|
|
|
|
A HOUSE DIVIDED The first step was to find a replacement for John Stuart. One condition was that the new superintendent must be active enough go out into the Indian country. The Department had run up enormous expenses by inviting the Indians to Pensacola for consultation rather than going out to them. Additionally, Stuart’s personal inactivity had placed too much responsibility on the deputies and the crown had lost confidence in them after the failure of large numbers of upper and lower Creeks to support the repulse of the invasion of East Florida in 1778. Both General Prevost and Governor Tonyn highly recommended Thomas Brown. General Clinton, on April 29, temporarily appointed Alexander Cameron to replace Stuart. In London, Lord Germain made a decision to split the Southern Department into two districts and give Brown the eastern and Cameron the western. In a letter of notification to Brown, dated June 25, 1779, Germain cited the testimonials he had received outlining Brown’s knowledge, zeal and integrity. He also made it clear that he expected Brown to carry out the old plan, of which Brown had been an author. “ The Kings Service now requires that the procuring, sending out or leading Parties of the Indians to co-operate with His Majesty’s Forces or otherwise annoy the Enemy should be the principal object of your attention.” The new arrangement was unexpected in one respect. Alexander Cameron had spent years among the Cherokee. He had fathered several mixed-blood children and there is some evidence that he had married Dragging Canoe’s sister. There were few whites that were held in such high regard by the Cherokee and the Chickamauga. Cameron warned General Clinton that the Cherokee were likely to be won over to the Rebel cause once they heard that he was not to be their agent. Rather than “consideration”, Cameron drew a reprimand from Lord Germain. At the same time, Brown was one of the last to hear about his appointment because the ship carrying the dispatches was lost to the enemy. On April 29, 1779, General Prevost crossed the Savannah River, brushed past Moultrie’s guard, and moved on Charles Town in an attempt to draw Rebel General Lincoln out of the back country. There was so little opposition that he might have taken Charles Town, but he was as little prepared to take the town as the people of Charles Town were to defend it. Lincoln crossed the Savannah on May 6th and began moving toward Charles Town to defend it. On May 12 Prevost demanded the surrender of the town but, the townspeople wanted to negotiate and he had little time with Lincoln fast approaching. He retired to James and Johns Islands with easy access to the sea. After the inconclusive battle of Stono, Prevost withdrew from island to island toward Savannah. The 100 or so Indians who had come in with David Taitt and William McIntosh accompanied Prevost on this expedition. Prevost, who was always uneasy with the idea of using Indians, insisted that the behaved like regular troops. According to the Royal Georgia Gazette, the Indians “behaved well.” They took prisoners and instead of mistreating them, delivered them to Colonel Brown at Ebenezer. Then they went to Savannah to receive the thanks of General Prevost before returning to their country. But Prevost was not done with Indians. David Holmes brought in 140 Creek and 35 white men to offer their services. Because of the hiatus in the superintendency, no one quite knew what to do with them The problem was the man who was supposed to be in charge of the Indians still did not know it – in fact, half a year elapsed between Brown’s appointment and his receipt of orders. Brown persuaded some of the 35 white men that had accompanied Holmes Indians to join his King’s Rangers (previously the East Florida Rangers and then the King's Carolina Rangers) – a group which was described as consisting mostly of South Carolinians who had a “perfect knowledge” of the Indians and the Indian country. They could swim any river in the province, and were the best guides one could want. Meanwhile the confusion in the Indian Department continued. In October Alexander Cameron, acting under Clinton’s temporary appointment, urged the Creeks and Cherokees to fall on the backs of the Rebels and French surrounding Savannah. A group of Cherokee responded but they arrived too late to be of assistance in lifting the siege. Although they still had not received Brown’s orders, General Prevost suggested, in a letter to Clinton, that Brown would be willing to give up command of the King's Rangers to assume the superintendency. It is unlikely that Brown was party to this as he clearly understood that, if the Indians were to be effective in war the King's Rangers would need to ride with them. Finally, on December 31, 1779 the confusion and chaos in Indian Department Leadership came to an end. Brown wrote to Lord George Germain that he had just learned of his appointment by way of Pensacola. Brown reported that the Indians were dissatisfied with the lack of leadership in administration since Stuart’s death and he hoped to reassure them at a congress in Savannah, which he would call with General Prevost’s consent.
|
|
Copyright 2004-2007-Southern Indian Department |
