First Blood in Montgomery's Expedition against the Cherokee Nation June 1760
June 1, 1760 before Noon
Montgomery's troops reach Twelve Mile Creek in South Carolina.
"Here it expected a Cherokee assault. Troops and wagons must go down a steep bank to the ford and up over rocks to regain the road level. But the crossing proceeded without interruption, and Montgomery believe the Cherokees to be unaware of his approach. He did not know that Milne held them [the Cherokees] to peace with hostages."
Milne was an Ensign. He had succeeded Coytmore as commander of the Fort Prince George. Coytmore was a Lieutenant. He was called to a peace parley by the Cherokee. It was a ruse.
He was lured into an ambush by Oconostota and killed.
This Oconostota also known as Okana-Stoté gets his portrait drawn here in a document of 27 Feb 1761
Page 208 Corkran book
The Cherokee Frontier, Conflict and Survival 1740-1762, by David H Corkran, published by the University of Oklahoma Press 1962).
Noon to 8pm
Montgomery's troops had already travelled 20 miles. Instead of resting, Montgomery chose to strike. He pushed his army to march 25 miles more, bypassing Cherokee town Keowee adjacent Fort Prince George to strike at Estatoe.
Page 209 Corkran book
2am
Montgomery's troops reached a single log bridging Crow Creek, a quarter of a mile from the Estatoe houses. That's when the Cherokee fired upon them. Montgomery's toop took fire, but held together to proceed.
Page 209 Corkran book
June 2, 1760 2am to 4pm
Estatoe was destroyed. It had 200 houses, well supplied from all the plunder the Cherokees took from Jan to May 1760.Montgomery's troops went on to destroy Qualareetchee, Conasatchee, and Toxaway.
By then at 4pm, Montgomery's troops circled back to the Keowee and Fort Prince George area to rest.
Page 209 Corkran book
36 hours since June 1, 1760
Montgomery's troops had travelled 60 miles, killed 60 to 80 Cherokees, burned 5 villages, taken 40 prisoners.
Page 209 Corkran book
June 15, 1760
Peace Initiatives. Montgomery releases some Cherokee hostages held by Ensign Milne at Fort Prince George to go to the Cherokee towns to discuss peace. Tistoe is one of them.
On 27 June 1760,
about eight miles south of Etchoe (near the present-day town of Otto at the deserted Cherokee town of Tessante Old Town), the first Battle of Etchoe took place. Oconostota ambushed Montgomery, killing 20 of his men and wounding 70, including Montgomery himself. Montgomery returned to Charles Towne to begin a new assignment, but meanwhile the Cherokees captured Fort Loudoun in present-day Tennessee. In response, Col. James Grant, a member of Montgomery's earlier expedition, led 2,400 men in a decisive blow against the Indians.
Reference:
David H. Corkran, The Cherokee Frontier: Conflict and Survival, 1740-1762 (1962).
"Battle of Echoe." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program/Markers.aspx?sp=search&k=Markers&sv=QQ-1
"Cherokee Victory." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program/Markers.aspx?sp=map&sv=Q-6
"Cherokee Defeat." North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program. https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/division-historical-resources/nc-highway-historical-marker-program/Markers.aspx?sp=search&k=Markers&sv=Q-5
See Twelve Mile River in the center of map. On its northern end are the Keowee towns of the Cherokee. North of that is Estatoe.
Source
Map above
Source of map
In 1755 the Cherokee were officially reported to number 2,590 warriors, as against probably twice that number previous to the great smallpox epidemic sixteen years before. Their neighbors and ancient enemies, the Catawba, had dwindled to 240 men.
Those numbers are mentioned in a Letter of Governor Dobbs, 1755, in North Carolina Colonial Records,V, pp. 320, 321, 1887.
Another map
TREATY RELATIONS WITH THE COLONIES.
Byrd's Expedition
Meanwhile, the slow moving Virginians
May 29, 1760
Byrd asked to be excused from Cherokee expedition
Source
June 23, 1760
Byrd called down from Fort Bedford, PA to command (in a Sept 16th letter to Abercromby) says was mortified to be told to command “this ill-concerted expedition”
Source
July 5, 1760
Byrd arrives at Augusta Courthouse in Virginia
Page 130 Tortura book
July 19, 1760
Byrd at Roanoke River
Page 130 Tortura book
Aug 1, 4, 5 1760
Some of Montgomery's soldiers desert and head towards Virginians
Page 130 Tortura book
Sept 3, 1760
Byrd at Reed Creek
This is known as abandoned Alexander Sayer's Mill, later to have Fort Chiswell built upon it by Feb 1761.
Page 134 Tortura book
Months prior to Byrd showing up at Reed Creek,
It is interesting to note that John Chiswell petition for land in this area of Reed Creed, the abandoned Sayers Mill, Byrd eventually builds a fort in this area and names it after John Chiswell: His petition was certainly helped by a very strong force in the name of The Speaker of the House and Treasurer, John Robinson.
At a Council held May 6th 1760
On the Petition of John Chiswell Esqr . Leave is granted him to take up and survey One Thousand Acres of Land lying on both Sides of the New River , begining on the South Side , at Humberstone Lyons's lower Corner , and runing down the said River so as to include that Quantity . On the Petition of John Robinson Esqr . Leave is granted him to take up and survey One Thousand Acres of Land , on both Sides of the New - River , begining on the South Side , joining the Lines of
#176 (p.158)
158 Executive Journals , Council of Colonial Virginia
John Chiswell's Grant , and runing down the said River , so as to include that Quantity .
Source
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Compiled by Jim Moyer 6/2/2024
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