The Actual 1770 trip

​

The real story? It's longer than a lie. Myths are compact. Myths get to the point. The truth? It's a rabbit hole. Endless byways, sideways. A lie is so brief it is the soul of wit.

.

And this story? It's about some Indian (possibly Guyasuta) saying in a colorful way how no bullet aimed towards Washington could find its way to this target, that Washington is invincible.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

This speech is alleged to have occurred on Washington's expedition out west in 1770 to the Ohio River.

.

Did the speech really occur? 

Washington did not record it.

 

You see it quoted everywhere only because it is too good a quote not to mention.

.

Let us set a little context for Washington's trip out west in 1770 where this Indian said such a thing.

.

We read history as if it is forward looking.

.

But for the people in it, there are still matters from the past to resolve.

​

When we read of the 5 March 1770 The Boston Massacre we don't realize one leader, George Washington, is still looking to resolve a past promise.

​

Washington organizes a trip out west to the Ohio River September  29  to  October 22  in the same year of 1770  to look over land promised to him and his men back in 1754. 

​

And 2 years later in 1772, after the Boston Massacre, Washington poses for his first portrait in a French and Indian War uniform.

 

​

THE LAND GRAB

Back to this 1770 trip.

​

This trip by these members of the Ohio Company came to look at land promised by Lt Gov Dinwiddie to Washington and his Men of 1754.

​

This promise of land was only to the men of 1754 (Jummonville, Fort Necessity) and not to anyone after, not even to those of the failed Braddock Expedition of 1755.

​

Washington wrote a letter 8 December 1769 to stipulate that and confirm that.

​

And this Ohio Company concerning this "Ohio Country" was working on creating a new Colony called Vandalia whose Governor might be GW's former aid de camp, George Mercer.

​

The land grab speculation would be in violation of Britain's Proclamation Line of 1763, designed to stop the westward march and therefore expensive Indian Hostilites.

​

BUT the Treaty of Fort Stanwix 1768 moved the line dramatically west. So the Land Grab was ON.  See map in this National Park Service link.

​

​

GW writes a letter 17 September 1767 to one of his former soldiers William Crawford  predicting the Proclamation of 1763 will fall,  even  suggesting to ignore it to protect their future claims and to keep these designs a secret so they don't get in trouble with the King.

​

http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-08-02-0020

​

.

​

IS THE SPEECH TRUE?

Back to why THE SPEECH by the unnamed Indian is a myth.

　

George Washington records meeting this Indian but nothing about the particulars of the speech as reported by his adopted son, Martha's grandson which is George Washington Parke Custis.

.

Even George Washington's adopted son, his Wife's grandson notes that George Washington  did not record this speech in his diary, that "This narrative the author of the Recollections received from the lips of Dr. Craik " who accompanied GW on that trip.

.

Notice GW's adopted son never mentions the name of the Indian? It is Guyasuta (many spellings - GW spells it Kiashuta).

.

See excerpt below of what GW records is said.

 

GW's adopted son offers a rationale for GW's omission.  "It was a peculiar trait of his character to avoid everything, either in speech or writing, that had a personal relation to himself, in this manner."
 

.

Plausible.   GW commented on his own reaction to the speech:

.

"After much counseling over night, they all came to my fire the next morning with great formality; when Kiashuta, rehearsing what had passed between me and the Sachems at Colonel Croghan’s, thanked me for saying, that peace and friendship with them were the wish of the people of Virginia, and for recommending it to the traders to deal with them upon a fair and equitable footing; and then again expressed their desire of having a trade opened with Virginia, and that the governor thereof might not only be made acquainted therewith, but with their friendly disposition towards the white people. This I promised to do."

.

The next day GW further comments on his own reaction to all the speechmaking:

.

29th.- The tedious ceremony, which the Indians observe in their counsellings and speeches, detained us till nine o’clock.

.

So, apparently THE SPEECH and speeches did not impress GW.

.

Tedious? How tedious is GW's being invincible in battle? Or a speech making a prophecy he will become Chief of Nations as in head of the 13 Colonies?

.

Instead GW reported that Guyasuta's speech mentioned  trade and relations with the White People.

.

So did Dr Craik really tell GW's adopted son that Guyasata said something different than what GW reported?

.

No writings by Dr Craik of that moment have been discovered.  So we have hearsay.

.

