1759, April 6, Fort Loudoun

The following data is extracted from Letterbooks of William Henry Lyttleton 1756-1760.

Sir

The 14th Isntn. Arrived the Exprefs with Dispatches from you Excellency, I hope James Holme’s whom I have sent with an Exprefs to Your Excellency is Arrived Safe, I afshure you When I sent Him, we did not know what to make of the Indian’s there was Nothing but bad talks Amongst them, & they had Meetings every day, Old Hopp & the Standing Turkey seem’d to Protect them verry much, I do not know what to make of Judge Friend, I have great reason to believe that Willinaway is sincere, he has been Constantly at there Meetings, And opposed them when they were giving bad talks, & has Allways Given me Notice of it, The other Day they had a Great Meeting Where all the head Men Where present & the Mortar finding that his Proposals were not Approved of by the Comisiners he began to drop his bad talks, deny’d that his Name was the Mortar, that he was Called the Wolf, & a friend to the English, & the next day went Away but said he wou’d Soon return, Some of the head men Afsured us we need not be under Any Apprehension for they wou’d not Give Ear to their bad talks, The exprefs has brought me a letter from the Little Carpenter, wherein he desired me to Acqua. Old Hopp, that he was Sorry to hear that there was bad talks Amongst them, & desires that he wou’d not give Earr to the Lyes that is pafsing through the Nation, that he has made up every thing with the Governour of Virginia, & that the path is now clearer then Ever, & that he was going to See his Ellder Brother in CaarlesTown, & wou’d Soon Return, & every thing shou’d be Eacy & Quiet & nomore bad talks going Amongst them.

I am verry Certain that the little Carpenter’s Returning as he did from Virginia, has prevented the Mischeif that Otherwife might have happen’d. Your Excellency may be Afsured that I shall keep a Good look out, & do my best Endeavour’s to get Intelligence of the motion of the Enemy, two Strong Gang’s are gone already towards the French Fort, to Endeavour, to get a French prisoner, & to see what they are doing this Very day, a Young Warriour recommended by Willinaway is gone with a Gang of Sixteen Your gallows towards the French fort and promised that he wou’d go to the verry Spott, & wou’d do his Utmost Endeavour to bring a Prisoner for he was Informed that the French were Constantly awork a little way from the fort, building of boats & cutting of Timber for to make a Large Settlement with.

The 10th Instn. Six Young Warriours were Sent to the French fort to Endeavour to get a Prisoner (Recommended by Judge Friend & I could not deny them, the same day came her five hundred 10 of powder under the Command of Ensign Bell whome I sent to Doharty’s to meet them, The 11th Instn. I spoke to Maximillian Moore whom I acquaint your Excellency I had Sent to highwafsie for and tomorrow he setts out Accompany’d by his son and a Soldier, to Wono_lres & see whether the French are building a fort there or not, I made no Agreement with him but told him your Excellency would reward him if he Succeded, The Reason I kept the Exprefs is, that being Informed that the Sotherd were at Tellico, & that they had Given verry bad talks & Endeavoured all they could to Persuade the the Young fellows to the French Interest, they are now sett out for their Camp Accompanyd by some of these people & have carryd all kinds of Grain out to make a Settlement & plant Immediately, I am Informed that Runner’s has been Sent to Severall parts of the Ntion and they are to have a Great Meeting in the Woods, I shall Endeavour to find out what they are about. I am

Sir,

Your Excellency’s

Most obedient & most Humble Servant

Paul Demere

Source: Letterbooks of William Henry Lyttleton 1756-1760

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