country, and how it happened that I dared to enter it without his leave?
When I informed him that it was not with any design against the Indians
that I came, but to remove the French out of his country, who had been
an obstacle in our way to mutual peace and commerce, and acquainted him
with my instructions for that purpose. I at the same time delivered him
several friendly messages, or belts of wampum, which he received, but
gave me no other answer, than that he stood in the path I travelled in
till next morning, giving me a small string of wampum, as much as to
say, I must not march further without his leave. When he departed for
the night, he enquired whether I wanted any thing that his country
afforded, and he would send his warrior to fetch it? I assured him that
any provisions they brought should be paid for; and the next day we were
supplied by them with several bags of parched corn, and some other
necessaries. At our second meeting he gave me the pipe of peace, and
both of us by turns smoaked with it; and he assured me he had made peace
with me and my detachment; that I might pass through his country
unmolested, and relieve the French garrison; and that he would protect
me and my party from any insults that might be offered or intended by
the Indians; and, as an earnest of his friendship, he sent 100 warriors
to protect and assist us in driving 100 fat cattle, which we had brought
for the use of the detachment from Pittsburg, by the way of Presque
Isle. He likewise sent to the several Indian towns on the south-side and
west-end of lake Erie, to inform them that I had his consent to come
into the country. He attended me constantly after this interview till I
arrived at Detroit, and while I remained in the country, and was the
means of preserving the detachment from the fury of the Indians, who
had assembled at the mouth of the strait with an intent to cut us off.
'I had several conferences with him, in which he discovered great
strength of judgment, and a thirst after knowledge. He endeavoured to
inform himself of our military order and discipline. He often intimated
to me, that he could be content to reign in his country in subordination
to the King of Great Britain, and was willing to pay him such annual
acknowledgment as he was able in furs, and to call him his uncle. He was
curious to know our methods of manufacturing cloth, iron, &c. and
expressed a great desire to see England, and offered me a part of his
country if I would conduct him there. He assured me, that he was
inclined to live peaceably with the English while they used him as he
deserved, and to encourage their settling in his country; but intimated,
that, if they treated him with neglect, he should shut up the way, and
exclude them from it; in short, his whole conversation sufficiently
indicated that he was far from considering himself as a conquered
Prince, and that he expected to be treated with the respect and honour
due to a King or Emperor, by all who came into his country, or treated
with him.
'In 1763, this Indian had the art and address to draw a number of tribes
into a confederacy, with a design first to reduce the English forts upon
the lakes, and then make a peace to his mind, by which he intended to
establish himself in his imperial authority; and so wisely were his
measures taken, that, in fifteen days time, he reduced or took ten of
our garrisons, which were all we had in his country, except Detroit; and
had he carried this garrison also, nothing was in the way to complete
his scheme. Some of the Indians left him, and by his consent made a
separate peace; but he would not be active or personally concerned in
it, saying, that when he made a peace, it should be such an one as would
be useful and honourable to himself, and to the King of Great Britain:
but he has not as yet proposed his terms.
'In 1763, when I went to throw provisions into the garrison at Detroit,
I sent this Indian a bottle of brandy by a Frenchman. His counsellors
advised him not to taste it, insinuating that it was poisoned, and sent
with a design to kill him; but Ponteack, with a nobleness of mind,
laughed at their suspicions, saying it was not in my power to kill him,
who had so lately saved my life.
'In the late war of his, he appointed a commissary, and began to make
money, or bills of credit, which he hath since punctually redeemed. His
money was the figure of what he wanted in exchange for it, drawn upon
bark, and the shape of an otter (his arms) drawn under it. Were proper
measures taken, this Indian might be rendered very serviceable to the
British trade and settlements in this country, more extensively so than
any one that hath ever been in alliance with us on the continent.'
'As our Readers are, perhaps, by this time, fully satisfied with regard
to these free-born sons of the vast American wilderness, we shall
conclude the present article, with a remark or two, borrowed from Mr.