Not 100% provable either way.   And if not provable, why is this speech reported as fact in countless news articles and books to this day?

.

 The only other remark GW makes of Guyasuta: "In the person of Kiashuta I found an old acquaintance, he being one of the Indians that went with me to the French in 1753. He expressed a satisfaction at seeing me, and treated us with great kindness, giving us a quarter of very fine buffalo. He insisted upon our spending that night with him"

.

Still nothing like that speech GW's adopted son says he heard from Dr Craik.

.

 Nothing like that speech is there in GW's Diary?

.

But you'll find it all over the internet, because it's a great wanna-believe-it-exciting tale.

.

Many writers of that time filled in the gaps, imagining what might have been said in that moment.

.

These authors of that time thought of what the actor in that story MIGHT have said.

.

Even if NOT EXACTLY the words, at least the sense of what might have been said is true.

.

"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" is one GIGANTIC example. Click on this link.

.

.

And now we come back to our opening on this section:

.

The real story? It's longer than a lie. Myths are compact. Myths get to the point. The truth? It's a rabbit hole. Endless byways, sideways. A lie is so brief it is the soul of wit.

​

​

.

See Links on this Guyasuta:

​

Canada’s Online biography

.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyasuta (c.1725–c.1794) was an important leader of the Seneca

.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Oriskany 6 AUGUST 1777

.

Boris Karloff as Chief Guyasuta in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconquered

.

Guyasuta final resting place days at Darlington family home

.

Some history on Guyastua

.

Gist and Guyasuta Sculpture on Manchester Bridge before it was moved

.

Washington and Guyasuta Sculpture at Point of View Park October 20, 2006 article

​

　

Navigate Google Car with Mouse or Touch screen to look at statue of  Guyasuta and GW:

​

https://goo.gl/maps/rQgA2MvRtFP2

​

​

.

The Trip

Begins   5 October     1770

Ends    31 December 1770

　

THE JOURNAL OF THIS 1770 TRIP

​

This is the simplest unedited one:

​

http://www.wvculture.org/history/settlement/washingtonjournal1770.html

​

This is the same journal as above but handsomely annotated:

​

http://founders.archives.gov/?q=Volume%3AWashington-01-02&s=1511311112&r=2730

​

This is a daily separate journal different from the main journal of the trip by GW:

​

http://founders.archives.gov/?q=Volume%3AWashington-01-02&s=1511211112&r=2671

.

1770 TRIP OUTLINE OF VANDALIA

​

GW at Mount Vernon writes to Botetourt, 5 October 1770 on the first day of his trip west:

​

http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-08-02-0261

　

Excerpts of Journal relating to the legend on the left column:

​

Guyasuta has many spellings. In here Washington spells the name, Kiashuta.

　

OCTOBER

28the October

...And to where we found Kiashuta and his hunting party encamped. Here we were under a necessity of paying our compliments, as this person was one of the Six Nation chiefs, and the head of those upon this river. In the person of Kiashuta I found an old acquaintance, he being one of the Indians that went with me to the French in 1753. He expressed a satisfaction at seeing me, and treated us with great kindness, giving us a quarter of very fine buffalo. He insisted upon our spending that night with him, and, in order to retard us as little as possible, moved his camp down the river just below the mouth of a creek, the name of which I could not learn.

 

At this place we all encamped. After much counseling over night, they all came to my fire the next morning with great formality; when Kiashuta, rehearsing what had passed between me and the Sachems at Colonel Croghan’s, thanked me for saying, that peace and friendship with them were the wish of the people of Virginia, and for recommending it to the traders to deal with them upon a fair and equitable footing; and then again expressed their desire of having a trade opened with Virginia, and that the governor thereof might not only be made acquainted therewith, but with their friendly disposition towards the white people. This I promised to do.

​

29th.- The tedious ceremony, which the Indians observe in their counsellings and speeches, detained us till nine o’clock.

.

.

