Byrd & Montgomery Expeditions in May 1760 heading towards the Cherokee Homelands
Colonel William Byrd III does not want to do this. He doesn't have the supplies needed, nor enough men. This Fort Loudoun in what is now today's Tennessee, is 600 miles from the last Virginian inhabitants. He tries to get out of the assignment by the end of May 1760. The government in Williamsburg requires him to do this assignment. But first they had to tell the British Army's Monckton, commander of "Pittsburg" who wants more men to build Fort Pitt that Bryd is needed to help South Carolina save its men in Fort Loudoun (today's Tennessee). So Byrd's attempt to get out of this fails. Byrd begins his planning for this expedition. Byrd has learned from the Forbes Expedition. Build base camps or forts every 20 to 40 miles so there are nearby safe harbors to retreat. This made his progress slow. But also too was Williamsburg to blame. They were blind in what was needed to accomplish this mission.
We follow his expedition because he and many of his men headquartered in Winchester at Fort Loudoun. We want to know the activities of these men from 1759 to 1763. They were Lt Colonel Adam Stephen, Major Andrew Lewis and Nathaniel Gist. Adam Stephen later takes over this expedition as Colonel. Nathaniel Gist is alleged to have sired the famous Cherokee Sequoyah who created a syllabary of written sounds enabling the first written Northamerican Indian language. Major Andrew Lewis knows well Byrd's problems. He went through the same logistics problem in his Sandy Creek Expedition of 1756. And all of these men learned from how the Forbes Expedition handled logistics.
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Montgomery goes through the same problems as Byrd. But he argues and fights his way to getting his supplies and men faster than Byrd can. Montgomery has British army backing. He can demand harder than Byrd can.
His march is going to cause some damage to the Cherokee. But his ultimate retreat is going to embolden them.
Byrd's march is too little, too late.
By end of May of 1760 Byrd's request to avoid this assignment is denied.
He is ordered to get to Stalnaker's. On the map it shows as S.Stahlmakers. That's Samuel Stalnaker's old place.
Notice Long Island on the Holston River. That is one of the last places the Byrd expedition builds a fortified camp. Notice New River. Going north on that river was a fort by the Byrd expedition. He named it after Chiswell.
Montgomery sees first blood by June 1, 1760.
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Timeline of both expeditions in May 1760
May 2, 1760
Montgomery's troops reach Monck's Corner SC
Page 208 Corkran book
May 9, 1760
[Ensign] Milne [succeeded the killed Lt Coytmore as commander of Fort Prince George] tricked some Cherokee peace makers, taking them hostage. Montgomery thought Milne was wrong in creating further Cherokee distrust, but Montgomery benefited from this. The Cherokees, fearing a new round of hostage killing, held off from planning a successfull ambush of Montgomery's troops
Page 210 Corkran book
The Cherokee Frontier, Conflict and Survival 1740-1762, by David H Corkran, published by the University of Oklahoma Press 1962).
May 19, 1760
Lt Gov Fauquier asks the House of Burgesses to help South Carolina's Fort Loudoun (in today's Tennessee).
He speaks of how much money Virginia recieved from the Crown out of the total promised the Southern Colonies and the money recieved from the Crown out of the total promised all the colonies.
Source
May 24, 1760
Montgomery's troops reach Fort Ninety-Six, so named because the surveyor thought the Cherokee town of Keowee was 96 miles away.
Page 208 Corkran book
May 24, 1760
In defense of Byrd's slowness
Upon being ordered to march to the relief of the besieged Fort Loudon Garrison, Byrd wrote Brigadier General Monkton on May 24th, 1760 that "...You will judge of the impossibility of the attempt when I tell you that this fort [Loudon in today's Tennessee] is six hundred miles beyond our outermost inhabitants & not a post in the whole way; no men are yet levy'd for that purpose, neither are any provisions or carriages engaged. These men [of the Fort Loudon garrison] must unavoidably fall into the hands of the savages who will shew them no mercy." (Correspondence of the Three William Byrds of Westover Virginia 1684-1776 Volume 2). Despite his protests and attempt to resign from the expedition, Byrd did his best to muster a relief party. The experienced Byrd recommended a plan to advance in stages along the lines of the "Protected Advance" utilized by Forbes in the campaign prior. - meaning Forbes built camps and forts around every 25-40 miles before advancing. Bouquet wrote:". . .to build forts along our lines of march for the security of our convoys . . ."
Byrd's ill equipped forces slowly moved southward, many of them without regimental clothing and unarmed. By the time his under-strength regiment was fully armed in late August (with the assistance of Colonel Chiswell), the Garrison at Fort Loudon had already surrendered to the Cherokee and many of the men had been massacred. Byrd continued his route towards the Big Island (Kingsport Tennessee), and advanced parties encountered survivors of the garrison and a party of Cherokees under Attakullakulla (Little Carpenter) who had ransomed Captain Stewart and removed him to the safety of the Virginian's lines.
May 28, 1760
Montgomery's force grows
Troops aim towards Fort Prince George next to the Cherokee Keowee town.
". . . accompanied by 295 rangers, 40 picked men of the provincials, about 12 guides, and 40 or 50 Catawbas, the highlanders set out for Fort Prince George. The force now numbered 1,650 exclusive of Indians and pack horse men."
Page 208 Corkran book
May 29, 1760
Colonel William Byrd III offers to be excused from commanding an expedition to deal with the Cherokee rebellion. That letter is read by the Virginia Executive Council 11 June 1760. They reject his offer to be excused. They must also reply to Monckton, head of Fort Pitt, who had already requested Byrd to lead the 300 Virginia Regiment soldiers at "Pittsburg." They, the Council of Virginia, requests Lt Gov Fauquier to write to Monckton to explain Virginia needs Byrd to head the expedition to save Fort Loudoun (in today's Tennessee), that this is more urgent than the relatively currently relaxed situation at Fort Pitt.
Byrd does offer resignation from total command 2 Dec 1760, but he is ordered to continue on to Stalnaker's. He finally really resigns in August 1761. Adam Stephen takes command in Sept 1761.
Sources:
Pages 56-57, in Norman Baker's book, Fort Loudoun, Washington's Fort in Virginia published in 2000.
Compiled by Jim Moyer 5/25/2024, researched April 2024, updated 5/26/2024
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