, with some of the Indians insisted very much on my being sent into the fort, but to no purpose ”

“ They said further, “Brethren, we let you know, that the French have used our people kindly, in every respect; they have used them like gentlemen, especially those that live near them. So they have treated the chiefs. Now we [278] desire you to be strong; we wish you would take the same method, and use our people well: for the other Indians will look upon us; [105] and we do not otherwise know how to convince them, and to bring them into the English interest, without your using such means as will convince them. For the French will still do more to keep them to their interest.” ”

“ He was generally surnamed the half-king, being subordinate to the Iroquois confederacy. The chief was absent at this time, as were most of his people, it being the hunting season. George Croghan, the envoy from Pennsylvania, with Montour his interpreter, had passed through Logstown a week previously, on his way to the Twightwees and other tribes, on the Miami branch of the Ohio. Scarce any one was to be seen about the village but some of Croghan's rough people, whom he had left behind—"reprobate Indian traders," as Gist terms them. ”

“ There are a great number of Irish traders now among the Indians, who have always endeavoured to spirit up the Indians against the English; which made some, that I was acquainted with from their infancy, desire the chiefs to enquire of me, for that they were certain I would speak the truth.
Pisquetumen now told me, we could not go to the General, that it was very dangerous, the French having sent out several scouts to wait for me on the road. And further, Pisquetumen told me, it was a pity the Governor had no ear, [54] to bring him intelligence ”

“ On the 19th, all the people gathered together, men, women, and children; and king Beaver desired me to read to them the news I had brought, and told me that all the able men would go with me to the other town. I complied with his desire, and they appeared very much pleased at every thing, till I came to that part respecting the prisoners. This they disliked; for, they say, it appears very odd and unreasonable that we should demand prisoners before there is an established peace; such an unreasonable demand makes us appear as if we wanted brains. ”

“ They told me that the Governor of fort Duquesne kept a store of his own, and that all the Indians must come and buy the goods of him; and when they come and buy, he tells them, if they will go to war, they shall have as much goods as they please. Before I set off, I heard further, that a French captain who goes to all the Indian towns [61] came to Sacunck, and said, “Children, [228] will you not come and help your father against the English?” They answered, “Why should we go to war against our brethren? They are now our friends.” ”

“ He made a speech to the chiefs, who wanted to put me to death, which does him honour; and shews that he was acquainted with the law of nations: “We must not,” said he, “kill ambassadors: do we not send them to the Flat-heads, our greatest enemies, [11] and they to us? Yet these are always treated with hospitality.” The following day (29th) the Mohawk, who commanded the Indians in the provision-boat, stole away, without taking my letter to General Bradstreet, as he had been ordered, having, the night before, robbed us of almost every thing, and sold my rum (two barrels) to the Uttawaws. ”

“ On arriving at Wills Creek I found this letter from George Croghan, one of the most important traders on the frontier, and with a commission from Pennsylvania [228] to make roads and secure waggons and Indian allies.
Dear Colonel: If the rest are like Sir John St. Clair, I shall be glad to be shut of the business. He swore at us for delay and said “no soldier should handle an axe, but by fire and sword he would force the inhabitants to do the work; we should be treated as traitors, and that when the General came he would give us ten bad words for one that he had given.” ”

“ This Indian is much disliked by the others; he had heard nothing yet, that had passed, he has lived here a great while, and constantly lives in the fort, and is mightily attached to the French; he spoke as follows, to the Delawares:
“I do not know this Swannock; [36] it may be that you know him. I, the Shawanese, and our father [37] do not know him. I stand here (stamping his foot) as a man [202] on his own ground; [38] therefore, I, the Shawanese and my father do not like that a Swannock come on our ground.” ”

“ You must be strong. I did not begin the war, therefore, I have little to say; but whatever you agree to, I will do the same.” Then he addressed himself to the Shawanese, and said, “You brought the hatchet to us from the French, and persuaded us to strike our brothers the English; you may consider (laying the belts, &c. before them) wherefore you have done this.”
The Shawanese acknowledged they received the hatchet from the French, who persuaded them to strike the English; that they would now send the belts to all the Indians, and in twelve days would meet again. ”

“ Consider how many thousand men are killed, and how many houses are burned since the French lived here; if they had not been here it would not have been so; you know we do not blame you; we blame the French; they are the cause of this war; therefore, we do not come to hurt you, but to chastise the French.”
They told me, that at the great council, held at Onondago, among the Five Nations, before the war began (Conrad Weiser was there, and wrote every thing down) [225] it was said to the Indians at the Ohio, that they should let the French alone there, and leave it entirely to the Five Nations ”

“ We are always jealous the English will take the land from us. Look, brother, what makes you come with such a large body of men, and make such large roads into our country; we could drive away the French ourselves, without your coming into our country.”
Then I desired captain Bull and Mr. Hays to be careful how they argued with the Indians; and be sure to say nothing, that might affront them; for it may prove to our disadvantage, when we come amongst them. This day we came to Rays-town, [81] and with much difficulty [241] got a place to lodge the Indians by themselves, to their satisfaction. ”

“ The Indians told us, we should not call Mr. Bull, captain, their young men would be mad that we brought a warrior there. We went up a steep hill, good land, to the creek Cowewanick, [91] where we made our fire. They wanted to hunt for meat, and looked for a road. Captain Bull shot a squirrel, and broke his gun. I cut fire wood, and boiled some chocolate for supper. The others came home, and brought nothing. Pesquitomen wanted to hear the writing from the general, which we read to them, to their great satisfaction. ”

“ Hays know of the danger. I said, “As God hath stopped the mouth of the lions, that they could not devour Daniel, so he will preserve us from their fury, and bring us through.” I had a discourse with Mr. Hays concerning our message, and begged him he would pray to God for grace and wisdom, that he would grant us peace among this people. We will remain in stillness, and not look to our own credit. We are in the service of our king and country. This people are rebellious in heart.
Now we are here to reconcile them again to the General, Governor, and the English nation ”

“ You are rich, and must go on and be strong. We have done all in our power towards bringing about a peace: we have had a great quarrel about you with the French; but we do not mind them. Do you make haste, and be strong, and let us see you again.” The said Killbuck is a great captain and conjurer; he desired me to mention him to the Governor, and ask him if he would be pleased to send him a good saddle by the next messenger; and that he would do all in his power for the service of the English.
28th.—We set out from Sawcunk, in company with twenty, for Kushkushkee ”

“ King Beaver, Shingas, and Delaware George, spoke as follows:
“Brother, we alone cannot make a peace; it would be of no significance; for, as all the Indians, from the sunrise to the sunset, are united in a body, it is necessary that the whole should join in the peace, or it can be no peace; and we can assure you, all the Indians, a great way from this, even beyond the lakes, are desirous of, and wish for a peace with the English, and have desired us, as we are the nearest of kin, if we see the English incline a peace, to hold it fast.” ”

“ As there was no more men to be had here at this time, there being no inhabitants in this country but Indian traders who were scattered over the country for several hundred miles, & no provisions but a little Indian corn to be had, he applied to the Indians, who had given him reason to believe they would join him and cut off the French on the Ohio, but when he proposed it to the Half-King, he told him that had the Virginians been in earnest they wou’d have had their men there before that time, and desired him to get the rest of his men and hurry out the provisions. ”