PREVIOUS TO ABOVE IN OCTOBER

​

17th. – Dr. Craik and myself, with Captain Crawford and others, arrived at Fort Pitt, distant from the Crossing forty-three and a half measured miles. In riding this distance we passed over a great deal of exceedingly fine land, chiefly white-oak, especially from Sewickly Creek to Turtle Creek, but the whole broken; resembling, as I think all the lands in this country do, the Loudoun lands. We lodged in what is called the town, distant about three hundred yards from the fort, at one Mr. Semple’s, who keeps a very good house of public entertainment. The houses, which are built of logs, and ranged in streets, are on the Monongahela, and I suppose may be about twenty in number, and inhabited by Indian traders. The fort is built on the point between the rivers Allegany and Monongahela, but not so near the pitch of it as Fort Duquesne stood. It is five-sided and regular, two of which near the land are of brick, the others stockade. A moat encompasses it. The garrison consists of two companies of Royal Irish, commanded by Captain Edmondson.

​

18th. – Dined in the Fort with Colonel Croghan and the officers of the garrison; supped there also, meeting with great civility, from the gentlemen, and engaged to dine with Colonel Croghan the next day at his seat, about four miles up the Allegany.

​

19th. – Received a message from Colonel Croghan, that the White Mingo and other chiefs of the Six Nations had something to say to me, and desiring that I would be at his house about eleven, where they were to meet. I went up and received a speech, with a string of wampum from the White Mingo, to the following effect.

"That as I was a person whom some of them remember to have seen, when I was sent on an embassy to the French, and most of them had heard of, they were come to bid me welcome to this country, and to desire that the people of Virginia would consider them as friends and brothers, linked together in one chain; that I would inform the governor, that it was their wish to live in peace and harmony with the white people, and that though there had been some unhappy differences between them and the people upon our frontiers, they were all made up, and they hoped forgotten; and concluded with saying, that their brothers of Virginia did not come along them and trade as the inhabitants of the other provinces did, from whence they were afraid that we did not look upon them with so friendly an eye as they could wish."

​

To this I answered, after thanking them for their friendly welcome, "that all the injuries and affronts, that had passed on either side, were now totally forgotten, and that I was sure noting was more wished and desired by the people of Virginia, than to live in the strictest friendship with them; that the Virginians were a people not so much engaged in trade as the Pennsylvanians, which was the reason of their not being so frequently among them; but that it was possible they might for the time to come have stricter connexions with them, and that I would acquaint the government with their desires."

​

After dining at Colonel Croghan’s we returned to Pittsburg, Colonel Croghan with us, who intended to accompany us part of the way down the river, having engaged an Indian called the Pheasant, and one Joseph Nicholson an interpreter, to attend us the whole voyage; also a young Indian warrior.

​

20th. – We embarked in a large canoe, with sufficient store of provision and necessaries, and the following persons, besides Dr. Craik and myself, to wit, Captain Crawford, Joseph Nicholson, Robert Bell, William Harrison, Charles Morgan, and Daniel Rendon, a boy of Captain Crawford’s, and the Indians, who were in a canoe by themselves. From Fort Pitt we sent our horses and boys back to Captain Crawford’s, with orders to meet us there again on the 14th day of November. Colonel Croghan, Lieutenant Hamilton, and Mr. Magee, set out with us. At two we dined at Mr. Magee’s, and encamped ten miles below, and four above Logstown. We passed several large islands, which appeared to be very good, as the bottoms also did on each side of the river alternately; the hills on one side being opposite to the bottoms on the other, which seem generally to be about three or four hundred yards wide, and so vice versa.

​

21st. – Left our encampment about six o’clock, and breakfasted at Logstown, where we parted with Colonel Croghan and company about nine o’clock. At eleven we came to the mouth of the Big Beaver Creek, opposite to which is a good situation for a house, and above it, on the same side, that is the west, there appears to be a body of fine land. About five miles lower down, on the east side, comes in Raccoon Creek, at the mouth of which and up it appears to be a body of good land also.

 

All the land between this creek and the Monongahela, and for fifteen miles back, is claimed by Colonel Croghan under a purchase from the Indians, which sale he says is confirmed by his Majesty.

 

On this creek, where the branches thereof interlock with the waters of Shurtees Creek, there is, according to Colonel Croghan’s account, a body of fine, rich, level land. This tract he wants to sell, and offers it at five pounds sterling per hundred acres, with an exemption of quitrents for twenty years; after which, to be subject to the payment of four shillings and two pence sterling per hundred acres; provided he can sell it in ten-thousand-acre lots.

 

At present the unsettled state of this country renders any purchase dangerous.

 

From Raccoon Creek to Little Beaver Creek appears to me to be little short of ten miles, and about three miles below this we encamped; after hiding a barrel of biscuit in an island to lighten our canoe.

.