Colden, in respect to the Five nations. 'They are called, says he, a
barbarous people, bred under the darkest ignorance; and yet a bright and
noble genius shines through these black clouds. None of the Roman heroes
have discovered a greater love to their country, or a greater contempt
of death, than these people called _barbarians_ have done, when liberty
came in competition. Indeed I think,' continues that learned and
sensible historian, 'our Indians have out-done the Romans in this
particular. Some of the greatest of those have murdered themselves to
avoid shame or torments; but the Indians have refused to die meanly, or
with but little pain, when they thought their country's honour would be
at stake by it; but have given their bodies, willingly, to the most
cruel torments of their enemies, to shew, as they said, that the Five
Nations consisted of men whose courage and resolution could not be
shaken.--They greatly sully, however, these noble virtues, by that cruel
passion, _revenge_; this, they think, is not only lawful, but
honourable; and for this only it is that they can deserve the name of
barbarians.--But what, alas! have we _Christians_ done, to make them
_better_? We have, indeed, reason to be ashamed that these infidels, by
our conversation and neighbourhood, are become _worse_ than they were
before they knew us. Instead of virtues, we have only taught them vices,
which they were entirely free from before that time.' In another place
he observes, on the same subject, that this cruelty of revenge, is not
peculiar to the Five Nations, but is common to all the other Indians. To
blunt, however, the keenness of that censure _we_ might be apt to cast
on them, upon this account, he hath the following just reflection: 'It
is wonderful, how custom and education are able to soften the most
horrid actions, even among a polite and learned people. Witness the
Carthaginians and Phoenicians burning their own children alive in
sacrifice; and several passages in the Jewish history;--and witness, in
later times, the Christians burning one another for God's sake!'
JOURNALS OF MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS (From The Monthly Review; or, Literary
Journal: By Several Hands. Vol. XXXIV. London: M,DCC,LXVI. For January,
1766.)
Art. 32. _Journals of Major Robert Rogers; containing an
Account of the several Excursions he made, under the
Generals who commanded on the Continent of America, during
the late War._
_From which may be collected the most material Circumstances
of every Campaign on that Continent, from the Commencement
to the Conclusion of the War._ 8vo. 4s. Millan.
This is but the first part of the journals of this noted American
partizan. It commences in 1755, and terminates with the year 1760. The
second part, which is to be printed by subscription of one guinea, will
contain the Author's travels among the Cherokees and the southern
Indians; his second tour into the interior country, upon the great
lakes; and the Indian wars in America, since 1760: together with correct
plans of all the British forts upon the continent.
From the specimen of the work now before us, it appears, that the
accounts published by Major Rogers may be depended upon by the public;
they are undoubtedly as authentic as they are important and necessary,
to those who would acquire a thorough understanding of the nature and
progress of the late military operations in North-America. The Author
writes like an honest, a sensible, and a modest man; and he has given,
throughout his whole conduct, undoubted proofs, that he is a brave and a
skilful officer. For a farther idea of this gentleman, in his literary
capacity, see our review of his _Account of North America_, in the
preceding part of our No. for the present month.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Hebencourt
[2] A small party of the French, as we have since heard, had a fire here
at this time: but, discovering my advanced party, extinguished their
fire, and carried the news of our approach to the French fort.
[3] I had before this desired these gentlemen to retire, offering them a
Serjeant to conduct them; that as they were not used to snow-shoes, and
were unacquainted with the woods, they would have no chance of escaping
the enemy, in case we should be broke and put to flight, which I very
much suspected. They at first seemed to accept the offer, and began to
retire, but seeing us so closely beset, they undauntedly returned to our
assistance. What befel them after our flight, may be seen by a letter
from one of the Gentlemen to the commanding officer, which I have
inserted next to this account of our scout.
[4] This unfortunate officer, and his whole party, after they
surrendered, upon the strongest assurances of good treatment from the
enemy, were inhumanly tied up to trees, and hewn to pieces, in a most
barbarous and shocking manner.
[5] What that _manner of life_ was, the Author hath not more
particularly intimated; but we do not suppose he was employed in any
military capacity.
[6] For a detail of our Author's adventures, after he obtained the
command of those American light-armed infantry, called _Rangers_, see
the _Journals_ of Major Rogers, mentioned in our Catalogue for this
month: a work wrote, as he declares, 'not with silence and leisure, but
in, desarts, on rocks and mountains, amidst the hurries, disorders, and
noise of war, and under that depression of spirits, which is the natural
consequence of exhausting fatigue.'
[7] _The history of the Five Indian Nations of Canada_; viz. The
Mohawks, Oneydoes, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senekas; to whom are also
added, as a sixth nation, the _Tuscaroras_. The _Necariages_ of Misil
makinac, have also been received as a seventh nation.
[8] This term may be used in a religious, moral, political or
economical, as well as in a medical sense.
Transcribers' Notes
Page 7: that--than
Page 26: ever--every
page 26: table entry regarding Capt. Shepherd's Company;
there is nothing to show what occasioned the two entries.
Page 31: fontier--frontier
Page 31: contigious--contiguous
Page 40: He said: "When a boy in. Opening left double quote
removed. (He said: When a boy in)
Page 46: sillful--skillful
Page 50: duplicate 'shall' reduced to one
Page 53: Mexco--Mexico
Page 54: five--Five
Page 56: may--many
Page 61: Inchian--Indian
Page 64: kim--him (kill him)
Page 65: Phaenicians--Phoenicians
Page 65: Journall--Journal
There is variation in the spelling of proper nouns but
except as outlined above, they have been reproduced as
originally printed.